zakk
1/2 ton status
The Black Bear finally get\'s Caged! (With LOTS of pictures!)
Safety is an often and mistakenly an under developed area of most rigs. It is not a “sexy” modification like 57” Ford springs, big block power, Dana 60’s, or lockers. But once you add all those parts, and start getting it out on the trail a cage is more necessary than any of those afore mentioned modifications.
The way I look at it is like this: I don’t want to be staring down the side of Lion’s Back in Moab and think to myself “Gee, I really wish I would have sprung for the extra cash for a cage.” Also, wheeling with the future wife is a consideration. I fully admit that if I didn’t have Rita in the rig my cage would have been much simpler. But she drives it too, so her input was needed.
I started out with the Black Bear as it sat after a recent Nor Cal Big Dawgs trail run to Frank Raines. What began in its planning as a mud run quick turned into the worship of the rocks. My truck performed well, but the body was flexing more than I could stand. Also a near roll off an off camber ledge spooked me pretty good (When in doubt—GAS IT!).
Greg (aka Greg72), a fellow NCBD member, half jokingly asked when he was going to build a cage for the Black Bear. “As soon as we get back!” I said. Little did he know /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif.
We began with some top-secret drawing of what I had envisioned for the cage. I knew I wanted a six-point cage, but the bells and whistles that had been accumulating in my tiny mind had to be there. So what began as a simple, standard 6-point cage turned into a elaborate 6-point with integrated seat cradle, fully adjustable seats, grab handles, tie down points, over head control panel, sill bars and a few other ideas tossed in for good measure.
Here is a picture of what the Black Bear looked like pre-cage. The body sits pretty well with the flexy suspension, but still flexed more than I wanted. Never mind the gaping holes in the bed. The owner had some bird-brained idea that didn’t quite pan out.
Here is an early picture of the work as it began. The hardest part was getting the main hoop and the main halo fitted. With the 2” DOM strength will not be an issue when I roll. The A-pillar bars (the bars coming off the main halo) were also a bit of a problem here, as the more we fish mouthed them, the more Greg didn’t like it. More on that later.
As soon as we started getting everything fitted, Greg asked where the dash bar would go. Not having planned for this. I took a look and saw only one conclusion: Its ALL coming out. I have wanted to ditch the A/C box and seal up some existing holes in the firewall, and it seemed that there was no time like the present.
After that adventure it was time to start getting everything in place to tack weld for fitment. This can be the most stressful part of any build, especially one with 100 feet of DOM tubing on the line. You want to make sure that everything is lined up and follows the original plan and the lines of the rig. Greg has a great idea for this and it went very quickly and smoothly.
As mentioned earlier, the A-pillar bars mounting position to the halo had Greg sitting a bit uneasy. He pulled the cage back and plated the entire top of the halo. This allowed the surface area of the welds to disperse the weight of the truck on the fateful day it actually sits on its roof. This is some serious beef.
After the 6-points are where they need to be, we began on the seat cradle. I had purchased 2 aftermarket seats out of a early 90’s Honda, and new brackets would have to be fabricated, along with adjusting the height of the seat to better accommodate my girlfriend while still keeping my head away from the bars. Greg made some really trick mounting triangles that aligned the seats perfectly and raised them from the stock position about 2”. Once welded into place, we crossed the point of no return. And after beginning to see Greg build the cage of my dreams I didn’t want to!
Also note that the cradle bars are low enough to pass the dreaded “Can of Diet Coke Test” so that spent beverage containers do not litter our trails. As always, Tread Lightly!
With the bargin $15 seats installed
The overhead console was something I really wanted. I liked the idea of my headlights, off road lights, ARB switches, etc. being where I could easily get to them and plus I had always wanted a toggle switch set-up. This was one of the nice touches Greg added to make my cage “mine”. My donated CB (thanks Scott!) will also be installed up here so that I can hear the conversations on the trail.
The rear bars were very straightforward. They attach on the “back end” of the main halo and extend nearly to the end of the bed, right near the body mounts. The plated are all ¼ inch steel on top and bottom bolted with 7/16” Grade 8 bolts and aero nuts. You can also see Rita’s grab bar in between the cradle bars for when we start getting off camber. She also has one on the passenger A-pillar tube to help her get into the rig.
All good things come to and end, and the bending and welding was done now. We snapped this shot before the painting started. It is OSH Tan, and I plan to use it as a contrast color on the differential covers and a few other spots.
So how does it work? Do I like it? What would I change? Great. Yes! Not a thing! Greg did a great job and that first barrel roll will be scary, but the rig is as prepared as it will ever be. I am still getting used to the bars being where they are. I need to duck a bit getting in and have walloped my head a few times now. The seats are much more comfortable now then they were. Visibility is greatly improved and Greg’s mounting points are awesome. He wanted to get the cage to make the body as rigid as possible and mounted the down bars on the body/rocker mount, the thickest part of the bed (right at the step), and 4” from the rear body mount. The truck is MUCH more rigid, and it showed on the trail. The body stays nice and stiff and doesn’t “wander” like it did. I can get a true feel for what the truck is doing and feel it will help me as a driver.
And I certainly won’t be easy on it…
Safety is an often and mistakenly an under developed area of most rigs. It is not a “sexy” modification like 57” Ford springs, big block power, Dana 60’s, or lockers. But once you add all those parts, and start getting it out on the trail a cage is more necessary than any of those afore mentioned modifications.
The way I look at it is like this: I don’t want to be staring down the side of Lion’s Back in Moab and think to myself “Gee, I really wish I would have sprung for the extra cash for a cage.” Also, wheeling with the future wife is a consideration. I fully admit that if I didn’t have Rita in the rig my cage would have been much simpler. But she drives it too, so her input was needed.
I started out with the Black Bear as it sat after a recent Nor Cal Big Dawgs trail run to Frank Raines. What began in its planning as a mud run quick turned into the worship of the rocks. My truck performed well, but the body was flexing more than I could stand. Also a near roll off an off camber ledge spooked me pretty good (When in doubt—GAS IT!).
Greg (aka Greg72), a fellow NCBD member, half jokingly asked when he was going to build a cage for the Black Bear. “As soon as we get back!” I said. Little did he know /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif.
We began with some top-secret drawing of what I had envisioned for the cage. I knew I wanted a six-point cage, but the bells and whistles that had been accumulating in my tiny mind had to be there. So what began as a simple, standard 6-point cage turned into a elaborate 6-point with integrated seat cradle, fully adjustable seats, grab handles, tie down points, over head control panel, sill bars and a few other ideas tossed in for good measure.
Here is a picture of what the Black Bear looked like pre-cage. The body sits pretty well with the flexy suspension, but still flexed more than I wanted. Never mind the gaping holes in the bed. The owner had some bird-brained idea that didn’t quite pan out.
Here is an early picture of the work as it began. The hardest part was getting the main hoop and the main halo fitted. With the 2” DOM strength will not be an issue when I roll. The A-pillar bars (the bars coming off the main halo) were also a bit of a problem here, as the more we fish mouthed them, the more Greg didn’t like it. More on that later.
As soon as we started getting everything fitted, Greg asked where the dash bar would go. Not having planned for this. I took a look and saw only one conclusion: Its ALL coming out. I have wanted to ditch the A/C box and seal up some existing holes in the firewall, and it seemed that there was no time like the present.
After that adventure it was time to start getting everything in place to tack weld for fitment. This can be the most stressful part of any build, especially one with 100 feet of DOM tubing on the line. You want to make sure that everything is lined up and follows the original plan and the lines of the rig. Greg has a great idea for this and it went very quickly and smoothly.
As mentioned earlier, the A-pillar bars mounting position to the halo had Greg sitting a bit uneasy. He pulled the cage back and plated the entire top of the halo. This allowed the surface area of the welds to disperse the weight of the truck on the fateful day it actually sits on its roof. This is some serious beef.
After the 6-points are where they need to be, we began on the seat cradle. I had purchased 2 aftermarket seats out of a early 90’s Honda, and new brackets would have to be fabricated, along with adjusting the height of the seat to better accommodate my girlfriend while still keeping my head away from the bars. Greg made some really trick mounting triangles that aligned the seats perfectly and raised them from the stock position about 2”. Once welded into place, we crossed the point of no return. And after beginning to see Greg build the cage of my dreams I didn’t want to!
Also note that the cradle bars are low enough to pass the dreaded “Can of Diet Coke Test” so that spent beverage containers do not litter our trails. As always, Tread Lightly!
With the bargin $15 seats installed
The overhead console was something I really wanted. I liked the idea of my headlights, off road lights, ARB switches, etc. being where I could easily get to them and plus I had always wanted a toggle switch set-up. This was one of the nice touches Greg added to make my cage “mine”. My donated CB (thanks Scott!) will also be installed up here so that I can hear the conversations on the trail.
The rear bars were very straightforward. They attach on the “back end” of the main halo and extend nearly to the end of the bed, right near the body mounts. The plated are all ¼ inch steel on top and bottom bolted with 7/16” Grade 8 bolts and aero nuts. You can also see Rita’s grab bar in between the cradle bars for when we start getting off camber. She also has one on the passenger A-pillar tube to help her get into the rig.
All good things come to and end, and the bending and welding was done now. We snapped this shot before the painting started. It is OSH Tan, and I plan to use it as a contrast color on the differential covers and a few other spots.
So how does it work? Do I like it? What would I change? Great. Yes! Not a thing! Greg did a great job and that first barrel roll will be scary, but the rig is as prepared as it will ever be. I am still getting used to the bars being where they are. I need to duck a bit getting in and have walloped my head a few times now. The seats are much more comfortable now then they were. Visibility is greatly improved and Greg’s mounting points are awesome. He wanted to get the cage to make the body as rigid as possible and mounted the down bars on the body/rocker mount, the thickest part of the bed (right at the step), and 4” from the rear body mount. The truck is MUCH more rigid, and it showed on the trail. The body stays nice and stiff and doesn’t “wander” like it did. I can get a true feel for what the truck is doing and feel it will help me as a driver.
And I certainly won’t be easy on it…
