Photos of my family cage project

[paul430c]

I spent a lot of my spare time over the Christmas and New Year's holiday doing a cage install and I thought some might enjoy the details. In short, I'm VERY happy with the result and I welcome any questions.

Step one was to select a cage kit. I did a lot of research and it's clear that there are many good choices and I simply went with the TBP 8-point family cage. Others would have been great as well.

Step two was to measure, trim, measure, grind, measure and then tack weld it up in my truck. More posts to follow.....

 

[paul430c]

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The next step was to finish weld the cage outside of the vehicle and I also added some gussets and some grab handles. Needless to say it was a lot easier to do the welding outside of the truck so I could flip it over, etc.

 

[paul430c]

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After cleaning and sanding the whole cage to ensure a good bond, I took it to a local powder coater. I went with a satin black (10% gloss).

 

[paul430c]

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While the cage was at the powder coater I did some work on the hardtop and truck bed to quiet things up. I used a roll-on Spectrum sound deadened on both followed by Dynamat sheets. One challenging thing was how to flip over the top. As many of you know, the top sheet metal is not strong enough (or reinforced sufficiently) to take the weight of the top. Notice the 2x4 jig I made (with caster wheels) to support the weight of the top by way of the roof gutters.

 

[paul430c]

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Finally I added medium density roll bar padding in areas where there could be head impact and I reinstalled the cage in the truck. I also replaced my original headliner with a new part and the top fit nicely on top of the roll cage with no interference (thanks to careful measurements back in the early steps.

 

[paul430c]

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My final note pertains to reattaching my top. I had a unique situation where I had to install my speaker panels before I could install my cage (because the clearance was so close) and therefore I couldn't use the stock nut / bolt combination to attach the top. This gave the excuse to buy the nutsert (rivnut) tool I've been wanting for years. I installed blind nutserts into the holes along the bed rail and that allowed me to simply use the stock bolts and not worry about the nuts within the cavity that I could no longer access.

Again I'm very happy with how everything turned out and I welcome questions.

 

[Fireball05]

Paul,

That looks awesome! Very nice work! I do have a few questions if you don't mind:

1. What are the details on that roof rack? I really like the looks of it.
2. how much improvement did you notice with the sludge/dynamat soundproofing?
3. do those nutserts have anything on the underside of them? Reason I ask is that I just got my EB, and when I removed the HT found that the bolts had pulled up the sheet metal at each attachment point on the rear quarters. I'm planning to either just use large fender washers, or perhaps build a steel strip that I'll weld the nuts onto.

And one last non-Bronco related question. What's the SCCA garage-mate seen in the background of the one photo?

 

[Seattle66]

Nice work! I am planning on going the exact same route. Buy the TBP family 8 point kit as a base starting point and then add features like grab handles, interior light, etc... Nice job on the speaker panels as well. Those looks really good.

 

[Rox Crusher]

Nicely done !

 

[jcpetrson]

Good work! I especially like the hood cart. That's an original.

You also helped me with my displeasure of the bed holes for the hood. I was thinking of going with the camper top clips until looking at your pics, I realized that won't work with the inserts. First good shot of the nutsertz I've seen. Did you do anything on the holes for the top?

 

[croft75]

Hi looks awesome , 1 question where did you get the replacement headliner and trim ?

 

[xcntrk]

Nice work, looks great! Is that a track car in the other stall? Looks like you're pretty close to VIR..

 

[paul430c]

Paul,

That looks awesome! Very nice work! I do have a few questions if you don't mind:

1. What are the details on that roof rack? I really like the looks of it.
2. how much improvement did you notice with the sludge/dynamat soundproofing?
3. do those nutserts have anything on the underside of them? Reason I ask is that I just got my EB, and when I removed the HT found that the bolts had pulled up the sheet metal at each attachment point on the rear quarters. I'm planning to either just use large fender washers, or perhaps build a steel strip that I'll weld the nuts onto.

And one last non-Bronco related question. What's the SCCA garage-mate seen in the background of the one photo?

Hello Fireball05 and a few others. Here are some responses.
The roof rack was already installed when I got the truck so I don't know any details. It seems to be aftermarket and I like it too.

I would say I got a 25% or better improvement in sound as a result of my efforts. I still need to do the doors and the floor in the front cab (under seats, foot well and firewall. That should also help a lot.

I agree with you about the importance of proper backing material behind the nutserts. I used thick zinc washers that were a tight fit on the nutsert. I also used stainless fender washers under the flange bolts on top. A continuous steep plate on the underside would be great but would be a lot of effort. As you know the bedside sheetmetal is very thick and strong. The sheetmetal on the bottom flange of the roof is very thin. Below is a photo of the Marson tool and nutserts I bought from Zoro Tools (great prices). You can also see the washer I used for the underside of the nutsert. I plan to do this same thing for the bolts at the top of the windshield frame but with smaller nutserts.

Finally, yes I race a 2007 Ferrari 430 Challenge car up and down the east coast in a spec series. I finished 4th in the 2012 championship. Some photos attached.

 

[paul430c]

Headliner

Another few responses. I got the headliner from BC Broncos. I thought $79.95 was a great deal. I reused my old trim pieces.

Regarding my other hobby, yes I'm 2.5-hours from VIR and that is by far my most attended track in the US, followed by Watkins Glen. I started on Pole this year at our Watkins Glen race and finished second.

 

[custom-cruiser]

I race a 2007 Ferrari 430 Challenge car

So do you notice a slight handling change from the 430 to the EB?

of course the acceleration,braking and cornering should be just about par but how do the stereos compare? ;D

 

[Fireball05]

So do you notice a slight handling change from the 430 to the EB?

of course the acceleration,braking and cornering should be just about par but how do the stereos compare? ;D

Funny stuff Custom. I bet the stereos are pretty similar actually. The 430 doesn't have one, and the EBs hasn't picked up any worthwhile stations since oh...about 1984.

Paul - nice work with the nutserts. I'm planning to get a piece of polished aluminum that I'll use as a cover for the rear quarters. My HT will come off in spring and stay off, so the aluminum will hopefully be a nice cover and finish piece for that area.

I lived in Atlanta for awhile and used to race Spec Miata. Mainly at Road Atlanta, but made a few trips up to VIR in my day. Fun stuff

 

[msommer001]

Did you connect the cage to the frame, if so any photos?

 

[paul430c]

Cage to frame

msommer001, I haven't connected the cage to the frame but I'm thinking about it. For now I'm just kicking the can down the road.

 

[paul430c]

Fireball, I have a lot of friends that race Spec Miata. Great cars. I also love Road Atlanta. I was lucky enough to finish 2nd there a few months ago. Wow, I feel like I'm highjacking my own thread!

 

[71massbronco]

This pic is missing something. (Hint, see name of pic in lower left corner.);D