In an accident and I am lucky to be alive

[kancox]

It looks like your engineering did its job. Especially since your roll bar isn't excessive. In fact it looks appropriate.
However, there are some cages that are so heavy, they would have to contribute to a rollover. More isn't always better.

Not only that but it wouldn't bother me to see a little more damage to the cage to absorb some impact force,and as far as the seat,was it a failure or a impact absorber? I don't know,just some thoughts. One way or the other i'm damned glad your okay

 

[sykanr0ng]

Thanks everyone, believe me I feel lucky to be here typing and hopefully help save someone else.

The seats failed and were the brand Mountain Ram mentioned. I bought them from a vendor that is prominent on this site so i am sure they were not imitation. I do remember reading one person posting on another board that these seats failed on him, and to be honest, I think I convinced myself it was a rare bad seat just to save a few hundred bucks. How stupid, and that is part of my post. Don't cheap out. Buy the best quality, and hopefully, tested products out there.

I dont care about the Bronco. I am just happy to be alive.

Best way to save money on seats is buy used OEM seats from a parts vehicle, junkyard or otherwise.
Those are made to safety standards.

 

[ScanmanSteven]

Wow, glad to hear you survived that.

 

[Rustytruck]

I build my cage's like yours and have my A pillar roll bar hit the floor board brace like yours, my B pillar hit the body brace channel the seat belts bolt to, and my C pillar hit the rear body channel close to the tail gate. I have never seen a Bronco crash with a cage bolted to these braces fail.

Well if you consider that the body is only mounted with 8 old bolts and your minimal 6 point cage has 6 pads with 4 bolts each. The roll cage is better mounted to carry the load than the body is mounted to the frame. Plus the bolts in the roll cage are somewhat newer. Its the rust in the body that compromises the integrety of the structure.

 

[MyOriginal66]

Wasn't planning on three point belts because of looks but this thread has definitely changed my mind... thankful your alive and as others have said, thanks for sharing.

 

[mavman427]

Not only that but it wouldn't bother me to see a little more damage to the cage to absorb some impact force,and as far as the seat,was it a failure or a impact absorber? I don't know,just some thoughts. One way or the other i'm damned glad your okay

In my experience getting a seat tested, the seat shown in the picture would be a gross failure. A little movement is allowed and expected in the testing, but to flop over at 45 degrees is definitely a failure. It's hard to say if an actual rollover at 55mph or the simulated crash testing done on seats is more demanding, but I have my doubts that this seat meets federal motor vehicle safety standards. The really amazing thing about this is that I believe the seat belts are bolted to the roll cage and floor. If the seat belts were integral to the seat, it probably would have come apart as the seat belts would have imposed much larger forces on the seat.

 

[SavageBurro]

So glad you are not seriously injured and thank you for sharing.

 

[Mtgrizzlymn]

I have a hard top with factory roll bar I guess, wish there was a way to add more so it ran along the windshield , looks like a weak point there.


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[ttkelly]

Glad you are ok!

Any recommendations for aftermarket seats from the other members here?

 

[BOBS 2 68S]

Glad you are OK!
My wife was is a head on 4 weeks ago, she has a broken hand, and her dog also seatbelted was just stiff for a few days. So after that I am installing shoulder belt in both Broncos. Ditto on the roll cage!

 

[sprdv1]

It sux bad, but definitely glad you survived... God bless and Thank him every day for sure..

Thanks guys. I really just want to caution everyone, I survived for a reason and hopefully it saves someone else's life.

The roll cage was a smitty built that someone added a front cage to. I had this looked at by several builders and they all agreed it was sound, and as it turned out it was. It was not tied to the frame but was attached at 6 different points. If I were ever to buy one again, I'd probably by BC's because they have actually tested it proven it works. I was on the freeway going about 50-55mph.

The one thing I noticed looking at my truck today is that my brand new seats did fail. Something else to think about when you are building/upgrading. In a way though, the seat failure possibly prevented my head from hitting the roll cage. Who knows.

Seriously be safe guys.

 

[bronccar]

I'm going to be running 5 point in the front and shoulders in the back with family cage - but the part about the seats freaks me out a bit as I have brand new Baja RS sitting in the shop.

Glad you're ok - like you said, Bronco or not - all that matters after something like that is being alive.

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[kens bronco]

Glad your ok.
Kenny

 

[bronccar]

FWIW I have contacted Corbeau and asked them about this issue. I cited this thread and the heep one that had the same failure. If they can assure me that it's been addressed I have some backtracking to do.

 

[chuckyb]

Glad you are ok. You have given me some important things to consider about the "precious cargo" that we ride around with - much more important than the vehicle itself.

 

[tasker]

AS others have stated....thank the Lord you are ok. true that the Bronco is just a thing and can be replaced.....so glad that you have that option brother!

 

[half cab]

Man that bar did it's job. Glad your ok.

 

[half cab]

I have a hard top with factory roll bar I guess, wish there was a way to add more so it ran along the windshield , looks like a weak point there.


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No factory roll bar but do ck out Wild Horses they have a front and rear add on to a bar such as the San Felipe.

 

[DirtDonk]

Beat me to it!
As he said, all bars were either dealer or owner installed. Ford never had one, although I do seem to remember they did list one as an "option" at one point in literature. But even that would have likely been in the dealer-installed category.
Maybe the lawyers said it wasn't a good idea to make people think you could roll over in their vehicles?

But if you have just about any aftermarket bar, you can weld in a front and/or rear cage setup. From fully custom, local bent stuff, to (almost) ready to go like this stuff: http://www.wildhorses4x4.com/category/s?keyword=san+felipe
There's a minimal amount of leeway built into the slightly too long tubes, but if your bar looks too much different from what's pictured, you may need to have someone local do a custom.

Good luck.
And make sure that however it's set up, you keep in mind all the clearances needed up front. Knees, window cranks, wing-vents, dash controls, glove box doors, etc.
All of the above need to be taken into account when doing the final setup of a front cage in an EB.

Paul

 

[TTTGOWYO]

A sobering reminder of what is important and also not to skimp when it comes to safety. So glad you are able to share the story and remind us all to be vigilant. Thank you!