This is what it looked like when it came in to the shop. Jason had already removed the stock cage, making my work that much easier.
No cage inside, but the top still on. Jason wanted the new cage to fit tight to the top.
After cutting and just before drilling the bolt holes. These are the new feel that will support the cage. The larger one was used to cover a large rust hole just behind the driver seat. The B pillar came to rest on this foot. The cage was tied to the frame so the body did not need to be strengthened at this spot.
With the new feet bolted in place, it was time to start bending tube. Jason wanted the look of the old Poison Spyder cages. I think they are a nice cage that do well to protect front and back seat passengers.
Tube fits tight against soft top rails and cannot be seen from the out side of the Jeep with the top up.
Tube fits tight against soft top rails and cannot be seen from the out side of the Jeep with the top up.
Spreader bars and A pillar bars in place. A pillar bars were placed so the e-brake could still be pressed, and released, yet still allowing easier entry into the rig.
The dash bar was made out of 1.5 inch tube. Jason is a shorter guy, so using the smaller tube here did not go above the windshield frame. So there would be no loss of visibility for him.
The pile of tube is starting to look like something now. With the front of the cage outlined, it was time to turn to the rear of the cage.
Here is the rear hoop just after bending. This was the hardest tube to fit and the part of this cage that I was least happy about. The bends were perfect, but making the notches were not as much fun. In the end it turned out good and I'm happy with the results.
So here is the rear of the cage all tacked in place now. Now I just needed to tie up a few loose ends up front and weld it all together.
The cage pulled out of the Jeep and welded together. A little clean up work was needed and then it was time for paint.
One last shot of the tacked cage before being pulled for final weld.
Here is the cage just before paint. The tape marks are where the harness tie-ins would go. They had not come in yet and I was itching to paint this bad boy. They were welded on afterwards and repainted.
The pile of tube is starting to look like something now. With the front of the cage outlined, it was time to turn to the rear of the cage.
Here is the rear hoop just after bending. This was the hardest tube to fit and the part of this cage that I was least happy about. The bends were perfect, but making the notches were not as much fun. In the end it turned out good and I'm happy with the results.
So here is the rear of the cage all tacked in place now. Now I just needed to tie up a few loose ends up front and weld it all together.
The cage pulled out of the Jeep and welded together. A little clean up work was needed and then it was time for paint.
One last shot of the tacked cage before being pulled for final weld.
Here is the cage just before paint. The tape marks are where the harness tie-ins would go. They had not come in yet and I was itching to paint this bad boy. They were welded on afterwards and repainted.
Here the cage is all primed and ready for the flat black paint requested by Jason. I like to put the primer on very heavy as that really helps to hold the paint on and protect if from chips.
I forgot to take my camera in the last day of this project. So you don't get to see the finished product. While the paint was drying, I was working on the frame tie-ins. They were a direct style of tie-in, with no bushings. This is the strongest way to do it, at the cost of a bit of a rougher ride. As this will be an off road only toy, it was the only way to do it.
