I've been asking why the fiance hates my rig, and one thing she says is that it's too rough and she gets slammed around a lot since it rides so rough. So I promised her I'd add an "oh crap" (AKA "oh " bar) to the dash where the airbag normally is so she has something to grab on to while I make my turns or go wheeling.

Has anyone done this? Where would be a good place to start for parts? I was thinking of going to the bathroom section of Lowes and picking up a little handrail you can get for old people to get in/out of bathtubs.

Any suggestions? Maybe someone has a better idea.

 

what about putting it on the door, like a bigger handle. I could see one mounted on the airbag panel ending badly

 

Don't you have the handle on the door pillar already?

 

I don't have an air bag, but I'm talking about mounting one typically where the airbag would be located. There's just a flat surface for the dash there.

We have the handle above the door, but she doesnt like reaching upward and I was the one who suggested installing one in the dash like I had on my old silverado. She prefers the rollercoaster feel.

 

If ya dont have an air bag and your woman wants to be picky Id say go for it.
Maybe just hit up a bone yard, and scavenge the handles on your own..
Bake sure to mount them really well as you dont want them coming off as your crawling or something..

 

i think that spot would be pretty good, but in the event of an accident that might be pretty dangerous for hte passenger. maybe wrap the crap out of it in some soft material

 

Go grab one from an 80's Land Cruiser.

 

Why not get her a 5 point seat belt? That would be easy to make fit and she won't get bounced around almost at all and she will fill like she is strapped into a roller coaster car.

 

http://www.autotrucktoys.com/jeep/Je...les-C4438.aspx

saw this on my buddies cherokee..

 

Heh, we talked about that yesterday. Went over some railroad tracks too fast and she bumped her head on the roof.

I know the bar can be dangerous if you slam your face into it, so I was thinking of padding it with some foam.

 

I think the bar would be more dangerous then good if she bounces around hitting the r/r tracks to fast just think if you slam the brakes unexpectedly and she go's forward and hits that bar padded or not with her face or chest there will be broken bones to say the least.

The 5 point holds her solid and she won't have the issue's of hitting her head or any other part of her body on anything and if you want her to enjoy the ride I don't think you can get a better solution. Plus she will LOVE YOU LONG TIME next time you go out on the trail.

 

I'm just worried the 5 point belt will be uncomfortable for a daily driver and passenger riders.

 

I think there is a bar going across the inside of the dash.
I had a removeable and adjustable 'oh oh' bar on one of my old baja bugs with a full cage. It was mounted to the cross bar and could be adjusted to the user. Pull the pin and it was removed and out of the way for daily driver use.

 

fix the problem then. doesnt have to ride like a tank.

at least thats my end goal...

'nother tank driver

 

I have to agree with harley here. A 5 point may be the way to go and having an "Oh poop!" bar might cause injury if she's not ready for the movment of the rig. I've had folks in the rig rebound off the dash when not ready for an off camber inpact and if there had been a bar there they might have been really hurt, also with the submarine strap (happy strap for the ladies, OMFG strap for the men) will keep her and you from sliding out of the harness and up under the dash if things get really out of hand.

It comes down to upper body strength vs gravity and motion. A body set in motion will continue to move in said direction until acted upon by another body (or dash), yes that's the extent of my knowledge for today. The best way to illustrate this would be to have your wife jog towards the house, jump when she's 5 feet out and try to stop herself with her arms. She's not going to be able to stop and will probably bounce a little (have a video camera ready and post it for us ).

You could leave the stock seatbelts for DD around town and then use the 5 point when on the trail. That is if they can be made to work with the existing seats, I've never done this so I don't know if it'll work ot not. Heck you could use this as an excuse to buy a set of jump seats with the harnesses installed and swap them out before you go wheeling. It can't take more than what, half an hour to swap seats?

edit: After looking at you signature I was thinking you could make it ride better buy putting some coil helpers in the rear, trust me when I say a flat set of springs makes for a poor ride, and some BJ spacers in the front to level it out. You get lift, ground clearance, better load capacity, a LOT better ride and a happy wife. You could even say you did it all so she'd have more fun on the trail.

 

You could grab one out of a suzuki samurai

 

I know Wranglers have them. At least some, have a friend that goes wheeling with his wrangler, and im always holdin on to that thing, otherwise my head hits the ceiling or everywhere else. lol.

 

Truck already has a lift (not sure if it's body or a suspension lift) Do you have any vendors you'd recommend for the springs and BJ spacers (coils as well)? New leaf springs were next on my to-do list, but I was uncertain about BJ spacers.

 

I went with 4crawler spacers. He's spent years developing stuff for Yota's and I trust his product.

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/...ntSpacer.shtml

Here is my thread on the ZUK coil mod from his site. The springs are Black Magic off of ebay and they are fantastic for this mod.

Thread.
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...ks-zuk-157035/

Coil info.
http://www.gearinstalls.com/coilinfo.htm

This is honestly one of the best things I've ever done. The coils in the back take one hell of a load and even with an empty bed they make the ride great. It probably rides better than stock since the coils and leaves share the load. The coils also won't ever sag or lose capacity like leaves will.

 

Find a new fiance.