50 Series?? (Shorty 55) (1 Viewer)

PabloCruise · Jan 13, 2014

tucker74 said:
I'm really not trying to argue here, but since we are talking specifically about the 55 ... this slow-speed snow bank rollover resulted in this:

That made a lot of us pig owners re-think the safety of the stock a-pillar, I'd rather bump my head on a roll bar than have it crushed. To your other point, no idea what kind of wheeling you guys do up there ... but locally it's either rock crawling or long range expedition type off-road driving. I will assure you those guys in serious rock crawling buggies with full cages are ALL in 5-point harnesses and racing seats. I don't see an interior cage being a negative in either of theses uses for Chris, I've got the old SOR cage in mine (b & c pillar) and am planning on adding an a hoop -

Tucker

Getting caught up in my reading a little and as I read I thought that I better go look for those pics.
Thanks for posting Tucker.
This was not a roll off a snow bank, we were driving to the sand dunes in Walden, CO to do a photoshoot with one of the few FJ Cruiser prototypes. I was in my 40, right behind FJBen in Pigtastic (I liked to call it Pigzilla). The road was icy and he got sideways on the road. The front passenger tire went off the road and encountered the volume of snow filling the drainage ditch off the road shoulder. That tire stuck and the Pig flipped. Was not fun. Ben was a trooper. He ducked when he realized what was happening. The windshield was out, but we righted the Pig and pushed the roof panel back up. Pig started, so Ben kept going to the FJ Cruiser photoshoot. Toyota put out a little magazine for a few quarters when they launched the FJ Cruiser. Photos from that day made it into print. My 40 is in it, and there is a group shot, including that Pig.
Look up FJBen if you want to read more about that wreck. It was below 0 that day, all day. We just left all the Cruisers running. Ben was cold with no windshield.
He parted it out (the front axle and hood are on my Pig), and then he never found a Cruiser he kept after that. Haven't seen him in here for a while...

Delancy · Jan 13, 2014

PabloCruise said:
The windshield was out...

Precisely.

Now, I'm not saying that the OE windshield frame, stripping, glass, whatever, is insufficient, since we don't know what had been done to this one.

It could be OEM, could be done under the shade tree, but, let's assume it's original.

If, being operative, there were means to incorporate a modern, structurally sound glazing, in a frame that's equally critical, then this roof wouldn't have caved, therefore protecting the occupants, as it does on newer vehicles.

If we're going to back yard engineer the cabin, for structural integrity with a roof only covering the front seat and without an internal roll cage, in my opinion, the most critical aspect in the windshield.

Without it providing sufficient support, any additional pillar support seems for nought.

nuclearlemon · Jan 13, 2014

tucker74 said:
I'm really not trying to argue here, but since we are talking specifically about the 55 ... this slow-speed snow bank rollover resulted in this:-

Tucker

not slow...ben was doing about 30 miles an hour

https://forum.ih8mud.com/fj55-iron-pig-preservation-society/79339-oh-no-not-piggie.html

tj must've forgotten how cold it was...it was below -20 most of the day. cold enough to freeze treeroots jug of antifreeze into a solid block

onemanarmy · Jan 13, 2014

Hey Delancy.....do you have a bigger/higher res version of that first pic you posted of the white Pig with the trailer and bikes?

nevermind..found the forum with all the pics

Fitzgerald · Jan 13, 2014

nuclearlemon said:
not slow...ben was doing about 30 miles an hour

30mph isn't slow?!?!? :grinpimp:

crushers · Jan 13, 2014

well, you could try and jump out of your 55 at 30 mph and let us know if it feels slow or not.

but 5000 lbs at 30 mph being forced to come to a complete stop will generate a lot of energy that needs to go somewhere ... especially when the impact is the front roof.

i used to have pics of a BJ60 that went off the road in winter at a 'T' intersection and endo'd at about the same speed.
the results were quite similar. we pushed out the roof and the kid drove with ski goggles on.
the A pillars did their job, it is the weak sheet metal roof that is the issue.

doesn't the 55 have the double "lip" in the sheet metal above the windshield, kinda a horizontal U shape, the top of the U being the roof, the center of the U being the lip for the windshield and the bottom being the second level about 1.5" below the roof? could you not for a piece of 1.5" square or round tube to fit inside of this reinforcement to allow the A pillars to stay vertical and the roof flatter?

remember the roof sacrificed itself to allow the energy to be expelled, possibly preventing a further barrel roll senerio ... no?

Fitzgerald · Jan 13, 2014

.....

Delancy · Jan 13, 2014

The channel along the upper windshield can deflect with the same amount of force I use to

(here you go, Woody. I exercised restraint, even though it was obvious humor...)

pull start a law mower, if there's no glass installed.

It would be a complicated piece to recreate , IF maintaining the curved glass, because it appears to be a rolled component.

Think that somehow addressing the glass strength is the most efficient way to maintain strength and have a call into a local guy that is rumored to do this very type thing ( being newer, safety glass in older vehicles ). The old Ford glass plant is still operational in Tulsa and guess this guys business is classic and custom repros.

If the depicted cave in had decent glass or attachment, the roof wouldn't have caved and thinking I'll take my changes with barreling over in a relatively safe cab, before depending on the lawn dart pillars to dig into the earth to slow.

Could always put "earth feelers" like " curb feelers" on the roof to achieve that goal. Haha.

Been giving this a lot of thought, mostly for the '76, since pending, and thinking about other +36 SF roofs, and remembers I have an E350 that needs to crush, so, going to pull headliner to take a peak at how they addressed cabin integrity, considering I've heard countless stories of them being loaded and rolling.

jamister1 · Jan 14, 2014

crushers said:
doesn't the 55 have the double "lip" in the sheet metal above the windshield, kinda a horizontal U shape, the top of the U being the roof, the center of the U being the lip for the windshield and the bottom being the second level about 1.5" below the roof? could you not for a piece of 1.5" square or round tube to fit inside of this reinforcement to allow the A pillars to stay vertical and the roof flatter?
remember the roof sacrificed itself to allow the energy to be expelled, possibly preventing a further barrel roll senerio ... no?

I think this is your best bet. Safety glass isn't going to prop up a roof if the frame is weak. It's really only good for not shattering and poking your eyes out with the shards. Structurally its more rigid but it still won't stand up to the weight of a pig when its tits up.
I'd say get the biggest piece of metal you can that can fit behind the headliner and bridge the two A-pillars. Get it as close as you can to the windshield frame with the best case scenario to attach it to the back of the frame U that he's talking about.
Mo metal Mo betta!

PabloCruise · Jan 14, 2014

nuclearlemon said:
not slow...ben was doing about 30 miles an hour https://forum.ih8mud.com/fj55-iron-pig-preservation-society/79339-oh-no-not-piggie.html tj must've forgotten how cold it was...it was below -20 most of the day. cold enough to freeze treeroots jug of antifreeze into a solid block

I just remember it was butt-a$$ cold. We had to pull start Root's 40. Wasn't he running straight 50 weight oil?