Roll Cage Connected to Frame

[Bronc-n-Bird]

Taking a look at options for a family cage. Have any of you tied one into your frame? If so, what is the best way to do that? Is there a way to put some sort of bushing into it before it ties in the frame? Seems if you weld it directly to the frame, it would cancel the benefits of having the body to frame bushings?

 

[jlong1974]

My plan is to fab up something similar to these from Gen-right.

http://www.amazon.com/Gen-Right-GRC-5500-Universal-Roll-Frame/dp/B003EMAJAM

James

 

[Bronc-n-Bird]

Very nice! I think I will buy this and bend some roll bar tubing to go between the other 2 pieces.

Mike

 

[knack]

I used weld-on trailer shackles and spring bushings where I tied my cage to the frame. All I had to find then was some tubing that the bushings would fit into.
This pic doesn't show the details too well, but the silver colored bolt goes through the shackle mount which is welded to the side of the frame.

 

[jlong1974]

Very nice! I think I will buy this and bend some roll bar tubing to go between the other 2 pieces.

Mike

If you are going to buy some parts and fab some parts this may be a better option. You can get just what you need and as well as mix and match mounting tabs. Ingnore the picture of the Heep at the top of their web page

http://www.mountainoffroad.com/_e/dept/01-011/Tabs_and_Bushings_Universal-1-0.htm

James

 

[Bronc-n-Bird]

Excellent!

Mike

 

[bronco-13]

These are what I am looking at. FWIW.

B

http://www.polyperformance.com/shop/Poly-Performance-Cage-Tie-In-Kit-p-433.html

 

[bknbronco]

http://www.polyperformance.com/shop/Poly-Performance-Cage-Tie-In-Kit-p-433.html

I like this kinda spendy though.

http://www.mountainoffroad.com/_e/dept/01-011/Tabs_and_Bushings_Universal-1-0.htm

These would save some coin and i could fab my own brakets and such.

I have seen some people put the bushing on the frame and some put it up under the body. Any difference? If i had a glass tub should i use a piece of rubber between the cage plate and the tie-in plate? Above the glass tub or under it, or both? If i sandwiched a piece of rubber between the two plates could i then eliminate the round bushings?

 

[luderchris]

I like this kinda spendy though.
These would save some coin and i could fab my own brakets and such.

I have seen some people put the bushing on the frame and some put it up under the body. Any difference? If i had a glass tub should i use a piece of rubber between the cage plate and the tie-in plate? Above the glass tub or under it, or both? If i sandwiched a piece of rubber between the two plates could i then eliminate the round bushings?

I have a fiberglass body and I did the round bushing method, no rubber in the sandwich. It has worked out great.

 

[luderchris]

With the bushing under the body.

 

[1971BroncoSport]

Here's nice picture of tie in

Brackets and Tabs

 

[jperry1290]

im confused on having the hinge on the frame. if the cage pushes through the floor wont the hinge cause the cage to go down even further

 

[pcf_mark]

I have read a lot of "passionate" opinions on this and seen some pretty creative set ups to "solve" in the Bronco community. I have a drag racing background and not an off road background. But I am going to put my kids in my Bronco so this is important to me too! The cage should be attached to the frame - it is the strongest member of the vehicle.

The issue is with the cage bolted to the body and then the body solidly bolted to the frame you get vibration in the body and passengers get more of a ratting ride. Crazy question - why bolt it to the body at all? Pass the cage tube through the floor to the mount under the frame. Leave a 1/4 - 1/2 gap all the way around and seal it with a rubber "gasket"? Now the body is isolated from the chassis by the body cushions and the chassis can't transfer energy to the body. The only excpetion would be if you tie it to the windshield. You could add an isolator to that way easier than every cage mount. This is how NHRA does it for door slammer drag cars with stock floors down to 10.00 ET.



****editorial***

Some poeple feel that the cage should be mounted to the floor so it can break away during a crash and be separated from the engine/trans/fuel etc. This sounds poorly informed or NASCAR, NHRA, Formula 1 etc would embrace it. The cage is supposed to keep you protected and unless your seat is bolted to the cage you are done. How would it ever separate cleanly anyway? If you never go off road maybe tying it to the frame would be extreme but somoene posted a photo here of a Bronco that was in a highway speed accident and it was utterly destroyed. Any frame meant to protect you in a roll over or other hard hit should be tied to the frame in my opinion.

 

[bk005]

Ive been pondering this to. Im going to bolt on to body, but Im not planning to do any hardcore wheeling. I just want something stroger than the windshield frame to hold up to a roll, not trying to design something for re-enty into earths atmosphere.

 

[DanWheeler]

WTF ???

http://www.wcb4x4.com/proj/coscia73/index.shtml

This makes no sense to me.

When I re-do my cage, I'm thinking of doing a non-tie-in cage but connecting it to the body mounts like BC's cage:

 

[Bullitt94]

WTF ???

http://www.wcb4x4.com/proj/coscia73/index.shtml

This makes no sense to me.

When I re-do my cage, I'm thinking of doing a non-tie-in cage but connecting it to the body mounts like BC's cage:

I like that idea.

 

[jim3326]

I'm going at it a little different. I've welded a tube slider in place of the rocker from front wheel opening to rear. At the rear I rana tube to a plate that will match up with the main rollcage mount, I also welded the slider to the body cross members, threshold, hinge post and latch post. The front floor mount is on top of the front cross member. The rear floor mount has a matching plate welded to the rear cross member. The seats will be mounted to the cage which eliminates the problem of going through the floor. It's not meant to protect in a headon with a semi but would be more than enough when out wheeling and have an accidental rollover or a blowout and rollover.

Jim W.

 

[suckerpunched]

I have been thinking about this too and had a different idea. I have not looked closely at the bottom of the body, not quite ready for that yet. I am going to run a 2" body lift but was thinking of using a 2x2 square tube layed across the frame rails at the body mounting points that is long enough to tie the cage into also. and a stock height bushing between the 2x2 and the frame. I think the rear mounts and the hoop behind the front seats would be fairly easy. the front spacer/tie in would have to either go over the trans or build a K type member to catch the front hoop tie in and body mounts near that location. the whole thing would then float on the stock body mounts and bushing. similar to the BC way with the cross bars under the floor.

 

[Bullitt94]

Cool idea.

 

[patterdale]

From what I have heard the bodys on these babys are notorious for separating from the frame in highway type crashes. If the cage is tied to the frame and the body separates what is the out come? I am looking at doing a cage myself and follow these threads closely. I don't want myself or my passengers being the cushion between the cage and the body.