Justin_
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- March 30, 2020
- Messages
- 199
- Reaction score
- 76
- City, State
- Missoula
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 98 2-DR Sport 4x4 4.10
- Callsign
- KJ7IKI
Hey guys, last weekend I ended up flipping my 98 sport. The truck still runs and drives (actually had to drive it 10 miles out of the mountain) and the car itself has sentimental value to more than just me. TLDR I would like to recover it. I'm not looking to make it Street legal again, but I want something fun to go off roading in, and it would be a plus to have something that could roll again without taking too much damage (not that I want to roll again).
Getting to the damage... Most of the damage is on the top of the vehicle in front of the B pillar. I had a tire on my roof so there is some crush damage between the B and C pillars, but it's not that bad. I had a custom bumper/bull bar on the front that protected the front of the car and most of the hood. Below the windows there is minimal damage. A crushed mirror, scraped fenders, and a few dents all on the driver's side. I would likely be replacing the driver's door though.
At this point I'm hoping I could get some advice from people that have made roll cages, especially in explorers. What should I do here? I could cut everything from the bottom of the windows up and make a full roll cage, but I'm wondering if I could just cut the roof in front of the B pillar, then cut off the A pillar and replace just that section with a roll cage (reinforcing the B pillar, then working forward).
I would also likely rebuild the engine while I'm at it. I am actually just finishing another 4.0 SOHC engine so doing a second one wouldn't be all that hard.
I'm really not sure quite what do I, but I would really like to get this car up and running through the mountains again. I had a great time up until I flipped it.
Getting to the damage... Most of the damage is on the top of the vehicle in front of the B pillar. I had a tire on my roof so there is some crush damage between the B and C pillars, but it's not that bad. I had a custom bumper/bull bar on the front that protected the front of the car and most of the hood. Below the windows there is minimal damage. A crushed mirror, scraped fenders, and a few dents all on the driver's side. I would likely be replacing the driver's door though.
At this point I'm hoping I could get some advice from people that have made roll cages, especially in explorers. What should I do here? I could cut everything from the bottom of the windows up and make a full roll cage, but I'm wondering if I could just cut the roof in front of the B pillar, then cut off the A pillar and replace just that section with a roll cage (reinforcing the B pillar, then working forward).
I would also likely rebuild the engine while I'm at it. I am actually just finishing another 4.0 SOHC engine so doing a second one wouldn't be all that hard.
I'm really not sure quite what do I, but I would really like to get this car up and running through the mountains again. I had a great time up until I flipped it.