[N.T.]

Hi guys n gals,

I'm looking at getting a full external roll cage on my ute, it will be very neat and tidy and being a ute cab it will also be quite small. I have heard of people in QLD getting these engineer approved as ladder racks. Saying that the top of the cage is for ladders/planks of wood and the rest is just bracing to make sure its all strong enough. The engineer obviously knows what its really for but apparently it is legal to sign off this way. Any one heard of this happening???

[tanshi]

you dont need to get them engineered if your calling it a roof rack.
i can buy a roof rack from the shops and dont need a mod plate.

as long as the tube isnt over i think 50mm and hasnt got petruding sharp bits it should be fine

[N.T.]

Sweet Cheers!!!

[got_bar_work]

Make sure the a piller can't be seen from the seat then they cant complain its blocking ur view
also i think u need to make the bar across the bottom of the window bolt in. i don't think ur allowed to run them on the road

[N.T.]

Thanks, I'll make sure the A pillar post lines up nicely then. I don't think we are going to have one below the window (if you mean along the door) too much bother making it clip in to get in and out.

[Blkfxx]

Below the windscreen.

[losfer]

i would talk to someone who is certified to make these decisions . randell haswell at AVCS is who i use . i think its always handy to have a mod plate and a certificate in the glovebox to shove in a cops face if they ever question it. especially how they are coming down on any little thing these days.
http://www.modplate.com.au/

my old street/racecar was stripped out and modplated by him , well everything except the nitrous kit ... i got hassled a few times and just produced the certifications..

[N.T.]

Damn we have one across the windscreen but weren't going to make it removable. I'll give AVCS a call and see what they think. Thnx

[got_bar_work]

That only wat i have read but if its low enough on a sierra u might be right as it would be probly not block view out the windshield but on other cars it coves heaps of the window.

[N.T.]

Ah sweet if that's the only reason , I should be fine. There is a fair bit of metal between the glass and the bonnet so I should be able to keep it mostly out of view.

[got_bar_work]

That the only one i know of but I'm sure the nobs that make the rules can think of something else

[Reubs]

N.T. wrote:

Ah sweet if that's the only reason , I should be fine. There is a fair bit of metal between the glass and the bonnet so I should be able to keep it mostly out of view.

I have driven a couple of exo'd Sierras and visibility from the bar infront of the bottom of the windscreen isn't a problem. With mine the bar can't be seen from the driver's seat.

[juzzys]

Has anyone got any pics of exo cages that they've gotten away with on Queensland roads?

[N.T.]

This is a rough sketch of the exo cage we are building at the moment. It is for a single cab ute though. I have shown it to a few mechanics (not an engineer yet) and like the people on this thread have said it looks like it will be no problem at all in QLD. If you can wait it will be finished and on the car in 3 weeks max and I'll have pictures up in my build thread.

[tanshi]

i think your gonna want some triangulation in that one above. other wise its just gonna fold up in a roll. put a cross in the roof.
move the rear B pillar back a few inches and put your taxi bar in straight rather than have bends forward on each end. and consider putting a cross in the bac aswell.

[N.T.]

We considered a cross in the roof but being the top of a sierra ute we thought it overkill, the top two bars are only running approx 650-720mm apart so to throw in triangulation it would be very tight and busy. Considering the weight of the vehicle at 750kg and the tube being 3mm we thought this sufficient but if you still think otherwise plz let me know as I'm open to as many suggestions as I can get. We have decided to put crosses in the back as we are now mounting our racing harness brackets from the bottom rear bar and then into the cab. By taxi bars do you mean the front ones curving around the front of the car?? These will bolt onto the bullbar via a welded thread inside the tube and cleats off the bullbar. Given the shape of the bullbar we were unsure how else to mount them. For us it was hard to find an area to triangulate as it is such a small cage. Cheers for any help.

[kenn]

The taxi bar is the one across the back of the cab.

[tanshi]

taxi bar is the one you mount the harness to behind your shoulders.

as far as triangulation goes, i guess it depends if your expecting it to survive a roll over or not.

[N.T.]

O.K kewl, the taxi bar will be crossed, and I suppose at the end of the day it will take very little time (and weight) to add one in the roof as well. No point prepping for a roll over just to have it not stand up to it. Although it still would have been nice to take the top off every now and then. Cheers for the input.

[yelozuki]

Who is going to fab this for you an roughly whats the cost?

[Jameszook]

hav you asked tsor? seems lik a good guy.

[juzzys]

Looks like a pretty good plan you have there! I found one that was for sale on here that might be helpful in your design seen it had been tried and tested!

http://auszookers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=25514

[tanshi]

Boosted brick sold it for a reason.

your better off with some thing light and strong. less tubes.

/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=42455&hilit=random+reverse

[Reubs]

tanshi wrote:

Boosted brick sold it for a reason.

Was that one of Daisybuilt's early exo cages - if so was it the one on Brett's red Drover?

[N.T.]

Thnx Juzzys but our tube is gonna be quite small in diameter with 3mm wall, and the idea of keeping it as light as possible. All the barwork on the sketch page above, front bar, side steps and exo cage will weigh approx 75-80kg so only the weight of a passenger.

[N.T.]

yelozuki wrote:

Who is going to fab this for you an roughly whats the cost?

My mate is a boiler maker and quite handy to say the least. The cost for what he is doing it for me is fairly irrelevant as to say very cheap. A custom place here in the Bay quoted me $1350 for a simple tube bar powdercoated, I'm getting the whole car done for not much more than that. He is seriously considering starting a fabrication business on the side on weekends as he is confident of being able to undercut the competition and still make a buck.

[juzzys]

I would've thought for a cage you would want atleast a 32nb tube with medium wall thickness?

[got_bar_work]

make sure u dont weld the taxi bar in till its on the car and ur sitting in the seat with the harness on so u can get the bar in the right spot. and try not bend it if u can
u can drop down a size on the crosses if u want to save some weight
when u bend it
make the b pillar in one piece with 2 bends
the 2 A pillars will have a bend at the dash and one at the roof and go back to the B pillar
shouldnt have more then 2 bends in any one length of pipe
are u putting braces down to the tray off the b pillar

[N.T.]

Not a bad idea with waiting for the taxi bar , now I can convince my wife that I need the seats and harness now or else we cant do the cage haha. Didn't think of bracing back to the tray easy enough to do and will give great strength. Cheers

[Gwagensteve]

Unless required by competition rules harnesses suck for 4WDing. The whole point of running an exo is that you don't have to use harnesses to keep you away from the (internal) cage.

Steve.