Builds Father, Son, and the Unholy UTE

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find @Delancy 's rollover pics...there are others but his stands out from recent memory. Yes the 80 pillar structure will bend and collapse some, but good on you for making back what structure you cut off.
 
@Delancy Thanks for posting, I will be absorbing your comments for a while.... Can you share your designed 79?
 
@Delancy I can almost assure you the factory does not intend for any area of the passenger compartment to be the crumple zone. @2fpower the truck in the above photos looks to me like the classic barrel roll. I was going to mention this the other night when I was reading through the thread. I've seen lots of these where people leave the road at speed, either a blow out, or a tire drops in the ditch because they weren't paying attention. The first roll happens with the vehicle still travelling in a fairly linear manner, and the A pillars are pushed back as it rolls to the roof and slides forward across the ground. Generally all subsequent rolls happen on a more lateral axis, the vehicle flipping from PS to DS or vice versa until it comes to rest. You can see that the A pillars and roof will smash back and make an almost triangle in the front compartment with a significant void space for the passengers to occupy.

On a trail I would be much more concerned about a lateral roll then any kind of forward roll at speed. The cage design you showed should be more than sufficient for that type of impact if it ever did occur. I would want to make sure it was tied into the floor or something under it very well. Also a full seat back that protects the head from coming into contact with those bars would be a must for me. Usually people bonk there head during these types of rollovers. Injuries I've seen range from concussions to busted noses but usually everything turns out all right. The worst ones are when an arm ends up outside the window while the vehicle is rolling. This can lead to some pretty nasty injuries. It is however avoidable with a little driver training.
 
A real cage that looks like it will actually protect the occupants.

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Picture stolen from:
Buggy out an FJ80?
 
2F lets talk off line in person on this. this thread is going to get derailed to quickly. there is no right or wrong answer. even and engineer with structural cage experience can only give opinions because of liability without going NASA/GOV project style on it and going through analytical and destructive testing. calculations and computers can only take you so far in design work.

Lets find some time to talk in person. i need to finish up the rear suspension calcs also. I'd say this weekend but it's not looking good for that.

FYI i have rolled a jeep with Zero triangulation in the cage using HREW tube. and against contrary to popular belief i lived to tell about it
 
FYI I survived a crash while not wearing seat belts but it would be irresponsible to suggest that seat belts are optional...

I'm sure your anecdote was not meant to suggest that a cage could be/should be constructed contrary to the commonly held opinion that triangulation is required in a "real" cage.
 
Just another opinion. You have a metal box ie the body. Once you weld in the rear wall, it will be stiffer and stronger than a stock 80 tub at the b pillar since you basically filled in the opening at the b pillar. Adding a "ring" of tube in that area is only going to further stiffen that area.

Some of the layouts in tape are overly complicated and not really gaining you much. The area where you might need the strength is at the midpoint of the top tube, as it is unsupported. Adding two bars from that point to the mounting feet will do far more that what is shown in the tape mockups.
 
I wanted to thank everyone that's been buying parts to support this project. Sold lots of stuff this weekend. If you need anything let me know. Still have a rear tailgate upper and lower, door cards, rear slide windows, All door glass and sunroof.
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PM me a price for the upper and lower tailgates, and all 4 grey door cards please? I assume shipping is going to be a nightmare, but...

BTW, the jack and tool kit I got from you is perfect! I hadn't ever seen a took kit that was so complete!
 
PM me a price for the upper and lower tailgates, and all 4 grey door cards please? I assume shipping is going to be a nightmare, but...

BTW, the jack and tool kit I got from you is perfect! I hadn't ever seen a took kit that was so complete!
Do you need the sombrero emblem on the tailgate? I am in need...........
 
Thought I would reference a thread for frame changes.

@Waggoner5 has been an inspiration over the years. I don't have the Slee connections to have them make me custom rectangle tubing, so will have to figure that out.

Project X²
 
^^ that build was quite a nice read back in the day. Short of a 70 series pickup, about my favorite custom 80 hybrid.
 
^^ that build was quite a nice read back in the day. Short of a 70 series pickup, about my favorite custom 80 hybrid.

I must admit that I cried a little reading the quick demise of the X2.
 
First off, took the donor frame section and cut off the LCA mount and chopped in half at the point I'm planning on cutting the ute frame. This will act like a fish plate when we weld it back together. Here are the dimensions of the square tube I need to make.
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There are a few ways to do it. I think one of the strongest is overlapping U/C channels with the double thickness on the top and bottom. Then weld the two seams. That makes for an incredibly strong structure for this type of application. If you are sleeving the frame to make it longer, you really want to plan that in an area where you can slip the sleeve inside the frame ( or over it ) for a decent distance. Ideally I think you want at least 1x the frame height for the overlap. More would be better, but that is usually difficult on frames that do not have parallel rails.

Thanks @miser for your insight. Will see if a local shop can bend me some C/U sections. At the point I plan to cut, the section is about 5.5" tall, and that is about exactly how long I can sleeve on both sides.
 
Was also able to get the 1.5 inch DOM tubing in both sides. You have to cut out to recessed areas that have bolts for the oh-crud grab handles, as it doesn't allow enough room for the pipe to slide behind it. You also have to cut above the a pillar to be able to weld it on and about the b pillar to do the same. Thanks to @tornadoalleycruiser for the use of his bender.
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Finally on the backside of the B pillar I want the roll cage to be tied to that so cut off and re-welded the pinch weld Flush. Also did some pretty heavy welding at the top so I can weld the Cage in and attach it to a pretty solid point.
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