mattfm1212

Event: I rolled my jeep a week ago. The front portion of the roof was bent in towards me collapsing the A-pillar.

My plan is to chop from the front of the b-pillars forward to the base of the a-pillars, take out the windshield and doors, then weld an 8-point cage in and a wrangler windshield on the front.

Any concerns? How would I finish around the cut edges of the roof? And any ideas of how to cover the front?

I was thinking some kind of soft water proof covering snapped in with snaps. Any thoughts much appreciated.

Grip

It was pretty much stock. Scrap it and buy another for $2500

XJlimitedx99

I would love to know how you managed to end up on your lid on that stretch of road.

If you REALLY wanted to chop that thing I have one word for advice. BRACING. Unibody bracing all the way down, and brace the floors where you would weld on the tubing. Match the tubing to the general shape of what the unibody used to be. Since you'd be going that far I would do a full exo cage with bumpers, rock sliders, and tube fenders that are tied into everything. Then one tons and 40's

You can't just go and chop the top off and call it a day because it will probably fold in half.

Atmos

that's a lot of damage. there are plenty of ways to fix a rolled jeep. but cutting out just a section and trying to fabricate in a new roof and cage sounds like the most tedious way to go about it.

chop the whole thing to bits and build a new roof around your cage or take a high lift to that one and a BFH and try to straighten it out. or just get another jeep

Atmos

post up some pics of the front without the hood up. looks like the pillars held up decent enough. you could probably easily straighten that one out and slap a windshield in there

mattfm1212

I've been through too much with this Jeep to just scrap it and it is more economical to keep it, engine runs well, just the roof.

Check photos below. Similar idea but without chopping out the back. The 8-point cage I'm looking at matches the jeeps frame perfectly so the idea of bracing should be met. Welded to unibody with floor plates.

Grip

I predict that this will never happen.

Buy another xj shell, transfer all the red jeeps crap into it.

bubbarules1958

That sucks

Rogue4x4

Wait...what? A targa-topped XJ? I think that would just look silly. Also, what cage are you looking at? Any cage needs to be tied in somewhere, not just welded to the floor. Does the cage you are looking at go through the floor, tie into the "frame" and ALSO use floor plates? That's the better solution, and you'll still want frame stiffies if that's the case, and just cut the whole roof off if you're going to do it, it will make your cage install MUCH easier. JMHO

mattfm1212

This is the cage I was thinking of:

http://dandcextreme.com/product/d-and-cs-xj-cage-kits/

Do you know where I can find out more on frame stiffeners?

wiggles

My advice, no matter what you do.. don't use a wrangler windshield unless you want it to look just plain stupid

Rogue4x4

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=XJ+frame+stiffeners

X2...I'm not even sure it would fit, and trying to get one to work will take a lot of time and fab skills to get it to mount properly. Also, the cage you're looking at...not wild about it, especially if you're going to be missing some roof. Looks like that cage is designed for an XJ with a roof, and looking at their install instructions, it's designed to rest on top of the carpet in the interior. If you want a true structural cage, you need to go through the floor and tie into the frame itself, as in, on top of stiffeners. So, if this is going to be your daily, scrap it, use it for parts, whatever, but just get a new XJ shell and swap out any parts you want or need to, sell the rest to cover expenses. If it's going to be a trail only rig, that's fine, but, you'll want to do it right. $.02

Atmos

I've done some EXTENSIVE work repairing a rolled xj. It didn't take a lot of time and it wasn't very expensive. Yours looks like it stayed straight in all the places that count. If this XJ means so much to you then give it a proper repair job. Straighten out the roof and replace the A pillars. It's very doable and you should be able to get an XJ windshield back in there

B-lo XJ

Whichever way you decide to go....you should put into your design/build for any cage cross bars/supports as much as possible,then add a few more!! You have to add floor to frame legs/supports for said cage to be safe and add the level of safety you hopefully are wanting!! Maybe contact someone local for a custom cage or as others have said...start over new with different XJ...!!!!

mattfm1212

Really appreciate the insight. I am in touch with a local body shop guy who has dealt with similar stuff. I'm going with the A pillar repair and new xj windshield. Thank you.

To be honest, a lot of the reason I originally took this approach was a chance to practice more welding and to have an open topped Cherokee. Considering the amount of work/$ to regain structural integrity you all have illustrated though, repair is the best option.