Interior or EXO cage, that is the ??.

[410Fortune]

Hey allright! I agree 100% with those last three or four posts

Internal all the way.

 

[prerunnersvo]

Definitely go with an interior cage.
Unless your EXO-cage is going to have a big X through the interior, as soon as you lay it or roll it over, the EXO-cage will just bend into the cab, or the rock you roll onto will miss the tube and hit the cab. I've seen many trucks with interior cages roll several times (separate occasions) & have only the bodies fixed because the cages were strong enough that they didn't budge. The body will crumple less if it's stiffened by an attached cage.If you do build an interior cage, make sure you use as few bends as possible (bent tubes=weak tubes), lots of trianglation, and weld it to the cab in key locations (pillars, roof braces, etc.

 

[jimbo74]

i voted exo, i liek the looks.. however erading some of that above.... mioght sway towards internal... eventually my yota will have a cage, internal becuase it is $350 and i have to weld it (will find a competent shop to weld it) and i have aslo seen rear bed to flatbed conversions for it that have a bar that runs up as high as the cab and down to the rear bed floor....

 

[JoshC]

bump

Just curious to see if anything happened!

 

[410Fortune]

Okay well you guys covered it, now go build the internal cage Danny, just do it right!

 

[-=DaemoN=-]

Go with internal. If you had full width axles it wouldn't be too bad having an exo. But with the track width and weight of an explorer, you'd want the weight tucked in. In a long run you'd want to start peeling off the skin anyways.

 

[Kirby N.]

Sorry I still disagree. Build a Exo IMO. Roll it, winch it over and keep trucking. Unless you plan on never rolling it, then build your interior to keep you safe and kiss your truck goodbye when you roll it. Me, when mine gets an exo cage, it is going to get rolled. I have been in 4 rollovers and every time an Exo cage would have saved the truck. I agree that there is alot of goofy ghetto fab exos out there with square tubing and 90 elbos, but if you build them right, they look cool and will protect your truck way more than an interior cage. I guess I am going to have to paste some links to some cool exos displayed over at pirate 4x4.

 

[prerunnersvo]

What do I think? Whatever floats yer boat! Just make sure safety and saving your life is the top priority....

 

[Kirby N.]

That is it! I will post some pics maybe when I build mine in a year or two...

 

[james t]

Sorry I still disagree. Build a Exo IMO. Roll it, winch it over and keep trucking. Unless you plan on never rolling it, then build your interior to keep you safe and kiss your truck goodbye when you roll it. Me, when mine gets an exo cage, it is going to get rolled. I have been in 4 rollovers and every time an Exo cage would have saved the truck. I agree that there is alot of goofy ghetto fab exos out there with square tubing and 90 elbos, but if you build them right, they look cool and will protect your truck way more than an interior cage. I guess I am going to have to paste some links to some cool exos displayed over at pirate 4x4.

You will find the majority on Pirate do not like exos, mainly because most guys there dont care what the body looks like. You also have to use ALOT more tube to get an exo to support like an internal. Rolling with an internal cage DOES NOT ruin the truck. Sure, it will crush the roof in and maybe mis-align the doors... this is only an excuse to finally cut that useless junk off anyway.

 

[prerunnersvo]

I've always wondered how people that roll vehicles with exo-cages make sure the rocks and dirt they roll onto hit the tubes and not the body.

 

[JoshC]

... this is only an excuse to finally cut that useless junk off anyway.

Haha, not all of us are ready for that yet! Actually i love the way Michael and Msupertek have done their trucks, but we've got way to much mud in WV to be doing that!

 

[Kirby N.]

What do I think? Whatever floats yer boat! Just make sure safety and saving your life is the top priority....

By that's it! I meant- This guy is right on, not that's I am mad and I am not going to build an exo just to spite you all. There are alot of guys on Pirate who hate exos but there is a shop that built some sweet exos. Alot of guys say they cant build them structurally sound, but I disagree. I looked and couldn't find the pics again. One was a Grand Cherokee and another was a Green Yota. They had really nice looking and strong exos. I think an exo would be benificial in alot of places not just roll overs. I have wheeled in "can opener" type of crevasses where you pretty much had to drag your side all the way down a rock. My rear bumper protected my paint and body and I just touched it up with a little Krylon. My front fender, however took a beating. I wish I had a piece of tubing over my wheel wells in that instance. I am not all about tearing fenders and junk of so my Ex looks like a pile (well more of a pile). Just my opinion. That qoute above sums it up for all of this conversation. Build what you want and hopefully it will work like you want. I know I will and mine will.

 

[410Fortune]

Kirby,

Anything can be done, for sure!
think about all the extra weight of the tube you are adding, the exco cage will reuire more than DOUBLE the metal. It is also much much more difficult to get the structural integrity to protect you and the truck because you have to go around everything to get at the frame.

An internal cage, when built right, will keep the body in place during a roll over.
Also if you are rolling over that much, then why do you care if the roof is not crunched? If it gets to bad you cut the roof off and weld on a new one.....
whichever you decide just know what you are getting into.
I still vote INTERNAL

 

[Kirby N.]

Jaime,
Why care about my roof? Because it is butt cold in Colorado during the winter!

I know what I am getting myself into. I am aiming for next summer on my cage. Then we will build one for my brother's XJ at the same time. The XJ will be nice with the unibody because we could tie it into the body all over (the only thing nice about a unibody). Just depends on how he decides to build it.

I still vote External,

But like I said build what you want and hopefully it will work like you want. That is my plan.

 

[410Fortune]

Hey thats my line!! hahaha the only reason my BII still has a top is the cold Colorado winters
I may chop it, I might not, I just dont know....
I said if the Bronco's win the superbowl again the sawzall is coming out hahaha!

Should be prett sweet, either way...

I like RangerX's cage, hes worried about safety, not body damage
Ranger is easier, because its lighter, his is tied into the firwall up front then down through the bed to the frame behind the cab...great design...

 

[Kirby N.]

Chop it wuss! My friend just hacked his XJ and it is sooo cool. Makes me want to do it bad.

Yep. I saw RangerXs (Bill's?). It is sweet. I like that design except I need a couple of tubes down the front fenders.

 

[Premier]

I voted internal, since that is what I've been planing. . but wow, that XJ's Exo cage may change my mind. That looks very clean. Probably would be harder to accomplish the same look with the more curvy explorer body though.

*cough*ZJ*cough*

 

[Jefe]

*cough*ZJ*cough*

hmm . . . that was a grand now wasn't it

 

[Premier]

http://www.offroadtechnology.com/jeep-xj-cherokee-accessories.html XJ

http://www.jeepzj.com/robert/JeepZJ.htm ZJ