cage ideas

[Jason4x4]

I am gonna start adding some tubing to the front, between the firewall and core support, need some ideas.

here is a pic, i am gonna run a tube following the curve of the firewall from the slider to the tube going to the core support, but i'm out of ideas after that.

 

[pauly383]

Triangles . You should run a tube from the front lower up to the upper span as well .

 

[Wicked Wolf Auto]

agreed lots more triangles!

 

[ryoken]

agree triangulate that front... lower rad support up to a mid shock point maybe.... tie bar, etc...

 

[pauly383]

I kind of miss reading about these issues . remember when everyone first started cutting stuff up here in earnest . We had threads like these for weeks . Those were some good tech days .

 

[Hogback Fabrication]

As mentioned, you need to triangulate that section to minimize frame/chassis flex.

This is the general idea:

But it creates a a HUGE stress riser and basically a point in the chassis that will want to flex a lot, circled here:

So you really need one more piece of tube going down to the frame here that you will have to work either forward/rear of your shocks. This is an ideal place to use .090" wall tube and/or HREW if you want.

 

[Kenny78]

I am not a fabricator by any means, but why use the weaker tube there? Is it to absorb the stress/flex instead of transferring it to other points in the chassis?
Or, is it because it is not in a critical area and helps save cost?

Sorry to butt in, just curious

 

[ryoken]

Or, is it because it is not in a critical area and helps save cost?

that'd be my guess.....

 

[chevysmithz71]

Here is what I added for some support. When the sheet metal goes more tubimh will be added.

 

[Hogback Fabrication]

I am not a fabricator by any means, but why use the weaker tube there? Is it to absorb the stress/flex instead of transferring it to other points in the chassis?
Or, is it because it is not in a critical area and helps save cost?

Sorry to butt in, just curious

Cost and weight.

Even .090" HREW tubing is VERY strong in tension or compression. But, if it gets any kind of dent in it, it will fold over quite easily: think about standing on an aluminum can that's undented (it will easily support your weight) vs. one that has a dent in it (it will crumple VERY easily).

It's all part of smart design, using lighter material where its adequate means less stress on everything.

Overdesigning everything means more weight everywhere, which means more stress on everything, which requires overdesign in other areas, which means a heavy vehicle that needs big time parts to run smaller tires to keep from breaking.


For instance, in my chassis, the "rocker" tubes and b-pillar hoop (the ones that contact rocks all the time) are .135". Most of the exterior chassis is .120". Gussets and anything that has no chance of contacting a rock are .090".

 

[rdn2blazer]

Have you searched for cage stuff? There has been a million threads on cages.

 

[Greg72]

Triangulate your Pythagoras to the hypotenuse.

 

[Jason4x4]

Have you searched for cage stuff? There has been a million threads on cages.

yes there are, but there is only one thread that has a picture of my truggy, and that same thread has people's drawings of what to do on my truggy, so thanks for your input.

 

[4xcrazy]

just tinkering with the pic alittle, i am far from being a fabricator, but just thought alittle more tubing on the top rail would stiffen it up alittle, then the riser tube forces could be distributed alittle more than being a single force on one area.

i didn't have a pic without the red lines, so i added yellow

and it's alittle different i think, and Jason is exactly that.

 

[miniwally]

If it were me I would follow 383s design only instead of running the .090 tube to the back I would remove the Ford shock towers and put a .120 wall tube in it's place to put the shock mount tabs on.

Then run a cross brace under the hood. Then I would start adding small plate gussets and 1" and 1.25" in the .090 to start making a bunch of triangles all over the place.

Remember though I am liking the go Fast wreck hard portion of wheeling these days.

 

[MTChevy]

pink helmet

 

[Chaddy]

pink helmet

 

[4xcrazy]

wondered how long it would take

 

[Jason4x4]

here's what I got tonight

 

[Jason4x4]

and here's what I did.