Roll Bar to Cage
JeffP
Senior Jeeper
- Posts
- 536
- Media
- 28
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- Location
- Peoria, AZ
- Vehicle(s)
- '75 CJ5, 304, T18, D20, D44s w/3.73 1974 CJ5, 304, 4 spd., Dana axles 3.73 gears. 1973 CJ5, 258 I6, T18, Dana 20, Dana axles 4.27 gears. 1972 CJ5, 304, 4 Spd, Dana 20, 4.27 gears. 1976 CJ5, 304, T150. 1976 CJ5, 304, T150, J20 w/4.10 gears. 69 CJ5 Hurricane 4 cyl, 4spd all original! ‘53/‘54 M38a1 100% original but also 100% apart! Low 3 digit Vin! One of the very first m38a1s!
Nobody likes the thought of flipping their Jeep over but it happens. I don’t plan on it either but if I do, I want to increase my chances for survival. This is what I’ve been doing lately with my CJ5 Jeeps.
The factory roll bar is good but isn’t nearly enough. The factory cage has some problems too. The first, especially in the CJ5s, is that the front vertical posts block part of the door opening. When out “Jeepin” I often wear Vietnam era jump boots. While comfy, they don’t pivot very well in the ankle area so the post of the cage is a real problem.
So... what I did was attach the bottom of the post to the dash rather than the floor.
Right behind the dash, on each side of the tub is a vertical “C” channel that is likely the strongest component of the tub. A simple angle bracket is welded to the C channel, then bolted thru the dash and into the cage post bracket. Note that some of the bolts use the factory mounting holes.
It’s stronger than the factory mount yet doesn’t block access. Doesn’t look terrible either.
Much to my surprise, the top of the windshield has a curve to it. I had to bend the top front horizontal tube to match the contour.
When I duplicated the bend of the factory roll bar I found it blocked too much of the top windshield corners. To remedy that, I simply notched the horizontal tube & made square corners. Now my windshield isn’t blocked anywhere!
The next issue was the top horizontal tubes on each side. At some point you WILL hit your head on them... in the same spot over and over! I’m not putting up with that anymore either!
I moved both tubes to the center. This provides the strength & support needed and also provides a very convenient mounting place for ham radios, switch panels etc..
Before column mounted ignition switches, the ignition was on the dash. Some of us have too much
on our key rings and they scratch up our freshly plainted dash panels. I put my ignition, marker, headlight, accessory, fuel cutoff switches overhead.
There is also a led dome light, external ham radio speaker and two ham radios. While it might sound overly crowded, it isn’t. It’s also amazingly convenient.
The factory roll bar is good but isn’t nearly enough. The factory cage has some problems too. The first, especially in the CJ5s, is that the front vertical posts block part of the door opening. When out “Jeepin” I often wear Vietnam era jump boots. While comfy, they don’t pivot very well in the ankle area so the post of the cage is a real problem.
So... what I did was attach the bottom of the post to the dash rather than the floor.
Right behind the dash, on each side of the tub is a vertical “C” channel that is likely the strongest component of the tub. A simple angle bracket is welded to the C channel, then bolted thru the dash and into the cage post bracket. Note that some of the bolts use the factory mounting holes.
It’s stronger than the factory mount yet doesn’t block access. Doesn’t look terrible either.
Much to my surprise, the top of the windshield has a curve to it. I had to bend the top front horizontal tube to match the contour.
When I duplicated the bend of the factory roll bar I found it blocked too much of the top windshield corners. To remedy that, I simply notched the horizontal tube & made square corners. Now my windshield isn’t blocked anywhere!
The next issue was the top horizontal tubes on each side. At some point you WILL hit your head on them... in the same spot over and over! I’m not putting up with that anymore either!
I moved both tubes to the center. This provides the strength & support needed and also provides a very convenient mounting place for ham radios, switch panels etc..
Before column mounted ignition switches, the ignition was on the dash. Some of us have too much
on our key rings and they scratch up our freshly plainted dash panels. I put my ignition, marker, headlight, accessory, fuel cutoff switches overhead. There is also a led dome light, external ham radio speaker and two ham radios. While it might sound overly crowded, it isn’t. It’s also amazingly convenient.
