Roll Cage Question...

[presamax]

Hey folks. I tried searching the forum to find the answer to my question but was unsuccessful. I'm planning on a putting a roll cage in my '75 Jimmy. My goal is added safety in my daily driver (which I will also use on trails for an ocassional shooting trip). Is it better to have the roll cage welded to the floors or straight to the frame? I've heard welding the roll cage to the frame is stronger and stiffens up the truck. But I also heard it creates a lot of noise. Any comments, suggestions or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Julius

 

[Silver84k5]

mines welded to feet, then bolted to the floor, to another foot, underneath the truck, sandwiching the body.

my seats are bolted to the cage via tabs welded to the cage.

I think it is plenty safe, and i have peace of mind about it....

If an "RIP silver84k5" thread shows up, then ill take that peace of mind statement back :P

if you want pics of how its mounted, i could go snap some for ya. but its pretty simple

 

[Jacks'72K5]

Cage to the frame. Sandwich the body works too. I have seen cages torn from body mounts. Body mounting seems ok for a simple tip over, but if you add any roll over to it, it will just tear it off and leave you with nothing but air!

 

[GMC1977]

but if you have the seats welded to the cage then if the cage rips from the body you will come out along with the cage, still safely nestled on the inside lol . dont get me wrong though roll overs are the scariest thing that can happen in a car (other than it exploding while your in it) but i think sandwhiching the floor is plenty stout enough.

 

[presamax]

Thanks for the replies. I'm probably going to go with the "sandwich" technique. Safety is a major concern for me and I could use the added protection of a cage. I rolled a Ford Crown Victoria on the freeway and it was NOT fun.

Julius

 

[RGV72BLAZER]

Add in some poly bushings at the frame end to reduce the shock & noise you'll feel into the cab & eventually into your back...As posted above, to the frame is strongest & safest.

 

[blazinzuk]

You can weld it to the floor if it is done properly. I have built a couple roll cages for time attack cars and we weld 1/8 plate to the floor (usually a peice is dictated by the rules you can almost never go bigger than a square foot)

Then we weld to anywhere the cage comes close to the body structure. Its probably more work than attaching to the frame.

Poly bushings will help the noise a little, I have used shifter boots to seal the holes in the floor where the cage comes up through it I also put foam around them to minimize noise

 

[ryoken]

I'm running Kert's staked cage flanges...

then welding tube to the underside and running em over to these poly mounts at the frame...

it's detailed a little more in my build thread....

 

[presamax]

Those are great pics and nice pieces. I truly appreciate all the info.

Julius

 

[70jimmy]

I second the staked cage floor plates. I sandwiched at the floor with them then went to the frame and to the sliders.

 

[rdn2blazer]

Make sure you have plenty clearance for your head, and that seats and belts are sturdy enough to keep your head away from the cage. No matter how sturdy the cage is, it generally doesn't help in surviving an accident if you crack your skull on the cage tubing.

I used Score Offroad Racing head clearence standards as a rule. If it'd good for them it will work for me.

 

[corelokt]

I was thinking, never an easy thing btw, and attach to the floor, then from there to the frame. Use pads of rubber or something similar between each attachment point, like both sides of the body and at the frame. Stout and fairly silent. In my cucv, the noise from that without the rubber would be drowned out already. I'd like a roll cage and 2" square heavy wall side bumpers.