My Cage design.. Critique please

[Greg_B]

I took the time to draw up the profile of my cage plans... Only thing I left off is a chicken bar... not sure I want one...%)

What do you think? Do the angles look right? Will the bar by the seat be a PIA to get in and out? I can form it differently if needed.

I may laser cut a bucking bronco into that gusset just for kicks...;D

Anything I forgot? Anything you would do differently?

To make sure it clears I formed a mock version up today out of 18ga 1-1/4" tube with all the OD dimensions.... Cheaper than screwing up 2" tube.


Greg

 

[Ethansdad73]

i know nothing about cage design..... but maybe a bit lower in the door to make it easier to get in the back and a little "swoop" to make it a bit easier to get the feet out with out triping. And maybe the pillar behind the seat to match more of the angle of the seat?

 

[Nightstick]

I like the design, I'm actually gonna build mine myself too. Hell you can get a hydraulic pipe bender and all the metal for the roll bar, doors, and bumpers for cheaper than some cages.

My only concern with the structural integrity of the design is the lean of the center posts. With the lean of the front two at the same angle in a rollover the cage might collapse. I'm assuming thats why the support bar behind the center is there though so that might resolve that issue. Otherwise looks cool, can't wait to see it!

 

[Greg_B]

i know nothing about cage design..... but maybe a bit lower in the door to make it easier to get in the back and a little "swoop" to make it a bit easier to get the feet out with out triping. And maybe the pillar behind the seat to match more of the angle of the seat?

When I first started thinking about this I was going to do it like you said... match the lean to the angle of the seats.... But after looking at tons of photos it looks like most match the angle of the windshield which is what this one is supposed to be. If you notice the files name... this is version 2... the other version is almost EXCATLY like you said with the tube formed to match the floor contour. I changed it to this because I thought it would be stronger and add strenth to the center pillar.

Hmmm...

Greg

 

[malcolmzilla]

Looks familiar. ;D

Yes the door / kick bar will be a bit of a pain, S bend it if you can. Also try to leave yourself enough room to wiggle the dash out without removing the cage.

 

[gddyap]

Two things to remember on cage design is triangulation and nodes. A triangle is the strongest shape so you want your cage to be made up of triangles where possible. Nodes are intersect points of tubes. A + has a node at the center. Ideally you want tubes to end where another tube ends so they support each other. Also, bends are potential weak points so if possible, bends should be nodes so they are supported by other tubes. Is it always practical to have maximum triangulation and nodes? Not always, but the strongest cage will have both. Make sure you have adequate head room and consider mounting the seats and restraints to the cage.

 

[Greg_B]

I can "S" bend it to maybe a 45... the dies are just too large... I will have to play with that.

I have a sheetmetal dash insert I fabbed up... it has only a bottom two sides that only go about 3" high and the back only has a lip about 1-1/2" high... I did it this way to it would come out easily and give me access to the computer. It sill functions as a glove box for insurance papers and that sort of stuff.

Does the angle of your center bar match the seats ot the windshield?

Greg

 

[malcolmzilla]

I can "S" bend it to maybe a 45... the dies are just too large... I will have to play with that.

I have a sheetmetal dash insert I fabbed up... it has only a bottom two sides that only go about 3" high and the back only has a lip about 1-1/2" high... I did it this way to it would come out easily and give me access to the computer. It sill functions as a glove box for insurance papers and that sort of stuff.

Does the angle of your center bar match the seats ot the windshield?

Greg

IIRC my door bar S bends are less than 45 degrees, good call on the dash, I swept my center windshield pillars back and bent the top bar to clear the wiper assembly. Plus it looks angry LOL.

How tall are you, headroom with the seats on the cage, and cage that fits under a hardtop is a challenge.

 

[73bronco]

I like the design, I'm actually gonna build mine myself too. Hell you can get a hydraulic pipe bender and all the metal for the roll bar, doors, and bumpers for cheaper than some cages.

My only concern with the structural integrity of the design is the lean of the center posts. With the lean of the front two at the same angle in a rollover the cage might collapse. I'm assuming thats why the support bar behind the center is there though so that might resolve that issue. Otherwise looks cool, can't wait to see it!

I hope you aren't talking about one of the pump type PIPE benders for a roll cage? The cheap ones that are around $100? They will kink your tubing and cause you grief trying to match bends side to side. I would not recommend one for anything structural like a cage!

 

[Nightstick]

I hope you aren't talking about one of the pump type PIPE benders for a roll cage? The cheap ones that are around $100? They will kink your tubing and cause you grief trying to match bends side to side. I would not recommend one for anything structural like a cage!

Yes I was... http://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...s&cm_ite=153781?ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=153781

I can probably find a good one to use for the cage, but I'll more than likely use one for the bumpers. I think the local metal shop charges $1 per bend or cut so I'll talk to them.

(sorry for the hijack)

 

[trailpsycho]

For the floor S-bend we made a bend (forget the angle) then cut it at center, rotated the tube and sleeved the inside of the tube with the next size down, drill each half in two places, plug-weld the sleeve in place and then seam (butt) weld the two halves and, WALA, you have your S-curve for your floor drop. Works great, looks great...hard to tell down there unless you are looking for it. That method should save you some tube (and frustration). Did the same thing on the dash bar...it was originally straight and blocked the view of the speedo. So, we took the same approach there...looks great functions great.

The pics arent in chronological order, but I htink you get the idea. The pics with the red marks (last pics) were my measurements of where I thought the bends needed to be. The one of the cage on its side, is the night before when I removed it for a bit more finish welding. The photos just before those are during/just after. The other pics are "after" and one or two where you could see the bend for the floor. Nothing ground breaking, but it gives a little detail. If you are really good with the bender, then maybe its easier to do two bends and toss a little extra tube, but for us, it was easier to make the floor spreaders by the above method. The dash-bar fix was out of necessity. It actually provides a great locale for the tach where it rises up in the corner with the A-pillar...easy to see while keeping an eye on the road, doesnt take away from field of view, etc.

Good luck with your cage build!

 

[Greg_B]

Trailpsycho...

Love that EB... What color is that? That is one of the best looking color schemes I have seen... Awesome... That color with the black trim and liner is perfect...

As far as benders go... I am using a BLM CNC bender... Harbor Frieght doesnt sell this one... it runs around $600K. It is way cool with all electric servos and dual heads... it will bend left hand and right hand bends without the operator touching the part. We are hoping to have a matching tube laser next year which runs about $1.4 mil... No telling what kind of cool things I may be able to build when we get that...

Problem is these machines run almost 24/7 on projects that actually MAKE money... hard to squeeze in the Bronco stuff. We really dont bend much tube over 1-1/4 so I dont have a lot of tooling to play with right now and even less time.

Surely I can get this thing done in a week or two. Your idea on the floor tube is good... I may go that route.

Greg

 

[PhantomEB]

Malcolmzilla's, I have seen in person, and I say its one of the better designs I have ever seen. Wish I could of brought it when he asked.