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colbystephens' build and wheelin' thread! Post 289: my NEW truck body!!!

do you think you could use another pic to photoshop an exo? its kinda hard to see the tube placement. I think I would leave the hardtop off for good and put the soft top on. That way you can keep the tubes fairly close to the body.

I would imagine if you wanted to be able to remove the hardtop the tubes would have to be far away from the body and would look bad, plus make the truck wider (harder to fit into trails)
 
yeah, i'll chop up another pic tomorrow or something. i figure i can basically rest the tube on the hard top - that's how close i want it. i'd cut the nipples off the back of the bed rails so that the top would slide out. if it doesn't i'll chop it out. the big draw to leaving the hard top on while i do the tube is because that way i don't have to worry about making a soft top for it right now - it could wait. :) one project at a time...

for now, here it is cropped and the color removed so that you can hopefully see the black lines of where i envision the tube to run:

cageconceptbw.jpg
 
ok, here's a bit better pic. :) in the image below, the cage is shown in black, but it would be the body color. also, the soft door would be battle ship grey.

cageconcept2.jpg
 
i'd like it better if it didn't extend over the cargo space. maybe i won't do it over the cargo area, and when i put in bucket seats in the back, i'll frame them with tube - like in the little convertibles - so that passengers in the back are protected, but it doesn't have to have tube going all over the back. i guess i'm back to square one for a spare tire location tho. hmmm.
 
plenty of room for a spare tire and gear in there.

Thanks for the call yesterday Colby, that camping/wheeling trip sounds awesome.
 
ok, couple more concepts:

cageconcept3.jpg


i like this one because it doesn't go over the cargo/passenger area - looks cleaner when the top is off. i'd like to do bucket seats in teh back, so i could protect the back passengers by doing tubing around their seats - similar to how you see in some modern convertibles. for a spare tire carrier, i'd do one similar to the blazen off road model - a rear stinger.

cageconcept4.jpg


i think this is the way i'm leaning right now tho. basically, it's the mother of all rock sliders. :D i'd do a stinger spare tire carrier for this one too, and then i could run a basic internal cage to complement the sliders. i prefer the look of the internal cage, and this slider set up would protect my sheet metal a bit. this image shows where i think i'd like to mount my side-lights.
 
they both look awesome...I would lean more towards over the cab though...think it ties everything together. love your idea for the rear buckets...will you be able to put the hard top on over the roll bars?

if you run tubing over your windshield will you be able to replace the windshield if necessary?? and what about wipers?
 
newlyblzed said:
they both look awesome...I would lean more towards over the cab though...think it ties everything together. love your idea for the rear buckets...will you be able to put the hard top on over the roll bars?

if you run tubing over your windshield will you be able to replace the windshield if necessary?? and what about wipers?
Click to expand...
i think you just don't fit the tubing super close to the windshield and the wipers and glass issues are taken care of. :)
 
I have never been a fan of exo-cages but i like this one. i think it would be awsome to run a soft top to.
EDIT: one thing i would do though us add some more tubing to the front fender
cageconcept2.jpg
 
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Ehh, iono about that colby... I think exo-cages KILL the look of a truck... the only vehicles I think they look good on are all out rock rigs...where they aren't even on the streets anymore.

That being said here's my vote...

Do a nice front tube bumber with a stinger...
A rear tube bumper...
Rock Sliders
Then spend your time and money doing a simple internal cage around the front seats...
 
Avery4jc said:
Ehh, iono about that colby... I think exo-cages KILL the look of a truck... the only vehicles I think they look good on are all out rock rigs...where they aren't even on the streets anymore.

That being said here's my vote...

Do a nice front tube bumber with a stinger...
A rear tube bumper...
Rock Sliders
Then spend your time and money doing a simple internal cage around the front seats...
Click to expand...

i have to agree with this. unless you have your heart set on an exocage. but hey its your truck so you get the finaly desion:D
 
1978Blazerk5 said:
I have never been a fan of exo-cages but i like this one. i think it would be awsome to run a soft top to.
EDIT: one thing i would do though us add some more tubing to the front fender
cageconcept2.jpg
Click to expand...
I agree with adding more tube to the front fender, ie: willyswanter style. Also where tube would cross the side windows (if the top were still on) I would make it an "x"
 
Hmm thats alot of tube. I personaly wanted to the "M.O.A.sliders" (mother of all sliders) when I still had a functional K5. Heres what I had in mind. Tube from front bumper over the wheelwells into the slider and so on to the rear bumper. Then tie bars from the door openings to the top of the fender tube, and to the bumper. Little hard to splain let me try to draw it. Sorry for the chitty chopping. I think its a clean and good looking design. I was going to use 2x4 rec. tube for the sliders that stuck out a little.

As far as the doors. Dont weld them on. I would think you would regret it. If you can get yourself another set you can make into half doors. That way you could always change back If you wanted to.

Balzer
 
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Can anyone say RUST FREE TUB?? :D :D :D

so, i plan to herc. the floor of this tub and cut the rockers out to put sliders on, like my current body. once it's back on a frame, i'll go from there on the mother-of-all rock sliders... i think. it'll also likely become a full convertible - i'm picking up a full convert. soft top for $150. :D too many good deals. this means that i have to put in at least a roll bar tho, because i'm not comfortable wheeling a rig with nothing to protect me in a roll or flop. i'm giddy! :laugh:

it's the red body below. i'll paint it the green i've got, but i'll use an actual sprayer, so it won't be rattle canned. :)

anyone have any ideas as to what else i should do to it while it's off of the frame? any thoughts about doing some kind of protective coating on the bottom of the truck?

new body.jpg

new body 2.jpg
 
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