steel roll cage and underseat box questions

[daddyfitz]

I have some tubes that came out of a boiler at my job and wanted to use them as my cage but know nothing about building one or if they're evan thick enough. Any input? Another soon to be done mod is my underseat tool box. If my seat is gonna bolt to it how thick should it be to still be impact/crash safe? Is 16th thick enough? I want my boys to be safe but I want my box to be about 6" deep. Thanks ahead of time for the input jeepers. Fitz out.

[rockcrawlinginfo]

you kind of have me at a loss on this, what kind of tubing or pipe is the boiler made from. I would steer clear of that as it doesnt sound like a good thing to use.

my advise is as follows, follow it or not.

If you arent familiar with tubing, bends, and what strength areas you need for a cage, dont build your very first one. Dont get disappointed, find someone who has built a few and pay them and have them let you help. I think I have helped 15 people learn about their cages and why I build them a certain way. Safety is a must, and you shouldnt build safety equipment unsafe.

There are some books out about making cages (stack car mostly) but they will help.

If you are a compitent welder and fabricator, then use some HREW or DOM tubing of a wall thickness of .120. That is all I use. All my cages are 1.75 inch diameter and .120 wall.

The box is easy, maybe some 16 guage steel bent into a box and a top fabbed up. I dont have any pictures of what you have, so on the box I cant really visualize what you need. Your local Vocational School can help you out, they always have welders needing projects and you just pay for material, I just wouldnt look for them to build you the cage.

Other than that, look at other designs, find one that meets your fancy, ask tons of questions and get some help. After all, is better to have a bad day wheeling and to have to avoid and obstacle than to be dead.

[daddyfitz]

thanks rockcrawling, i've got a good welder lined up i just need a design but to be honest it's not for my jeep. i don't do alot of rockin so it would be for extreme cases and to look good with extra storage. which ever route i go it will be tested. i have no problems fabin it out and just rolling in over right there. my kids will be in this thing so i'll make sure it's done right before it sees any passengers. the pipe is schedule 80 and has been in a boiler for the last 10-15 years at over 600 degrees almost none stop. the whole time it's had chemicals put through to stop rust and oxidation. the only reason they came out is because the welds at the end are worn out. the sticks themselves are good. i'll check on the thickness now and get back to ya. thanks for the input.

[rockcrawlinginfo]

schedule 80 is way overkill and tough to bend sometimes. If I were in your spot, I think I would still shy away from it. BUT it is your rig and your pocket book and I am not the one to tell you what to do. It is definately think enough, just not too practical.

[GP4Play]

Hey Fitz.I go with what RockCrawl'n says.Schedule 80 is tuff ,and you don't know what all that heat for so long mite have done to the steel.Check out Jeep4x4Center.com , Rockhard ,or some other sites and you mite find a idea for a cage design.
Dennis

[daddyfitz]

It is definately think enough, just not too practical.

why is it not practical. i'm not worried bout wight. this rig has a 460 and geared low.....i feel like you guys are holding out and not telling me something. i'm not worried bout it being bent either, all connection points will be welded.

[GP4Play]

Wow.Ok so weight is no prob and bending is covered.Sounds like all you got to do is get a design you like and weld it.As for the heat on the steel,you prob. know more about that then me,working with boilers,just heard it could be a prob.after long exsposure.Check out these,maybe get an idea.Bluetorch,jeeptubes,and 4WD.com

[daddyfitz]

Would welding the junctions make it weaker than it being bent? If I didn't like the look with all the angles I was just gonna weld 90s or Ts into it just for appearance sake. The whole reason I'm wanting to use this pipe instead of buying the real stuff is to cut down on wallet shock. If its not safe then its not safe and will be sh!t canned. I'm not trying to make it out like you guys don't know what you're talking about. I was just really excited about all my free roll bar/crash cage material. And I lied its not schedule 80. My boss said its a special compound to make the steal more suited for the original purpose. Which it did. I told him my plans and he didn't see any problems but I consider you guys my foremost experts. Thanks again for the input, concern, and patience. I will be doing more research on this subject and will certainly be getting back to you guys. Hope I didn't burn any bridges.
fitz out

[rockcrawlinginfo]

In my early days I thought a sched 80 cage would be awsome. It weighed in more than twice .120 wall. It made my jeep top heavy. Then I rolled it and luckily nothing major, but a seam split near where my head was and it flattened out the bends. I do not feel cofortable using it new, and especially wouldnt trust it after years of heating and cooling. It is your life, but I dont want to hear of someone getting killed or mamed by their cage.

I wish I still had pictures of the sched 80 splitting, it freaked me out and I feel I learned alot of valuable knowledge from it.

just remember, heating and cooling repeatedly brittles the steel, weather treated for it or not and brittle steel isnt as strong in a rolling situation and newer steel. you can get some .120 HREW for cheap and it will hold up to a few rolls. what is your life worth?

[GP4Play]

Nothing burnt here Bud.Just don't want you to wast time or hurt yourself.Steel pipe has a seam running the length of it and its my understanding that there is a diff in cold rolled and hot rolled steel.Like Rockcrawl'n said it could be dangerous to use.Call around to some of the fab shops ,they should be able to explaine this better then I can. Hell I've been saveing for the same thing and other mods for a long time.These are some of the best site's I've found, http://www.jeeptubes.com/ & http://www.4wheelparts.com/
Luck to ya.
Dennis