Roll Cages and Headroom- How Do People Do It??

[H20 Toie]

Such a simple solution to this.
Just buy another Blazer for her to drive, lose the back seat and mount an ice chest.
problem solved, your welcome

 

[wheels87k5]

 

[tenderfoot]

 

[blazinzuk]

Me thinks you need to find a top. I think your cage could go up 2 inches.

You could always do what amount to elongated gussets on all four rear corners with a straight center bar.

They might need a bend in em to clear though

 

[vandelay industries]

This is a basic, general question for a non-blazer application (because you can remove the top).

How do you weld the top parts of the cage if the roof is in the way?

 

[H20 Toie]

This is a basic, general question for a non-blazer application (because you can remove the top).

How do you weld the top parts of the cage if the roof is in the way?

couple of ways,
1 make the uprights with a sleeve so you can lower the top down,
2 make holes in the floor so uprights can drop thru then after top is welded put plates under the uprights or just weld direct to frame
3 weld the whole top section first then attach the uprights

 

[blazinzuk]

This is a basic, general question for a non-blazer application (because you can remove the top).

How do you weld the top parts of the cage if the roof is in the way?

Multiple ways to do this. Cut the cage in half drop it down and sleeve it. Build the cage in a manner where you can drop the top of the cage. Cut holes in the floor.

And those are the easy ways. I tried welding with a mirror one time but I can't reverse my brain for some reason

 

[skunked]

or just cut the roof off

 

[nvrenuf]

Me thinks you need to find a top. I think your cage could go up 2 inches.

You could always do what amount to elongated gussets on all four rear corners with a straight center bar.

They might need a bend in em to clear though

I don't have 2" up front, there's only maybe 3/4" between the A pillar halo and the windshield frame. My inner OCD needs the front & rear halos to be a straight line so I'm resisting raising the rear only. Yes, I do realize I am the cause of the issues I'm whining about. I have been letting @ktmoutfront suggestions soak in and I may try something like that, I laid out some tape and it works well. I'll post a pic...

 

[ktmoutfront]

That would work, but after looking at it, I would add a bar on each side from the outside C intersection down to the floor/frame ln the opposite side, behind the seat. Needs more cross bracing.

 

[blazinzuk]

See now your thinking. Now change the thoughts a bit more.

Ditch all the rear tape and make triangles so they don't interfere with heads. Just for ideas really. Throw out everything you have ever seen. Except for triangles good ( just triangles not huge triangles) and no dead nodes

 

[72gmck5]

Looking at your pictures and seeing where you may have left some headroom on your halos. Your halo in the front tucks inter your windshield header instead of being as tall.
When building my cage the B bar on a 1st gen floor fits dang near perfect in a second gen K5 raised floor section and was close to the top. That being said I’m 5’11 and can sit in my back seat comfortably with headroom. I’ve had a rear Tahoe seat next to my stock seat and seat surface was comparable.

 

[nvrenuf]

@blazinzuk maybe I'm unimaginative but how else could you triangulate yet leave the openings above the rear passengers?

@72gmck5 I get what you're saying but main I hate to take a new kit and start splicing legs for only a couple of inches.

 

[blazinzuk]

@blazinzuk maybe I'm unimaginative but how else could you triangulate yet leave the openings above the rear passengers?

@72gmck5 I get what you're saying but main I hate to take a new kit and start splicing legs for only a couple of inches.

That's what she said!!!!!! Had to do it.

Splicing done properly is plenty strong and acceptable by most sanctioning bodies.

So between your b and c pillar. Imagine a short tube gusset on all 4 corners. Now just move said tube gusset out till it interferes with headroom then back it off. Front and back " gussets" can be different angles and lengths. Dead nodes are to be avoided. Certainly not ideal but rarely are cages ideal. Then run a center straight bar. If you want.

 

[nvrenuf]

Oh ok, I gotcha now. Thanks!

 

[nvrenuf]

@blazinzuk last question... Ok no promises on that, I'm still staring at it and soaking all this in. (A couple more threads and I might become an internet engineer!)

If I go the front & back short gusset route, aren't these still as much of a dead node as the ones in the blue tape pic? If so, is this a case of the "lesser of 2 evils" because the gussets are close to a main intersection? Not arguing, I'm learning.

 

[nvrenuf]

Also, if I can ever get all my donor head models at home at the same time again I'm going to look at the clearance for a "U" on the C crossbar with gussets going forward to the outer B intersections. Like this \n/ (except the gussets coming off the top of the n, not the base). Any thoughts?

How bout them art skills?!? Huh? HUH??

 

[blazinzuk]

Triangles good square and rectangles bad. The red would work fine. Just move the little back triangle out as far as you can and meet up with the blue braces behind the c

 

[nvrenuf]

Getting closer but not sure what to do with the diagonal braces over the front seats. Ok to leave them or no?

Edit: this is pending crash dummy clearance.

 

[blazinzuk]

Don't leave em just flip the directions.

And this is just my personal preference, but I don't like the U I like straight tubes. Well I have a reason for this too. The U, in yours and nearly every cage using one, creates a dead node. Actually it is only one dead node but it's 3 tubes into one node. AND ITS DEAD. Lol