I'm thinking about buying an internal cage kit and having a buddy of mine install/weld it for me.

http://www.dandcextreme.com/product_...e.asp?pkID=126

$450 shipped for the metal (1.5 x .120).

Wanted to see what you guys think of this idea, or if I should look into other options. Seems like a budget friendly way to get some decent protection.
Thanks for any advice.

I've considered that cage when I was looking at getting one. It's a nice cage. From what I found while researching, it's nice, but could use a few reinforcements and it'd be good. It's nice for the money, considering it's not DOM.

I was thinking it would be a good starting point to get a basic cage. Then maybe add some reinforcement here and there where needed.

Always been skeptical of those. I wouldn't pay $450 for HREW that bolts together and doesn't secure to the frame rails.

It'll brace the unibody and add some rigidity, but I wouldn't consider it a real cage if you installed it as shipped. There's no real strength just sandwiching the floor pans.

If you have someone that can weld (and I mean actually weld, not just glue metal together with a HF machine they bought off Craigslist) then you're better off just buying stock tube and having someone locally bend it. Only bends that should cost you any real money are at the a pillar/dash. At least that way you can leave it long and tie it into the frame rails.

It said for more money they'll do it in DOM.

There are a lot of things that bolt on. How would they avoid serious law suits if they were selling things that have killed people?

I'm not saying your wrong....just bringing up points.

That's right! I forgot about that. But for the price of the HREW, it's not bad for a starter cage though, from what I've gathered. Although honestly, I'd go DOM. Just for peace of mind. Given the fact that this is supposed to protect myself/passengers in the event of a roll over.

There are, but a cage isn't something I want to bolt on, especially not to pressed sheet metal. Plus, they don't even come with the feet for it anymore.

Don't get me wrong, I've seen a lot of people run them, modify them, ect. They add rigidity, which is fine, but it's not adding structure which is the point of a full cage. There's almost no triangulation in it either.

All I'm really saying is that, personally, I don't think it's worth the money for what it is. Then again when it comes to fabricated stuff I'm very cheap because I can build most stuff myself. I'd rather spend a couple hundred more and have a significantly better real cage done right out of the right material.

I want a cage. BAD.

I just shelled out the cash (got a deal) on a brand new Hobart 210mvp.

I have been saving for a JD2 bender and some dies, but every time I see one of these (I'm pretty sure these guys aren't the only cage round that price) I get super tempted.

I could easily modify and rework it to my exact needs...but then I'm damn near making one.

Tough.

Come on up here, bring your tools, we'll use my welder.

I'll buy the pizza and beer.

So if I took my Jeep to a shop and had a cage made, how much should I expect to pay? I sent a few emails out today looking for quotes but haven't heard anything back yet.

More than $450.

find someone local who does side work, owns a shop, and has previous rigs rolling around town that you can check his work on. my buddy does HREW cages for all the local 4x4 rats (my friends). if you get a pre bent cage it's something I'd add on to

whats your reason for getting a cage might I ask?

It would take a lot more than pizza and beer to get me to go to WI. lol

Depends on what you're calling a cage, how it's mounted, ect, ect. I don't see $450 value in 8 pieces with 16 bends of HREW with no provided mounting, no triangulation, and that only bolts together.

Plus, google XJ cages, go look at builds on Pirate, ect and you don't see anything that looks like this "cage" in any of them. There's also a reason they're about the only people making a prebuilt cage for XJs and there's not a sanctioning body out there that will let you get away with an HREW cage.

If you can't do a lot of bending but can weld, it's a decent starting point, but if you want a real cage out of it there's a lot of extra time, money, and effort that would need to go in it. Odds are if you're wheeling where you actually need a cage this isn't what you want to rely on.

I have access to a shop and a friend of mine is a fabricator who has built cages before. None for XJs, but a lot of sandcars and muscle cars. He's the guy who will install this cage for me. He could do the whole thing, but I feel like for $450 I may as well just get the stuff pre bent to save him from designing measuring and bending it all.

I'm locked front and rear now and getting into some more difficult trails. Arizona trails have a lot of waterfalls, cliffs and boulders. Would like to not be squished if I choose the wrong line on one of them.