pics of J truck full roll cage

[j4000jeep]

Anyone ever made a family style full roll cage for a J truck?
I am considering placing a bench seat in the back and a full roll cage to protect the passengers and cab area. Please let me know your thoughts/ideas/etc. and any pictures of roll cages, tubing sizes, etc. if you have them.

[Bama Burden]

Are you talking about turning the bed into a passenger area? If so, I'll trade you my GW that already has that feature for your Jtruck

[J10-401]

Maybe like that Subaru Brat pickup truck from years ago? I think they wrote new vehicle-code laws after that thing came out.

It's not a bad idea for offroad use if you can rig up 4-point harneses for the back seats and face them backwards.

[BRUTUS]

That would be really interesting!! How would you handle flex between the cab and bed? Box the frame?

401... I think if they have seat belts you are still covered under the law? Who knows though... with all our subjective laws on the books <shrug>

[j4000jeep]

My thought was that the difference in flex between cab and bed would not really cause any concern. Rear seat would be forward facing and mounted to the bed plus tied into roll cage and of course well mounted harness for passengers. This is in my opinion would actually be much safer than most of the standard rear seat passenger areas found in CJ/TJ/etc.
Still debating about working on a Cherokee, Wagoneer, or explore some possibilities with the J truck. 5 passenger seating is must though.

[Grimjaw]

Originally Posted by j4000jeep

Still debating about working on a Cherokee, Wagoneer, or explore some possibilities with the J truck. 5 passenger seating is must though.

This would most likely be a smarter path, but what do I know. I putting a M1028 drive train in a J10.

Otherwise build the rear cage as an unit by its self. The cab would get a cage and the bed would get another cage. As long as the seats are mounted to the cage it should be safe.

[BRUTUS]

Originally Posted by j4000jeep

My thought was that the difference in flex between cab and bed would not really cause any concern.

I think you would be suprised how much your frame flexs between the cab and bed. A friend of mine even told me that when I am wheelin I need to remove my tailgate because it will bind up with frame flex. He uses a mesh tailgate. I would agree with Grimjaw if it were me... have two seperate cages... one on the bed and one on the cab.

[jode]

If you tie it in well enough to the frame, the cage should eliminate the cab/bed flex. The cage would become like an extension of the frame.

[BRUTUS]

Originally Posted by jode

If you tie it in well enough to the frame, the cage should eliminate the cab/bed flex. The cage would become like an extension of the frame.

I am just saying that I would rather HAVE the flex between the cab and bed. I really didn't even think of it as "I want to eliminate the flex between cab and bed." sorry. I get it now though.

[Brad W.]

Originally Posted by BRUTUS

I am just saying that I would rather HAVE the flex between the cab and bed. I really didn't even think of it as "I want to eliminate the flex between cab and bed." sorry. I get it now though.

that's pretty much right... if you eliminate all flex, it will be like driving a brick outhouse. Get a cherokee and de-roof it, your kidneys and frame will thank you.

[jode]

Sorry - failing to understand the difference between a Jtruck with a full cage toied to the frame and no frame flex, and a Chero with a full cage toied to the frame and no frame flex. What would be the big difference in ride quality? Especially after you chop the top?

[Thumpszilla]

I too would like to know what difference there would be? Has anyone put a cage inside there j-truck here? If so I would like to see pics. I am debating between cage and exo skeleton myself.

[BRUTUS]

I am planning on pulling my entire dash out and making an interior roll cage that a new steel dash bolts to with aftermarket guages. I like the exterior look of my J-truck too much to put an exo on it. Plus I think body damage is a necessary evil... I think exos are for newer rigs only! "protecting the investment" if you will. I have been toying with the idea that my interior roll cage venturing out of the cab on the top only so my sunroof has some protection in a rollover.

[Thumpszilla]

Well my thing is I don't want to lose all that interior room. I am 6'2" and a little cramped with the factory seating as it is.

[Brad W.]

the point is that a cherokee is one body unit, and will flex accordingly, since there isnt 2 metal "walls" in the middle of it with a gap between... the truck will always want to flex as two different bodies. Full caged, the chero will flex much better, its just something you'd have to see in action I guess, but trust me, the truck will suck if you lock the bed and cab together with a huge cage. Get two tuperware dishes and try it out. twist one that is a single compartment, and twist one that has food dividers. The dividers are much more stiff, and they twist differently than an open dish.

and without a top, the chero gains alot of body twist... that roof adds qite a bit of structure to the middle/rear of the vehicle with all those braces.

[scotty]

Originally Posted by jode

Sorry - failing to understand the difference between a Jtruck with a full cage toied to the frame and no frame flex, and a Chero with a full cage toied to the frame and no frame flex. What would be the big difference in ride quality? Especially after you chop the top?

um,im not getting it either. making a seperate "cab cage" and seperate "bed cage" so there will be some frame flex has got to be one of the dumbest things ive ever heard. im not really following the tupperware analogy either. if i mount me tupperwares on a frame with a 10+ point cage,it doesnt matter if ive got 2 seperate ones,1 big one,or a big one with food dividers. the frame/cage dont let it flex.

i personally dont want my frame to twist in my trail rig. its maybe not such a big deal in a street rig that is not subjected to the stress of extreme wheeling,but a trail rig that is always twisting/tweeking the frame cannot result in anything good for that frame that i can think of. ive seen pics of cageless chevy trucks off road and twisted up,and the angle of the box verses the cab makes my stomach feel alittle funny if a person wants to use frame twist to get another couple inches of wheeltravel at any cost,then i guess to each his own

on the seats,a friend of mine has the seats facing backwards in his early bronco. its a whole new experience riding back there like that.real funky climbing big hills and looking backwards at the ground,rather than upwards at the sky. i liked it and i dont think its a bad idea at all to do it that way.

only comment ive got is about the height-a wag has a differently shaped frame,anda footwell area for the passengers feet. ifyou mount a regular bench seat then your passengers are going to have cramped foot room unless you mount the seat up alittle higher.

speaking generally,a full bodied truck is long and wide for alot of trails(compared to a roofless wag) if the size works for ya on your trails,and mounting the bed seat up alittle higher doesnt pose any "getting under fallen trees" type prollems,i say go for it.

i personally think a backseated,family caged j truck would be pretty cool

[Bama Burden]

I've always heard that some frame flex is necessary in order to soften the stress that is put on the frame while running through a particularly binding section of a trail. I've also heard that "what doesn't bend, breaks"
Is this a fallacy?

note: this is not flaming, just curiosity

[Michael]

Originally Posted by jode

If you tie it in well enough to the frame, the cage should eliminate the cab/bed flex. The cage would become like an extension of the frame.

I agree with Jode. And again what does it matter it is a frame....my wag when full flex has so much frame flex that I cannot open the tailgate, there is not any diffrence other than the body. One is one piece other is two, the frame is basically the same.

[Smiles]

Tying the cage to the frame might make it feel like driving a brick outhouse but it does make me feel a lot safer. Personally, I would rather be solid and try to gain extra flex somewhere other than the frame. There are also other benefits of an exo besides protecting a pretty rig, especially in the southeast where many of the trails are very tight for full sized trucks. I have had many people laugh out loud when I have come to tight, hairpin turns and have gained the respect of many by being able to plant against an object whether it be a tree or rock and pivot. Try that without the exo and you won't even know what your truck used to look like before long.

[j4000jeep]

Lot's of good arguments for and against the full cage. Still curious if anyone has more than a roll bar in their J truck for rollover protection that they can post a picture of?