highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

found out a buddy of mine's got a cousin who owns a local fab shop. i've been wanting to upgrade in the trail armor department, so i'm gonna go give the guy some business. i'm meeting with him next week to discuss my plans, but i wanted to see if anyone's got input regarding what i want done since i don't really see it on anyone else's rig.

for sure i'm going to have him fab me up some simple kickout sliders for my x-cab. what i'm considering having done is have him bend out of tube a "headache rack" that goes all the way down to the sliders instead of just sitting on top of the bed rail. i've been wanting a headache rack for a while now as opposed to an in-bed roll bar. i occasionally put an extension ladder in my truck and am tired of using a pad to protect my cab. i'd also be able to mount lights on the bar if i chose to do so.

i guess it would be the main tube that would sit right behind the cab in an exo cage. eventually, i would like to go further with my tube work and do some sort of "lower" protection on the fenders, tying it into the f/r bumpers.

do you guys think the "hoop/headache rack" will be strong? should i have him integrate a horizontal bar across the top of the bedrail? i think it would help tie everything together and would give a nice anchor point for roping things down in he bed. also, should i add some sort of diagonal support on the sides so this thing doesn't flex front to back? i included both in my drawing.

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. drawing attached. thanks.

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

also, if i decide to use a piece of rectangle tube as the main slider bar that goes under the pinch welds - do you think i could use these as future air tanks?

cpizzle42

I dont see why not....





A hardware store or harbor freight has everything to make it happen.

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

where'd you score that tiny air tank from?

cpizzle42

viair, its 2.5 gallons

John101477

You can find small air tanks all over brian, Just make sure the pressure handling is appropriate for you.
As for the headache rack, you need to brace better side to side IMO, also your angle for the upright is a little steep. unsure what your future plans are for this beast but if your looking towards an extended travel rig (expo style) you might think long and hard about the head ache rack. search expedition portal for tocos and what not. some awesome info for your rig.

broncrider

i think that i would be pretty cool to see. thought i think that you will need some bars that go towards that back of the frame to help support your headack rack. put them to the side of the bed rails and they shouldnt be in the way of anything.

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

talked it over with the guy. he said he's done this exact thing once on a single cab truck for an old man, but wouldn't recommend it. his reason is that the big hoop would not have any support to keep it from swaying side to side unless it gets a support since it's basically a 4+ft hoop. i'd have to put at least a / or an X on the inside of it that ties into the frame - that would mean that i'd have to cut a hole in my bed, no thanks.

talked with him and we thought that maybe down the road it might not be bad idea to give me a "lower exo". this would basically be F/R bumpers, sliders, then fender tubes that connect everything - so basically tube everywhere at the body line. it would give max protection to my nearly perfect sheet metal and not be an eyesore like a traditional exo cage over a cab. he recommended that i just SAS the thing first and then go with all the extras. very tempting seeing how the last one he did only took 5 days total.

so just gonna start out with the basics and have him install some MC sliders, bumper, ubolt flip, rear shock relocation, and an in-bed spare tire/hi lift mount against the side rail.

John101477

the hi-lift and tire carrier should be cool. Have you decided on a total outcome for your rig yet?

gmack192

Hopefully you can see how I did my headache rack from these pictures.

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

not quite but i've got an idea. first gonna get some tires, sliders, and rear bumper. then i'm gonna wheel it like that for a while and think about getting a low profile crossmember and front bumper/winch combo. after that i might be ready for dual cases when i'm most likely gonna be wanting to hit some rocks. shortly following that, i'm sure will be a low-SAS. somewhere along the lines i'll swap in a fresh 22re with performance head, cam, full exhaust, intake/battery swap and snorkel.

BUT if my plans go the way i'd like them to, i'd be putting some $ into my 100 series so that I can do some mild off roading in comfort! and kaija said that once i finish working on the house i can get another rig. i was strongly thinking of getting an FJ40 but i'm afraid it'd be too expensive of a project for me right now. so lately i've been thinking of picking up an 80 series LC since they're getting much cheaper and would make THAT into a straight up crawler/basher that i can take 7 passengers in

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

looks good, gmack. pretty much what i was thinking only mine'd be a tad wider since i'd be going around my original bed.

gmack192

there wasn't enough left of my bed to use.. lol

John101477

man Brian you do not want to haul 7 people around when your wheelin. 3-4 is my limit. the truck would be enough of a crawler IMO. if I was to get an 80LC is would go straight expo style. you can pack enough to stay gone for 2 weeks and driving all the back roads i could find.
I would seriously consider locker/ slider/ rear bumper first.