I just started building my cage yesterday so i thought i'd post up a little build thread here.

Its a hybrid exo/interior cage on a 99 4 door XJ.

It will be a full interior cage from the B pillar back and an exo from the front bumper, over the fenders, up the a pillars and around the roof (for roof sliders)

Here is what i've got so far:



Added harness bar and X



then finished out the rear with C pillar, D pillar and rear seat harness bar. I'm thinking about adding a diagonal brace in the cargo area on either side but i'm not sure if its really needed.



Bent up the "roof sliders". It took a while since its so big and i'm doing all this myself. I've got the places marked on the roof where i will drill the holes for it to attach to the internal cage.






still need to cut to length but here is a rear view:



I was having a fit trying to get the roof hoop centered and to sit still on my wooden spacers so i found some cheap helpers laying in the back of the jeep.

 

that looks really good and beefy. sweet job so far.

 

thats pretty beast so far

 

Looking good, give me a ring if you'd like a hand. I got some free time this week and be glad to give ya a hand if you want.

 

Goods awesome, Bro. I'd feel safe in that rig no matter what happened.

 

nice start man good work

 

that jeep is gonna look freakin awesome when its done good job

 

Thanks guys. I'll be hitting it hard in the morning and working till i'm tired of looking at it.

Desertfox, give me a call if you want tomorow. I'll be in the shop (not mine, its in mount holly) all day but will have my cell with me. I could always use a second set of hands to hold the big pieces or some new ideas.

 

Really nice job. I like how tight everything fits. Looking forward to seeing the exo.

 

Lookin stout man great fab skills

 

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I need ideas or a way to solve a problem i ran into today.
I made a hoop of sorts to go over the firewall today. It took a while because it had a bunch of compound bends in it and it was hard to figure out. Once i got it done i realized i had a problem. My hood won't open even half way. I forgot the the hinge system on an XJ has its fulcrum point way under the cowl so when the hood opens it actually tilts back some too. Is there some way to modify the hinges? What about making the hood just removable with pins so you just pick it up and off when you need to? Any ideas would be great. I feel like an idiot for not seeing this coming but thats what happens sometimes.
Here are some pics of the mentioned hoop:



I also finished making all the parts for the roof sliders to sit on. I was a little nervous about drilling 6 big holes in the roof but it actually turned out quite nice. the tube is very tight in the holes so welding it back up around the tube will be a piece of cake.

And i had a question about how the front brow was lined up with the windshield so here is a pic that shows the bend to somewhat follow the curve of the windshield:

 

Can't wait to see that bad boy all done..

 

Maybe ditch the windshield bar altogether..

I'm sure you have seen the a-pillar bars that come from the roof halo down the pillar, through and behind fender to the front of your rock rails.

Your design would allow that easily it looks like. Looks good so far.

In case your unfamiliar, check out the pic of OD-XJ on page one of this thread. I have seen it done with just the opening at top for clearance.

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=942417

 

i actually was planning on doing that where it goes into the fender but i've decided to run the tube on the outside so i can rub the front without tearing up all the sheet metal. Either way i would still do a windshield bar for strength.

 

OK, then i guess i would cut,sleeve that bar and bring it closer to the wipers which may give you room to swing the hood. Alot of work again... or start over.