1st gen roll cage

[epsorenson]

hey guys,
been looking for a roll cage for a 1st gen.
i've looked at smittybuilt and s&w but not sure if they will work.
stumbled upon this guy "bronco bob" out of oregon
http://broncobob.com/customparts/rollbars.htm

apparently does roll cages for 1st generations also.
anyone have any experience with this guy?
anyone want to post pics of their cage?

[vtblazer]

There's an S&W cage in the sale section for a 1st gen right now.

Why are you thinking S&W and Smitty Built won't work?

[epsorenson]

Originally Posted by vtblazer

Why are you thinking S&W and Smitty Built won't work?

not sure...i thought i read some posts by guys that had trouble with them installing in 1st gens.

i wasn't sure that smittybilt even made cages anymore

[vtblazer]

Originally Posted by epsorenson

not sure...i thought i read some posts by guys that had trouble with them installing in 1st gens.

i wasn't sure that smittybilt even made cages anymore

The one on the board is an S&W cage, designed for a 1st gen.

Contact earl87gta, he's got it for sale.

[vtblazer]

Here's the sale link:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=255051

[epsorenson]

only problem w/that one is that it's $400 and would take at least $150 in shipping to get to me.

i'm sure i can have one fab'd locally here for less than that.

if i was going to go with one and have it shipped i'd probably go with bronco bob. his 4 pt. blazer cage is $225

[epsorenson]

by the way, what does the s&w "family cage" look like? (that's what the ad listed)

[vtblazer]

Originally Posted by epsorenson

by the way, what does the s&w "family cage" look like? (that's what the ad listed)

A family cage will cover the rear seat, not just a front hoop but and entire structure that will keep the passengers in the back seat safe as well.

Example of a family cage:

[vtblazer]

Front hoop only:

[herb101]

Originally Posted by epsorenson

only problem w/that one is that it's $400 and would take at least $150 in shipping to get to me.

i'm sure i can have one fab'd locally here for less than that.

if i was going to go with one and have it shipped i'd probably go with bronco bob. his 4 pt. blazer cage is $225

I thought that too, but the local off-road fab shop near my office obviously needed lots of new gear when they quoted me. They wanted $800 for a main hoop and two rear diagonals dropping behind the wells, all bolted to the floor. There would be most $ if I wanted it tied in to the frame, or painted. This was in 1-5/8" 120 wall, non-chomoly, non-DOM. We're talking about 10 bends TOPS, 4 plates welded on and two tube interfaces welded, all in a truck with no hardtop to work around. I still have no bar....but I now have a welder.

Herb

[epsorenson]

Originally Posted by herb101

I thought that too, but the local off-road fab shop near my office obviously needed lots of new gear when they quoted me. They wanted $800 for a main hoop and two rear diagonals dropping behind the wells, all bolted to the floor. There would be most $ if I wanted it tied in to the frame, or painted. This was in 1-5/8" 120 wall, non-chomoly, non-DOM. We're talking about 10 bends TOPS, 4 plates welded on and two tube interfaces welded, all in a truck with no hardtop to work around. I still have no bar....but I now have a welder.

Herb

wow...that is a rip off! guy out here at a local off road shop quoted me $350 installed. 4 pt, 2" tube, plates, etc. only thing is i'd have to get it powder coated myself.

[epsorenson]

vtblazer:
thanks a million for your pics and help!

a few questions for you:
1. do you have to have a full roll cage into the cab with the family style roll cage or can you start behind the seats and go to the back of the truck bed?

2. is there another style cage that is a little more "tamed down" than the family cage that will protect the rear passengers as well?

[vtblazer]

Originally Posted by epsorenson

wow...that is a rip off! guy out here at a local off road shop quoted me $350 installed. 4 pt, 2" tube, plates, etc. only thing is i'd have to get it powder coated myself.

That's a decent deal, forget about powder coating IMO.

Just paint it with some SEM black and be done.
That's what I used on the green blazer's roll bar years ago and it still looks new.
I bought it on a quart and sprayed it with a gun but it's also available in a rattle can.

If you belong to CK5, there's a great roll bar thread going in the 67-72 section right now, check it out.

[Burt4x4]

Here is an example of a $300 custom 6pt cage from 1 3/4dom tubing.
Many Many different styles and ways to build a cage. I would not get a pre-made cage. A custom made one will fit better and be way safer in my opinion.
Plus nowa days there are many fab shops out there that can do you right.
There is a club in your neck of the woods called So Cal Big Dawgs, they are 'related' to my 4x4 club Nor Cal Off-Road (formally Nor Cal Big Dawgs) anyway lots of fab guys down there were you are...

[Long Roof]

Here is my 'family' version that starts behind the front seats

[vtblazer]

Nice seats.

I'd be curious to see what you did to re-enforce the floor under the seats to accommodate the stresses that will try to push through the floor in the event of an accident due to the built in shoulder harness design.

[Long Roof]

Thats my winter shut down job to take a good look at the mounting and reinforce as required. I hope to strap across both mounting points in the front, on top and put large plates/washers under the mounts on the rear. I bought the jimmy with the seats installed.

[vtblazer]

Originally Posted by Long Roof

Thats my winter shut down job to take a good look at the mounting and reinforce as required. I hope to strap across both mounting points in the front, on top and put large plates/washers under the mounts on the rear. I bought the jimmy with the seats installed.

Your thinking ahead.

I have the same style seats headed for the next blazer build.
Going to use DOM tubing to build a sub-structure to mount the seats on.
Similar to what was done in the pic below without any uprights.
(no vertical tubing, just floor mount pieces)

[Rokcrln]

I was not aware that no one out their made nice cages for first gen blazers! I build cages (and have tested several of them with great results as I am still here) for all kinds of vehicals and each one is custom fit. When I have some spare time I will need to build one in my 2wd blazer to see what kind of time it would take so I have an idea on pricing for a weld it your self kit or a fully welded kit.

Some one should start a poll on what options you all would like to see in a 1st gen cage. Just for the record a cage built right out of 1 3/4
' .095 and .120 wall tube out of HREW will hold up just fine for our needs. Dom is only if you want to spend more $ on tubing but you will not get anything out of it for teh extra $ spent. Molly tube is a total wast of $ and here is why. For those who do not know HREW stands for "Hot roll electric weld" it is teh process in how it is made. Their is a visible line on the out side of the tube and you can feel teh weld seam in the inside. I have never heard or seen a seam on HREW fail under ant wreck or acident! DOM stands for Drawn over mandrel. What they do is take a stick of HREW and pull it over a die that flatens out the weld seam and makes it almost invisible but it is still their. It also makes teh tube almost perfectly round and this only affects teh bending dies used when building a cage. Bending dies last longer when used with DOM but for teh extra price of teh DOM it does not make it cost efective to use for just that reason. I use DOM if I am making parts that will slide over another tube and need real tight clearances like for pivits on swing away wracks, tire cariers and such.

The reason to use molly tube is because you can use .095 wall molly and have the same strength as .120 HREW/ DOM. So it is used as a way to save weight in a race car but last time I built onme for a road race car it was over 4x the $ as DOM and almost 5x the HREW. We have used it to save weight in race cars only to go back and add weight to make regulations but we were able to add it were we wanted it for beter performance (in teh front or rear of the car for handling or center floor with 1/4" plate for a lower CG. Also for Molly to work right it must be welded up then teh entire cage needs to be heated in an oven to like 1200* for x amount of time and then cooled off over x amount of time to give it it's strenght back. If this is not done you have a great chance of cracking any were it was welded. This is not somthing for a street car. Also it should not be painted or pwdr coated so welds can be inspected from time to time.

My last good wreck was in a full built 71 ford Bronco that I had a 6pt cage (1 3/4" .120 wall HREW) that I took off a 30' cliff at 35-45 MPH out in the mojavy desert a few yrs ago. The vehical had $29k in damage, the cage was a total loss but my ex-brother in law walked away with out a scratch. We were sore from the 5pt harness and that sudden stop, flip tumble and end over end.

Sorry I am not at home and will not be untill next week end for any pics I have on my computer

Kevin
LFD Inc.

[vtblazer]

What's the going rate for DOM tubing in your area?

[sandking]

A custom cage is the only way to go. You will get better fitting and have it built the way you want. I just started building my own cage using 1-3/4x.120 DOM tubing. It will be caged from bumper to bumper, top to bottom including attached to the frame in at least 12 different locations.
I paid $3.19 per foot for .120 and $2.40 for .090.

[ABLAZN]

Originally Posted by epsorenson

hey guys,
been looking for a roll cage for a 1st gen.
i've looked at smittybuilt and s&w but not sure if they will work.
stumbled upon this guy "bronco bob" out of oregon
http://broncobob.com/customparts/rollbars.htm

apparently does roll cages for 1st generations also.
anyone have any experience with this guy?
anyone want to post pics of their cage?

I live about 2 miles away from Bronco Bobs shop. They seem to do good work. The green Bronco at the top of their roll cage web page belongs to my supervisor at work and the work is very nice. They are one of the places that I am considering have do my cage. The other is a guy that I work with builds cages on the side and does some very nice work also.