Build A Rollcage At Home

131 9802 Build A Rollcage At Home Dodge Ramcharger Rear Weld Shot

To get it done right, you have to do it yourself. That couldn't be more true than in the case of building a rollcage for a truck that's not common enough to have a kit available through the aftermarket, or if you have custom demands beyond the realm of a bolt-in cage kit. The problem is you need to buy a lot of tools to do it yourself, then you need someone to show you how, or you need a trusted fabricator.

131 9802 Build A Rollcage At Home Rollcage Diagram

The Ramcharger already had a Smittybilt bolt-in rollbar, but we wanted a full rollcage with front-compartment protection and a safari-style back half. The first step in any cage job is to decide on the design based on strength, protection, tight fit to the truck, head clearance, compatibility with components such as the glovebox door and the parking brake handle, ease of fabrication, and appearance. We decided to leave the Smittybilt main hoop and connect it with stringer bars to a similarly styled rear hoop. The front was easily fit with a halo bar and legs.

The Ramcharger already had a Smittybilt bolt-in rollbar, but we wanted a full rollcage wit

We've been lucky enough to work with a shop that does right-priced work the right way and was gracious enough to show us how to do tube fabrication at home. The guys are Rod Foutz and Scott Hancock of Foutz Engineering, a home-based business specializing in fab work and race prep for desert-race trucks and buggies. Foutz did a slick cage for an early Bronco we used to have, so we made the desert trek in a Ramcharger to visit his Arizona shop.

However, the vehicle specifics don't matter much; once you've mastered the fabrication skills required, you can build a basic rockcrawler/mud-runner rollcage provided you have the time and the tools. In fact, the low-speed, no-rules trail trucks are usually the easiest to build cages for because they rarely have the tubes tied to the frame, they don't require trick materials like chrome moly, and you can build them really strong because you don't have to worry too much about weight. The initial investment in tools for bending, fabricating, and welding can be intimidating, but it quickly becomes recouped if you build more than a few 4x4s, or if you do jobs for club members.

If those don't apply, then frankly, finding a shop like Foutz Engineering that will work with you sans attitude is your best bet. But to get started with your own hands-on tube bending and fabrication, read on. For ideas on cage designs and materials, see "How To Build a Rollcage" in the Sept. '96 issue, or "Tubular Tips & Tricks" in the June '97 issue.

131 9802 Build A Rollcage At Home Rod Foutz Measuring Center Of Vehicle

Once the plan was set, Rod Foutz marked the center of the vehicle (arrow), then measured, eyeballed, and used a homemade lockable angle gauge to determine where to cut and bend the tube. Often, the eye is more important than the tape measure to make the cage look right. Make sure to always cut tubes at least 6 inches longer than you think you'll need 'em, because it's better to trim to fit once all the bending is done than to try and get it perfect the first time.

Once the plan was set, Rod Foutz marked the center of the vehicle (arrow), then measured,

Tools Required
Angle finder
Bar clamps
Chop saw
Eye protection
Gloves
Grinder
Handtools
Jig-a-Joint
Level
Lockable angle gauge
Marker
Ratchet straps
Tape measure
Tube bender
Welder/safety gear

Next, Foutz transferred his measurements to the tube to be used for the halo bar. In this case, the material was 2-inch, 0.120-wall welded mild steel. After using the tube bender to put a slight kink in the center of the halo bar for appearance' sake, he measured the distance from the center of the tube to the place where the bend had to be completed, which was 25 inches.
Next, Foutz transferred his measurements to the tube to be used for the halo bar. In this
This shows how to determine where to place the tube in the bender to begin the bend. If you want the outside of the bend to be 25 inches from the centerline, first subtract the radius of the die used in the bender. In this case, the radius is 6 inches, so 25 minus 6 is 19. Then subtract half the tube diameter, which in this case equals 1 inch, to get a starting point of 18 inches from the centerline.
This shows how to determine where to place the tube in the bender to begin the bend. If yo
Now you get to play with the tube bender, which is like an oversized brake-line bender. Foutz uses a Hosfeld-brand bender with removable dies to accommodate different tubing sizes. His is powered by a hydraulic ram fed by an electric pump, and the whole shebang is mounted on a rollaway cart. Manual benders are also available, but they need to be solidly anchored to concrete, and a bunch of room is required for the very long lever needed so you can bend by hand-and it's still a ton of work. Hydraulic units are much better, and Foutz says you can usually find used ones between $1,000 and $2,000. Here, he uses the angle gauge to eyeball a bend.
Now you get to play with the tube bender, which is like an oversized brake-line bender. Fo

Once the tube is fed into the bender, you should line up the start-of-bend mark on the tube with a cast-in mark on the die (arrow). Other brands of benders can have the mark set at the middle of the bend, but it's tough to calculate where the middle will be, so it's best to find a bender that tells you where the start of the bend should be.
Once the tube is fed into the bender, you should line up the start-of-bend mark on the tub
Foutz uses his angle gauge and bends the 2-inch tube until the angle matches that on the gauge. Actually, you usually have to bend the tube a tiny bit farther than the angle you want because the tube will spring back a little when pressure is released from the bender. But don't bend too far, because you can't unbend what's been done. If you need to have two matching bends in one piece of tube, as in the example of the halo bar, then it's best to measure the distance the hydraulic ram is extended (as shown) and repeat that distance when making your second bend.
Foutz uses his angle gauge and bends the 2-inch tube until the angle matches that on the g
Also crucial when putting two bends in a tube, such as a halo bar or main hoop, is to make sure the two legs of the hoop are parallel to each other and not twisted. To do this, always use a level to set the tube in the bender. If the hoop does get a bit out of whack, it's possible to make minor adjustments with a lot of manpower (wedge one end into something and put a lot of grunt on the other end), but it's best to get the hoop as flat as possible to begin with. Foutz pointed out that welded tube has a straight line where it was welded, which can be helpful when sighting that everything gets properly aligned.
Also crucial when putting two bends in a tube, such as a halo bar or main hoop, is to make

Once a hoop is bent, careful measuring along a straight edge will help in double-checking your work and in making marks for further bends. For example, this rear hoop has two bends in the legs to kick the hoop at a forward angle to clear the truck's hardtop-since you'll be fabricating with the top off in most cases, take frequent measurements to make sure the cage will clear the hardtop or soft-top bows.
Once a hoop is bent, careful measuring along a straight edge will help in double-checking
It's also helpful to frequently recheck the fit of the tubing to the vehicle before you bend. The more you think about it, the less likely you are to have to rebend a bunch of tubing after one small mistake. Here, Foutz tack-welded the halo to the main hoop, held the hoop level with a length of 2x4, and measured the fit of the down-legs.
It's also helpful to frequently recheck the fit of the tubing to the vehicle before you be
When fitting a tube to mate with another tube, such as the hoop-to-halo connection or the leg-to-halo connection, you need to cope, or fish-mouth, the ends of the tube so they fit together nicely with enough tube-to-tube contact for a good weld. This can be tough when the tubes meet at an angle, and while the job can be done with a jigsaw, a grinder, and lots of patience, the Jig-a-Joint makes it a breeze. Just measure the tube-to-tube angle with an angle finder, then set the Jig-a-Joint so the hole saw cuts at that angle. Look for Jig-a-Joints advertised in racing publications.
When fitting a tube to mate with another tube, such as the hoop-to-halo connection or the

Here's a complication you may run into when using the Jig-a-Joint. When adding a triangulated support between vertical and horizontal tubes, we found the slope of the gusset bar to be 25 degrees. Since this is measured in relation to 90 degrees, only one end of the tube should be coped at 25 degrees. The other end is calculated by subtracting the slope from 90 degrees; in this case, 90 degrees minus a slope of 25 degrees is 65 degrees.
Here's a complication you may run into when using the Jig-a-Joint. When adding a triangula
Once the tube is coped with the Jig-a-Joint, the tube will still be kinda ratty.
You need to clean up the cut by grinding it smooth. Don't forget the distance of the cope when cutting your tubes to length. For example, if a down-leg mates to the halo bar perpendicularly, the cope will remove 1 inch of material from a 2-inch bar. If you didn't account for this by cutting the tubes long to begin with, you'll end up with a bar that's 1 inch too short.
You need to clean up the cut by grinding it smooth. Don't forget the distance of the cope

Another commonly overlooked variable is the thickness of the foot plates, which are usually 3/16-inch-thick plate. However, the tube can usually be trimmed to fit once you're ready to add foot plates. In a slow-speed trail 4x4, it's often acceptable to use plates bolted through nonrusted sheetmetal as long as the area of the plate is large enough to distribute the load. Here, you can see the stock Smittybilt plate which is nice and large and also bolted in two planes. We left this in place while fabricating the rear hoop, which was welded to the floor.
Another commonly overlooked variable is the thickness of the foot plates, which are usuall
Since welding the foot plates is often considered questionable (but was the only option in this case), we also added some supports to tie the main and rear hoops to the body. These were made from 1/8-inch plate and stitch-welded to both the tube and the body to prevent tearing.
Since welding the foot plates is often considered questionable (but was the only option in
They also helped prevent the cage from shaking as we drove down the road. The photos show that we cut holes in the plates with a Greenlee punch and spruced 'em up with a dimpler .
They also helped prevent the cage from shaking as we drove down the road. The photos show

With the fabrication done, Foutz held the cage together with ratchet straps and checked the alignment of every tube with a level, a tape measure, and a few eyeballs. After some last-minute adjustments, he fully TIG-welded every joint with pro results.
With the fabrication done, Foutz held the cage together with ratchet straps and checked th
In addition to the basic cage, extras included Foutz' signature sprint-car-type corner gussets (which dramatically helped prevent the cage from shaking) and an overhead crossbar to help prevent rock intrusion in the event of a rollover. It all looks way trick.
In addition to the basic cage, extras included Foutz' signature sprint-car-type corner gus
Here's the finished cage, the result of about $90 in tubing, two long days of labor, much Gatorade and pizza, and a few cans of semigloss black spray paint. It gives the Ramcharger a trick look, and gives us confidence for rolling over and not playing dead.
Here's the finished cage, the result of about $90 in tubing, two long days of labor, much