fj40 roll cage thread

[Box Rocket]

X2 Love that rear bumper!

The bumper was quite an evolution but ended up a pretty sweet setup. It started out with just the main rear channel made from some square tubing. It had the uprights at the corners that held some super simple hinges. This was before the days of commonly using spindles. The upright tubes were originally intended to allow for a rear rack to be dropped in from above and sit above the spare tire. I never ended up using it that way. The simple hinge setup was nice because lower hinge could easily be undone and then the whole tire carrier could lift off. Only took a couple minutes to remove the tire carrier if I wanted to.

The tire carrier was originally built from some 1" square tubing that was a little weak. So there was some flex in the carrier since it spanned the whole rear of the truck and the uprights for the hinge/latch flexed a little too.

Then I did this..........

Obviously this was before the rebuild but the tire carrier kept me from going over backwards but cracked the swingout in the process. So I rebuilt it using some larger thicker wall square tubing and added the cooler rack. Also added the side wings running forward to the wheel wells with a little more square tubing to match the main channel. I wanted to control the flex of the tire carrier and the best way was to support the hinge/latch uprights better. I didn't want to have it tied to the body at all so we used the SOLID 3/4" cold rolled round stock that you see there. When we did that the thought was purely around eliminating flex in the tire carrier, but those ended up being one of the best body protection mods on the entire truck. I can't tell you how many times I would have munched the rear corners of the truck if I hadn't had those. I even had the entire weight of the truck resting on the passenger side rear corner with both front tires in the air on the Rubicon. I never would have thought that little 3/4" rod would take so much abuse but it kept me from rolling the truck that day.

So I guess what I've saying is it started out as something really simple but a few random changes to it made it super functional. Too bad I don't have the truck anymore but I have another 40 project in the works and will probably do something very similar with the rear bumper.

 

[justweldit]

hey guys , saw your pic of rear seats an cages , heres mine, does anyone know what kind of minivan seats these are out of there really cool they fold up or you can just grab them out

 

[Box Rocket]

It's great to see all the cages,lots of good ideas! I havn't seen the seat brackets included in the cage before,kinda cool.How come no ones attaching foward mounts to door pillar,for more foot room? I have done it before and it comes out nice,and makes it way easier to get in.

You can see in that side picture of my 40 (with my son in the back) the seat cradle tied into the cage. Also, the way the front of my cage was designed has been very controversial but I still stand by it's strength when it's done right. I daily drove and wheeled that truck hard for 8 years and most of the time had my wife and two boys in there with me and never once did I feel like the cage wouldn't have protected us.

The dash mounting location is great for leg room. The dash needs to have plates on the back side as well where the cage mounts (at a minimum). Even better would be to run another tube from behind the dash down to the floor, or better yet through the floor to the frame. But even if you just had the plates, to keep the bolts from tearing through the dash in a hard rollover, it's a pretty strong location since it is so closely tied to the A pillar which is a main structural part of the tub. That A pillar is also almost directly above body mounts which would help support the front of the cage in a rollover.

I wondered about the design before I decided to do it but I saw an identical cage that had survived a multiple rollover and the front hoop and dash were unscathed. Knowing how hard of a roll that was I decided to go with it.

 

[Vitesse_6]

FWIW, Here is mine...

 

[camcruiser13]

plenty of room for the kiddies

this is one before i got the bench seat done in the rear

 

[Volcanic Iceberg]

Here are a couple that I like.

 

[voltaire]

1974 Voltaires cage modified a tad provided by metaltech

1974 fj40 Roll Cage modified metaltech cage...

 

[Combat Chuck]

Vindicated!

You can see in that side picture of my 40 (with my son in the back) the seat cradle tied into the cage. Also, the way the front of my cage was designed has been very controversial but I still stand by it's strength when it's done right. I daily drove and wheeled that truck hard for 8 years and most of the time had my wife and two boys in there with me and never once did I feel like the cage wouldn't have protected us.

The dash mounting location is great for leg room. The dash needs to have plates on the back side as well where the cage mounts (at a minimum). Even better would be to run another tube from behind the dash down to the floor, or better yet through the floor to the frame. But even if you just had the plates, to keep the bolts from tearing through the dash in a hard rollover, it's a pretty strong location since it is so closely tied to the A pillar which is a main structural part of the tub. That A pillar is also almost directly above body mounts which would help support the front of the cage in a rollover.

I wondered about the design before I decided to do it but I saw an identical cage that had survived a multiple rollover and the front hoop and dash were unscathed. Knowing how hard of a roll that was I decided to go with it.

I'd been kicking the dash-mount roll cage idea around to some offroader friends, and they all played the structural integrity card, and saidn "no". it's nice to see that there have been ones made in that pattern, and it actually worked.

1974 fj40 Roll Cage modified metaltech cage...

that's a nice looking cage. nice name, too.

 

[justbecause]

i thought about having a cage bent up locally but talked to a guy who did that and welded everything himself, he said once he bought the material and paid the shop that it would have been the same price to buy the kit, and alot less of a headache
do you think its possible to save any money by having it done locally? (obviously i eliminate shipping cost) but can i hope to have a cage that will hold up to what say a metaltech cage will? and metaltech's page says "~~~No Product can protect a person from the danger of operating a motor vehicle, therefore; All cage kits are sold only for show purposes and not intended for use as a life saving device~~" i can understand they have to put that on there for legal reasons.
have any of yall rolled a vehicle w/that cage? or do you know anyone who has? i just want to know that the 600$ i spend on a cage will be worth it.

 

[CruisinFJ60]

lots of guys runnin metal tech cages who have rolled more than once

 

[craigwanderer]

Mine's not a family vehicle, so my roll bar isn't so kid-friendly in a rollover, but I am planning on installing a pair of fold-forward Suzuki Sierra (Samurai) seats I've got in the shed.

 

[lukebz]

Go REDLINE and dont look back....

..unless you gotta make sure your kids have their seat belts on!!

call Justin @ REDLINE 719-210-0101 or rlmotorsports@hotmail.com

 

[traxman25]

We have cages in production for the FJ40 now as well. Check out this cage I built for Kevin!

 

[marks69cruiser]

I picked mine up off of craigslist. I paid fifty bucks for it, had some surface rust so I wire wheeled it. I then welded on two center spanner bars and some custom skulls my brother gave me. I love finding the craigslist deals! Here are some pics!

 

[mrjay2u]

i haven't posted in a bit .here is another Metaltech

This is a bad ass looking 40. Metal Tech Cages are the way to go for your cages hands down. I just got a pre built cage same as this one and it is awesome. LT @ metal tech does some great work. Fits like a glove. After seeing this first hand I would buy it again.

 

[pbgbottle]

thanks ! not sure if i mentioned it ,
mine was prebuilt also .metaltech rocks




.

This is a bad ass looking 40. Metal Tech Cages are the way to go for your cages hands down. I just got a pre built cage same as this one and it is awesome. LT @ metal tech does some great work. Fits like a glove. After seeing this first hand I would buy it again.

 

[kling-on]

i thought about having a cage bent up locally but talked to a guy who did that and welded everything himself, he said once he bought the material and paid the shop that it would have been the same price to buy the kit, and alot less of a headache
do you think its possible to save any money by having it done locally? (obviously i eliminate shipping cost) but can i hope to have a cage that will hold up to what say a metaltech cage will? and metaltech's page says "~~~No Product can protect a person from the danger of operating a motor vehicle, therefore; All cage kits are sold only for show purposes and not intended for use as a life saving device~~" i can understand they have to put that on there for legal reasons.
have any of yall rolled a vehicle w/that cage? or do you know anyone who has? i just want to know that the 600$ i spend on a cage will be worth it.

I have a Metaltech beta 60 cage have had that bigbiatch on her lid and side alot saved my ass more the once . I looked at having it bent up local and it would have cost more then the pre bent cage unless you bent it yourself it's. cheaper to buy a kit not a one off

lots of guys runnin metal tech cages who have rolled more than once

2x. Mama's will get one too

I dont think mine looks dumb.

I think yours is super pimp

 

[mineman]

height of roll cage

Hi All

Im rebuuilding a fj40, see link,

https://forum.ih8mud.com/40-55-series-tech/373798-fj40-kenya-4-runner-gear.html

Could some one help me with a measurement . I need to know the height of the roll bar that will still fit a Bestop. In other words the height behind the seats ( the top of the step leading into the ear bin is the measure point) to the top of the bar.

Any help is appreciated.

Dave

 

[Volcanic Iceberg]

Finally got mine put together. Went the OEM hoop route. Had to Fabricate a mount that straddled the Filler neck, but it is tied into the main center support.

 

[Stevens79FJ40]

I see this is a really old thread. I was wondering if anyone could tell me. Would a pre 79 full cage for a 79 40? I found one posted near me for $300. If it would fit I’d love to have it