i want to chop top my 96 xj, and build a cage to support it. were do i weld the bars to?? in my chop, i want to cut the whole roof off, even the A pillars ( i rolled it and they r crushed). would it be a good idea to make frame stiffeners?? if so how so i do this?? there r lots of chop and cage build treads, but none show where 2 weld to. also, is it better to clamp stuff to the chassis 2 avoid welding to te unibody?? i live in australia and there is little support for this kind of thing

 

Frame stiffeners = good idea. You'll need them.

There is a guy on here who chopped his whole top. If I can find him, I will post a link to his profile, and you can ask him. He did a great cage.

 

Where ever a tube meets the floor, build a minimum of a 4"x4" pad. The tube will weld to the pad, and the pad will bolt to the floor. I would use a min. thickness of 3/16's for the pad. On the bottom of the floor build another pad, and run a tube from there and tie it into the frame.

 

x2 Exactly, definitely plate the frame too.

 

so the cage dosent actually bolt/weld into the frame?? it gets sandwitched to the floor of the car, 1 plate insde the car, and 1 plate under the floor?

 

Correct.

 

Go onto JeepForum and PM a guy with the username "EricsXJ". I'm sure he would be more than willing to tell you and show you through pictures of how he did his. His XJ is not chopped though.

That, or pay Pirate4x4 a visit lol.

NAXJA also knows a lot about cage construction too.