Project In Too Deep – Part 2

After a few month hiatus of man-cave action, and much razzing from friends, family, and the boss, project “In Too Deep” is back in full swing. When I last left off, the Jeep body and frame had both been cut in half and the lengthening had begun; this article covers the frame that is now finished and all the tubing work for the cage which is nearly complete too. I am happy to confess that during the last few months of work, I have only caught the garage on fire once, and needed a mere 7 stitches in my thumb. Thankfully the burns on my arms from putting out the fire didn’t require medical attention. Not bad considering the amount of work that has gotten done.  Note to self, after cleaning tubing with lacquer thinner; be sure to put the lacquer soaked rag in a safe place prior to welding. 

The Frame

The frame has been reinforced and plated to the point of being over-kill, but I had some extra plate sitting around, and truthfully, I like welding. 

To create the strength and length needed to build the new buggy, I inserted 2”x3” rectangular tubing about 12” into what was left of the stock frame and after double checking all measurements, welded them in. 

I then reused the original cross member from the Jeep frame to support the gas tank.  I added another 20 inches of 2”x3” tubing to the back of this cross member to get the frame length I needed.  The outside of these sleeves are plated with 1/4” plate to further strengthen them.  After all of the gusseting and welding was complete, I built an X-brace to tie the frame rails together and add as much strength as possible.

The frame is still the stock width between the rails, but 20” of length was added. 

I do recommend that work like this be accomplished using a frame jig. However, for off-road-use-only vehicles, you can get away with using a few welder’s tricks. 

• Temporarily cross brace your work by placing temporary cross members in place with heavy tack welds
• Criss-cross your welds – if you are welding something together, weld oppostie corners to keep the material from warping to one side
• Use a stitch welding technique. Long, hot welds warp metal, so instead use shorter welds 
• Take measurements consistently and frequently. It’s easier to fix a warping issue before you’ve already laid in your braces and welded them in

The Roll Cage

The roll cage I built is fully integrated with our frame for maximum safety. It is also narrowed in the rear 15” from stock width to give the buggy a slim profile without a lot of extra body – I will boat-tail the rear body to give our buggy and the large tires a bit more clearance.

With all of the frame work done and the cage 90% complete, I added in the mounts for all the 3 new Bestop seats, tying them directly to the cage and frame using 1” diameter .120” wall tubing.  The Tuffy center console that has served me well for years will also find its way back between the seats, this time tied to the cage just like the seats. The stock fuel tank has also found its way back between the frame rails, albeit allot higher up than stock. 

The new cage is constructed from a combination of 1.75” X .120” wall DOM and 1.75” X .120” wall HREW tubing. All of the structural main hoops in the cage are constructed from the DOM tubing and all of the spreaders and tie-in pieces are HREW. This combination helps keep the cost down a bit and still provides more than enough strength for a trail rig. In Arizona, DOM tubing is currently about twice as much per foot than HREW, but the added cost of DOM is worth the peace of mind. 

I spent quite a bit of time designing the cage, considering safety first, ergonomics second and aesthetics third. Even as it sits in the shop for the photos, there are already some areas I need to correct, but they should be simple changes, creating a safer structure.  

My recommendation to you; If you’re considering building your own cage, spend some time studying many different cage designs, I used specific design specs from NASCAR cages, Trophy trucks, and many, pro rock buggies.  Each of the specific designs focused on safety first.   The cage still needs frame gussets, and a few plates here and there, but the main sections are done.  The rear portion of the cage will require quite a bit more tubing, as it will also hold the upper mounts for the rear coil-over shocks.  Stay tuned as we start assembly on a set of 1-ton axles to give our buggy the ultimate in drivetrain strength.