those are acura RSX seats iirc and he did cut the back half off so what you're looking at is "the rest of the vehicle." lol

 

So I've been thinking.. How effective would it be to have an exo skeleton on the front of my XJ, going off my stinger, protecting that area, maybe going past my fenders or so. And then having an inside cage going around the perimeter of the inside? Try to keep as much tubing out of the way so I can haul people and stuff. And if I wanted.. what would be some unique ways to achieve a soft top or something? Should I save up for the retractable roof for the XJ?

Thoughts?

 

I've been contemplating an inside or outside cage. How effective would a setup like this be? I can't tell if he has anything on the inside to help. I just like the look of it, and it seems to be pretty effective, since the XJ is in a cage, so it appears there'd be minimal/very little damage in the event of a roll over, whereas with the inside cage, you'd get damage, but would still remain in shape, right?



And for what it's worth, I have possibly the exact bumper as this guy, as well a stinger to run off of.

 

That has inside support. I was planning on doing an exo out of hrew and doing and roll cage out of DOM. That way cost is cut but your still safe. Now I think I'm going to go an internal cage and when I roll ill cut the top and make a buggy

 

Always loved the look of the exos, but just had a question pop in my head with the bar down the center is there a way to change the windsheild??

 

or open the rear doors...

 

bahahahahaha.

"ooooppss... totally forgot there was a door right there"

 

In a rollover, the front end of that red rig is gonna get jacked up... Not enough lateral support for those bars...

 

Hahahaha didnt even look that close at the exo on that jeep to notice that!

 

Oh nice! Do you remember roughly how much it was? And does the inside have to be anything special, or can it just be around the outer area of the inside?

Would cutting and rewelding be an option? I probably wouldn't mind having to do that if that's one of the worst things that happens.



Yeah, I thought about that too. I might do mine a little different so I could still use mine, even though it's a pain to get in and out of already haha.





For the interior, this looks perfect! How effective is this style?
http://www.rockhard4x4.com/product_p/rh-1012.htm

 

looks kinda iffy to me. but I dont know anything about how to build a strong cage. all I know is that that one looks kinda janky.
I was looking at this one. add yourself a bar across the dash and lots more triangulation and some roof sliders and I wouldnt even do an exo cage
http://barnettperformance.net/index....&products_id=7
cheaper too

 

Hmm... Tempting.. I do like to look of the exo cage though.. Although if it's not that safe, what's the point?

I'll keep that link in mind, thanks! And to be honest, if I do something like that, I might want to cut the roof some.. Maybe add a sliding or soft top on the roof, or even chop the hatch off.. lol.

 

well do the internal cage because you need it anyway to make a strong exo and just see what you want after that
I'd also make some strong 2x6 rockers and plate the entire uniframe to make strong starting points for any cage work

but dont take my word for it! I havent done a ton of research on it yet. those are just the things that come to mind

 

TBH, with all the cage designs I've seen. And I'm talking hundreds of buggys and cage builds, I have not seen a successful one that didnt have some sort of internal vertical and cross supports. thats what keeps the cage from collapsing in on itself. If you wanted it to be strong enough without going inside your rig, you'd need way too much metal, and you'd loose access to your doors. I'm no expert, but I'm really good with math and geometry, and I've been studying cage design for over a year just out of hobby. I've drawn up my own cage designs for buggys and such, and even talked with a guy who builds cages for a living. I've actually seen one of his cherokees that has a full internal cage. The one thing he told me is that you NEED internal support. Thats why he just bit the bullet and went full interal cage, so he wouldnt have to drill through the roof or have door issues. He did a SUPER clean job too. I don't claim to be any expert, as I've never actually built a cage myself, but from what I've learned, and seen on youtube lol, I wouldnt trust a cage without cross support.

 

I'm going to keep an inside cage in mind for future reference. It wasn't quite what I wanted, so I might put it on the back burner, or at least protect my front a little bit more first. I've been considering doing a suspension upgrade, going from 4'', to something higher + long arms. Well, I can't go much higher, or else I won't fit in my parking garage (live in an apartment building, can't part on street), so I might just do a long arm upgrade. It's either about the same, or possibly a little less than a cage.

I will eventually want a full cage though, haha. I really appreciate the feedback I received in this thread and hope i helps others.