Cherokee interior cage ideas/tips?

Alpine4x4 · May 20, 2010

No I didn't buy a ****ing Jeep:flipoff:

My buddy chopped the back off of his 4 door cherokee and we're now in the process of installing a cage. Was looking for pictures, designs, ideas, tips, anything that can help us along the way. This is our first cage build and I know triangulation is key so I'm trying to integrate it in as much as possible where needed without looking cluttered.

Thanks.

Alpine4x4 · May 20, 2010

Heres what I got so far as a design...

CHOP SHOP · May 20, 2010

try to get all the tubes to intersect.

the X on top misses landing on the A pillars, the B pillars are just out there in the middle of a span, put the c pillars are under the roof bar, If the X on top is not going to the corners but landing in the open like you have it now, then make the rear roof braces/spreaders intersect into the main X.

CHOP SHOP · May 20, 2010

maybe like this. See how the tubes cross one tube and into another?

Alpine4x4 · May 20, 2010

Ok I see what you're getting at. The only problem is cage height. The side bars that go forward are about head level, thats why the front and rear cross bars raise as they go across, to provide head room. I'm thinking we throw another one of those cross bars off the B-pillar. I'll work on integrating the C-pilar bar in. It's kinda tough with the seats being right there. We already placed the rear cross bar last night and its right at the back of the roof where we cut it to provide some roof support.

I didn't even think about the lower bars you drew in.

MarcW · May 20, 2010

Alpine4x4 said:
Ok I see what you're getting at. The only problem is cage height. The side bars that go forward are about head level, thats why the front and rear cross bars raise as they go across, to provide head room. I'm thinking we throw another one of those cross bars off the B-pillar. I'll work on integrating the C-pilar bar in. It's kinda tough with the seats being right there. We already placed the rear cross bar last night and its right at the back of the roof where we cut it to provide some roof support.

I didn't even think about the lower bars you drew in.

The lower bars chop chop drew in can be replaced with a 2x4 or 2x6 rocker replacement. what i would put in is front seat mounts integrated into the cage somehow. Had a few cherokee seats punch through rusty floors in my time :haha:

Alpine4x4 · May 20, 2010

Rocker replacement is in the future, just not currently. He's gotta get a new DD before we totally start destroying this thing.

I feel dirty working on a Jeep:eeek:

Alpine4x4 · May 20, 2010

Re-design...

JOOP · May 20, 2010

So your not going to bend any of the pipe? All cut and notched??

Man this reminds me of a certain project I did and received major flame from it. Good luck :awesomework:

JOOP · May 20, 2010

Needs more triangulation. Here's what i cam up with. With this cage you could roll down Rainier and be OK. Can never go wrong with too much triangualtion. :redneck:
:flipoff:

Alpine4x4 · May 20, 2010

JOOP said:
So your not going to bend any of the pipe? All cut and notched??

Man this reminds me of a certain project I did and received major flame from it. Good luck :awesomework:

The rear legs are bent as well as the cross bars on top. We will probably bend the front ones too, still working out how to do those at this stage.

Our bender is pretty shitty and I think it has the wrong die in it because it is kinking the pipes on any major bends. It's not mine so I have no clue. I'm just the welder, grinder, and designer here:redneck:

Alpine4x4 · May 20, 2010

JOOP said:
Needs more triangulation. Here's what i cam up with. With this cage you could roll down Rainier and be OK. Can never go wrong with too much triangualtion. :redneck:
:flipoff:

Should I tie this into a huge front bumper stinger?:redneck::flipoff:

JOOP · May 20, 2010

Alpine4x4 said:
Should I tie this into a huge front bumper stinger?:redneck::flipoff:

Yep, thats what I put in my design. BIG HUGE BONER bumper:redneck:

k2blazen · May 20, 2010

:haha:thats how u get the fat girls just don't crack the frame BONER BUMBER the way to go

MarcW · May 20, 2010

Having dissected MANY cherokee's, i can tell you the tubes above the rear wheel wells are quite superfluous to the structural integrity of the cage. Bend around the wheel well, and tie into the "Uni-rail" with a large weld on bearing plate, in the cargo area.

dont let the original designe parameters constrain the maximum structural efficiency of the cage. the A pillar peices look to be terminating above a big spot of nothing in the passenger/driver footwell. just unsupported sheetmetal.

JOOP · May 20, 2010

My design FTW :awesomework:

mudding jeeper · May 20, 2010

k2blazen said:
:haha:thats how u get the fat girls just don't crack the frame BONER BUMBER the way to go

:eeek: Uni-cars have frames?:eeek:
\

:haha:

Alpine4x4 · May 20, 2010

JOOP said:
Yep, thats what I put in my design. BIG HUGE BONER bumper:redneck:

:haha: You Jeep people I swear:flipoff:

MarcW said:
Having dissected MANY cherokee's, i can tell you the tubes above the rear wheel wells are quite superfluous to the structural integrity of the cage. Bend around the wheel well, and tie into the "Uni-rail" with a large weld on bearing plate, in the cargo area.

dont let the original designe parameters constrain the maximum structural efficiency of the cage. the A pillar peices look to be terminating above a big spot of nothing in the passenger/driver footwell. just unsupported sheetmetal.

One of the wheel well bars is already in place, kinda stuck with it. I'm mainly just helping him with his design, in the end it's his cage. He mainly wants it to look good as it won't be a hardcore wheeler for some time. On the wheel well we welded it on the top after flattening out a spot and welding a plate to the sheet metal. We are gonna run a larger plate underneath and tie the two together with bolts. Agreed it's probably nothing more than added piping but it looks good:redneck:

As for the A-pillars those will eventually be tied into whatever style slider/rocker bar we eventually place in it. All the pipe ends are welded onto 4x4 1/8" plates with 4 bolts holes. Those plates are currently just welded to the sheet metal. Eventually the A and B pillars will be welded to new rockers and I'm still trying to work out a design for the back. I have a feeling I'll be tying it into the rail with some plating, after we plate the frame itself.

Any tips on plating a bent uni rail?:haha: It's got a ****ing crease in both sides right in line with the rear tire:haha:

MarcW · May 20, 2010

Alpine4x4 said:
Any tips on plating a bent uni rail?:haha: It's got a ****ing crease in both sides right in line with the rear tire:haha:

Thats factory dude :haha: Pictures? some "bends" in the factory rail look crash related :haha:

Alpine4x4 · May 20, 2010

MarcW said:
Thats factory dude :haha: Pictures? some "bends" in the factory rail look crash related :haha:

It is crash related. He was rear ended 2 years ago iirc. It's not too bad. Hammer it flat and plate?:redneck::haha:

I'll try and get some pics of it tonight when we go to the hangar to work on it.