Interior or EXO cage, that is the ??.

[Dannyboy]

With the SAS complete I'm realizing that the truck will probably be spending some time on it's side and perhaps roof. I've met a 4x4 shop in my area that I think I am going to have build me a cage. He's thinking exocage because an interior cage is a "1 time use" but I'm not sure. It seems most guys are starting to chop their roofs off and doing interior cages. I for one will be leaving the roof and door on (for now) and prefer interior cage.


As a twist If I go interior, I will cut holes in the roof with a hole saw and incorporate a roof rack from the sunroof back as part of my cage. I'll have to find some type of a rubber grommet to keep the seal. It may be a fun one to try since I haven't seen that here yet.

 

[expo5.0]

do what your thinking with the interior and the roof rack. will look awesome.

 

[Brian1]

An exo would be pretty sweet, check out this exo on a Grand Cherokee: http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=186531&highlight=xj+exo

Same basic design could work for an Explorer

 

[EBInterceptor]

I voted for the interior with the roof rack which I think sounds like a sweet idea, but being able to roll more than once would be nice. Interior isn't so hard on the eyes either.

 

[Jefe]

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.

 

[james t]

Exo does not exclude you from the one time use rule. There is (usually) alot of unprotected space around the doors, and one decent roll onto something = no more door opening. I would personally go interior, and if it ever got so beat up that the doors wouldnt open then just take them off. Really its a matter of opinion... both built right will get the job done.

 

[RFR2212]

interior danny

 

[dgibson]

i would have to say go with the interior. with the exo, it will be harder to do body work (in my opinion), plus the interior looks so much better

 

[Jefe]

with the exo, it will be harder to do body work (in my opinion),

You know that argument is always used with exo cages.. .but really, how many people have a cage and still worry about body damage making their rig look bad?

I finally realized why I can't do an Exo. . .She barely fit in the garage as is and I've gotta park in the garage. I've got a few cool ideas for an interior cage though.

 

[410Fortune]

How about a combo like you said?

INterior cage is much better if you ask me, but like stated above its a matter of personal opinion. I like the looks of my truck and the FULL exo would just kill it.

RangerX's cab cage gets the job done and doesnt look bad at all, because he doesnt have those tubes running all around the fenders and what not.

Even with the interior cage if you crunch up the roof or window pillars or whatever there is nothing stopping you from welding on a new roof and pillars.

Exo cage makes your truck bigger too, harder to squeeze into those tight trails.

I will be doing an interior cage, as tight as possible to the body panels and roof, this way if I do lay her over (When I do) the body crunch will only be as far as the cage will allow, then replacing the toated sheet metal is not as difficult because the damaged area is kept to a minimum.

 

[Trckmagik]

With an internal cage, if you roll you still damage the front corners (at the windshield). You do this and your talking serious body work. I would say exo just for that reason. You could also do an internal cage and come out at the corner of the roof somehow which then goes down into your fender. This would provide some protection to that problem corner.

 

[410Fortune]

Right! you can do a combo! exo around the windshield and main cab, then internal for the rest of the truck...

Look at Bills Ranger, his cage is tied into the firewall, through the top of the fenders, then it goes through the floor of his bed and to the frame in the back, this is a proven design that offers body protection for the expensive to replace cab while still not being such a monster as a front to rear full exo skeleton....

 

[Jefe]

You could also do an internal cage and come out at the corner of the roof somehow which then goes down into your fender. This would provide some protection to that problem corner.

Doing that would also get rid of the problem of bending the tube around the dash and leaving enough leg room up front. Then the problem is making it look halfway decent on the transition from exo to internal. I've thought of this alot. . but the idea of a tube sticking through the A pillar just doesn't appeal to me, not to mention the glass covers the entire front portion of the A pillar, so you either go above it, or through it.

 

[Kirby N.]

I am building an exo cage. If I roll it, I want to pull it over and keep trucking. I think the guy with the ZJ did a great job. Mine will be simular minus the body plates. Also, Mine will be removable (though it will probably be on 99% of the time). It will attach only to my sliders and bumpers. I am toying with either a poly bushin for the removable joints or just a solid bolt together type of mount. I really like Bills cab cage, but I don't want to have to replace fenders. As close as I have came to rolling, I don't want to weld on a new top- Forget that! Just roll it back over and keep trucking.

Also, my close friend has a half cab scout. He built an interior cage that mounts the seats and junk, then it goes out the back of the removable cab via some 2.5" holes with rubber gromets and then it goes into a roll bar type of set up in the bed with a light bar. It is sweet because the roll bar part comes off so he can take the top off.

 

[swak6287]

i vote external also. the cabin is cramp enough with people in it. exocage just looks cool. that is exactly what i want the exo to look like for my xj.

 

[Blaine122300]

I say do internal, but instead of the roof rack only behind the sun roof, run the tubes up farther and run it back into the truck. Exo on top and internal for the rest. That way you don't loose any head room, and if it lands on the roof, you can save your sheet metal.

 

[DB_1]

I voted exo-cage cause thats what I plan to build for my truck. After witnessing RangerX's cage in action, I was sold to that idea. That would be cool to build a combo int/ex cage similar to what the Range Rover D90 has. It has a bar running above the windshield with downtubes going into the fenders i believe, the bar from above the windshield goes around the sides above the doors then ties to the inside of the cab just behind the doors...if that makes any sense.

 

[CoryL]

Since cages need to be tied into the frame to be useful, an internal cage will be stronger. You can use more straight pieces of tubing and there will be less leverage on frame tie-in points. This makes it more likely that you will survive in a hard roll.

You can roll an internal cage more than once. While it won't have the same strength to begin with, if it is properly built, it will sustain multiple rolls. I built a cage for a guy with an Explorer that ended up backwards endo rolling it. The cage didn't move. Nothing bent. He's gotten more than one roll out of it.

An external cage makes your vehicle bigger and often times makes trail riding on tight trails more difficult. It is also usally true that an external cage will increase the overall weight of the vehicle since it requires more tubing to complete. An external cage will save some of your sheetmetal, but you will still screw most of it up if you roll hard.

I vote internal, and internal alone. Trying to make a combo internal/external not only adds a buttload of useless weight, IMHO it doesn't look that great either.

 

[Rick]

I have a "thing" about exo cages. On a light rig, they're great. But on a heavy rig like the Explorer, I think that in real tight off camber areas where you would normally be sliding on your sheetmetal you will be getting hung up in the roll cage instead. Every verticle tube has the possiblity of getting hung up as you try to move forward.

As for protection, if you get damage where the tubes don't cover the sheetmetal it will be that much more difficult to fix the damage since the cage is now in the way.

 

[mrboyle]

To add to what Rick said, the other problem I see with an exo cage on an X is size. The X is wide to begin with, add an extra 2-2.5 inches on each side and thoes tight spots just became unpassable.