Family Cage conversion on stock rollbar? (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Nov 1, 2007
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Location
Hudsonville, MI
Does anyone make a kit to make the stock rollbar into a family cage in the rear? I already have a full cage that the po added to the original cage. I just put a bench seat in the back for the kids and would like to have the cage follow this height all the way to the rear. Any thoughts or source for parts. I have welders, but not a bender. Thanks!
 
Stock roll bars are pretty weak to start with. I would like to replace mine someday. You should probably just put in a whole new setup
 
x2 ^^

the stock one only mounts to the body...
i saw them take a rolling body to a 4x4 shop on xtreme the other week to have the shop fab up a professional cage and rock sliders they welded it into the frame. they said it was only like $2k (i think dont quote me on that)
from talking to guys who have made their own cage they said if they were to do it again that they would have it done by a shop (first guy that told me this is a professional welder has ALL the proper tools and that kinda thing) he said by the time he added the cost of materials, time, and headache of making everything fit tight and look good (and most importantly WORK) that he would have been better off taking it in
 
Stock roll bars are pretty weak to start with. I would like to replace mine someday. You should probably just put in a whole new setup

If money were no issue I would just have a Metal Tech prebuilt shipped to the house. Kids tuition, mortgage paymnets, food, gas, etc. seem to leave me with very little in the cruiser fund. Rig is not driven hardcore, just trail riding on the weekends. I just don't like the way the stock cage is lower than the passengers i the rear. Thanks.
 
Downey off-road and SOR both make add-on family bars. They are simple rear hoop with spreaders to the mid hoop. You could always add more spreaders and gussets Jim is on this site often and you could ask him if they work with stock bars.
 
large items like that usually have to be trucked which can double the cost of a simple item like that.
I would guess you could find a shop in the area with a tube bender. I have dimensions of all the hoops and kickers and can supply preformed lower plates. Two inch .120 wall is probably going to run you about 3.00 a foot in small quantities. Figure 10 feet per hoop each in the main and rear and 2 feet each on the spreaders.
 
I have seen where someone used a stock hoop in the back and used a straight bar between the factory upper brackets.

I thought it looked good. And it bolts right in.
 
just take off the rear bars and have someone fab up a cage from there to the back since you already have a front cage that should save some money
 
The Stock Roll Bar is not an acceptable main bar to build anything off of its about .075" thick.
For safety sake, you need to rebuild the cage the proper way!

Redline has a Stock Roll Bar Replacement, and Modular kits, so you can add the front portion, or Rear family area in stages if you wish.. Im working on the Web site pages as we speak.. PM me for some photos of the kit
 
If money were no issue I would just have a Metal Tech prebuilt shipped to the house. Kids tuition, mortgage paymnets, food, gas, etc. seem to leave me with very little in the cruiser fund. Rig is not driven hardcore, just trail riding on the weekends. I just don't like the way the stock cage is lower than the passengers i the rear. Thanks.

Spend some of their school fund & protect them:mad:

I have personally seen a fellow cheap out & use a stock cage & add another portion behind the back seats (basically two stock cage hoops) as protection & him cross a ditch & roll & the cage bent sideways.......

Even trail riding (however mild) accidents can happen on the way there or coming back & no amount of money is worth a family members life.

Buy a cage & build it at your house & protect you family.
 
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I notice that people say (not just in this thread) to keep the hardtop on if you do not have a rollbar or cage. As far as I can see, the hardtop offers no rollover protection whatsoever, it may only serve to trap you in the vehicle if you do roll over. It is meant to protect you from the weather and help discourage thieves, not save your life in a collision or rollover.

The stock rollbar will offer some protection in a simple rollover IF it is not rusted out and is mounted to solid fenderwells with the reinforcing bracing underneath intact. It WILL bend if you roll your truck right over. (Voice of experience).

I am hoping one day to replace my stock roll bars with frame-mounted Metaltech or equivalent cages.
 
I notice that people say (not just in this thread) to keep the hardtop on if you do not have a rollbar or cage. As far as I can see, the hardtop offers no rollover protection whatsoever, it may only serve to trap you in the vehicle if you do roll over. It is meant to protect you from the weather and help discourage thieves, not save your life in a collision or rollover.

The stock rollbar will offer some protection in a simple rollover IF it is not rusted out and is mounted to solid fenderwells with the reinforcing bracing underneath intact. It WILL bend if you roll your truck right over. (Voice of experience).

I am hoping one day to replace my stock roll bars with frame-mounted Metaltech or equivalent cages.

I`ve posted this before.Just a casual trip into the woods,protect your occupants.
I would certainly leave the hard top on.You would be surprized how strong they are.5 barrel rolls down the hill.Just lap belts.Truck was a total loss.Me and my girlfriend(now wife),walked away.She broke her wrist.

David
flipped40.jpg
 
cruiserhead - glad you both made it out OK. I think your survival had more to do with the lap belts than the hardtop.

I knew a young fellow once who was 3rd man in (actually, on) an MGB that rolled down a mountainside. Since he was sitting on the rear of the cockpit he got thrown clear and the car landed on him at one point as it rolled down the mountain. Broke his back but the gods were smiling on him, did not damage his spinal cord.

The other 2 occupants were retained in the car by their lapbelts, ended up with only scrapes and bruises.
The car did not have a roll bar.

Looking at your pic I don't see much left of the hard top.

Hard top will work fine in a simple flop onto the side, it keeps your body parts from getting between the truck and the ground.
 
I notice that people say (not just in this thread) to keep the hardtop on if you do not have a rollbar or cage. As far as I can see, the hardtop offers no rollover protection whatsoever, it may only serve to trap you in the vehicle if you do roll over. It is meant to protect you from the weather and help discourage thieves, not save your life in a collision or rollover.

The stock rollbar will offer some protection in a simple rollover IF it is not rusted out and is mounted to solid fenderwells with the reinforcing bracing underneath intact. It WILL bend if you roll your truck right over. (Voice of experience).

I am hoping one day to replace my stock roll bars with frame-mounted Metaltech or equivalent cages.
I've rolled an FJ40 with the hard top and no roll bar, not even the OEM POS. Five people in it and no serious injuries.
We were doing around 45 - 50 MPH and the rig did one complete roll, then fell over on it's side.

The hard top on an FJ40 is a lot stronger than you think.
 
rusty_tlc - I must admit I am surprised, the top certainly doesn't look that strong. I still think we are all better off with a proper cage in our trucks, though.
 
I rolled over my rig 2.5 times at 65 mph oem soft top and stock roll bar...rusty bondo floors welded to new sides that i had installed...It ended upside down...I crawled out the passenger side opening....the pass door flew off the truck a few yards up the highway.

I got out without a scratch.

the oem bars were tweaked about 5"...but no rips into the seam....and it did not pull away from the stock mount locations.
 

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