HighlandRover Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Hi all, I'm starting a rebuild on a galvanised chassis and am looking to fit an external roll cage to my pick up. I am a welder to trade so know the ups and downs to welding galvy steel but my problem is that i really dont wanna take the galvy of to weld the cage to the chassis as I want the chassis to last as long as possible. I am considering a bolt on cage so would like to hear what everyone thinks on who the best suppliers of bolt on cages are or maybe is it best to buy a weld on cage and fabricate brackets to bolt onto the chassis myself? Any info would be great! Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aragorn Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 it was my understanding that you could weld to galv steel without any problems, as long as you were well ventilated and didnt inhale the toxic carp that comes out of the joint? I've certainly welded to galved steel before, and bar the joint and surrounding area being covered in strange white whispy carp, it worked just fine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicks90 Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 but welding to it removes the galv in that area and then it rusts - hence why he wants a bolt on affair so the glav retains its integrity. unfortunately i dont see a way round this, as you COULD bolt big mounting plates to the chassis (suitably large right angle brackets with appropriate triangle bits etc) but then you;d still need to drill holes in the chassis and weld crush tubes in to prevent it being ripped out - same position as above. Might as well just weld it on and then use some of that galvroid paint to cover the welds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rusty_wingnut Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 talk to Whitbread off road, They reckoned they could build me a bolt on cage, going around the tubular body mounts, bolting through rear cross and bulkhead outriggers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exmoor Beast Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Weld it on, paint it well and slop plenty of waxoyl over it every year, the chances are if you are building a LR with a rollcage and using it properly you will wreck it long before it rusts. Will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighlandRover Posted October 27, 2009 Author Share Posted October 27, 2009 Welding the cage onto the chassis is not the problem its the fact that I have to remove the galvy first like nicks90 said. Now that I think about it I should have probably got Richards to fabricate cage mounts onto the chassis before galvanising it, oops! Rusty_wingnut, I know Whitbread charge around £460 for the 5 roof bar cage. How much did they quote to make a bolt on cage out of interest? Also I think (think been the key word) that Safety Devices provide a bolt on cage, has anyone had any experience with these cages or know if im talking complete rubbish? I was set on a NOR cage and wingkit, do they fabricate bolt on brackets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rusty_wingnut Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 I only got as far as a quote (for a hardtop) which of course is more expensive than your truck cab. My quote was a few hundred extra on top of your 450. But it was very preliminary and the offer different combos of cross bars etc. Does anybody know if a full bolt on cage is legal to use in certain events? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JST Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 (edited) have you got the chassis already? i got Richards to supply mine with the cage mounts on (and rear winch mount - Custom design) prior to galvanising. they do worth with/for Shaun at NOR which is what my cage is so have dimms etc. if you have the chassis and havent done anything with it, send it back and exchange it i am sure Alistair would look after you Edited October 27, 2009 by JST Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetemp Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 As JST said So Long as you havent done anything with chassis (if you have got it yet) speek to Alistair) im sure he will sort you out and like said they will build you a chassis complete with mounts for a NOR cage, it would be much better than compromising cage and safety by trying to work round it. James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighlandRover Posted October 27, 2009 Author Share Posted October 27, 2009 Yeh I received the chassis last week, stupidly i got them to put a rear winch crossmember in but I was in a rush and forgot to mention the roll cage mounts. Maybe I will talk to them and see what they say, only problem I think would be the fact that I live in Inverness, Scotland and delivery cost something like £200. Think I might end up having to remove a small amount of the galvy and weld the cage on and coat the chassis with the relevant primers and paint yearly! Bit of a disaster!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
callum Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 Yeh I received the chassis last week, stupidly i got them to put a rear winch crossmember in but I was in a rush and forgot to mention the roll cage mounts. Maybe I will talk to them and see what they say, only problem I think would be the fact that I live in Inverness, Scotland and delivery cost something like £200. Think I might end up having to remove a small amount of the galvy and weld the cage on and coat the chassis with the relevant primers and paint yearly! Bit of a disaster!!!! you're not a million miles away from highland galvanisers. not sure how much it costs to dip a chassis these days, but i suppose its an option if you need to mod the chassis you have. otherwise, bolt on cages exist for export to countries where you are not allowed ot weld to the chassis. Maybe you could phone round some suppliers and see what they say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 Safety Devices list a few bolt-in cages, not sure they meet with your desired spec, but probably worth a look. Safety Devices 90 roll cage brochure. You don't say what vehicle it is, so I have assumed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lansalot Posted October 28, 2009 Share Posted October 28, 2009 Just sent a PM - and then realised you were also in Inverness. Welcome to check out mine, but your best bet is to weld a plate and then bolt through that. However, if you're welding anyway, why not just go direct to the chassis ? One of the guys in the Highland 4 Wheel Drive Club recently made his own cage, and it looks well smart. Bought the steel locally (someone down the Carse, can't remember who) and grabbed a pipe bender. Looks like a professional job. As you're a welder to trade, perhaps bending your own up might not be so much trouble ? Would save on the extortionate postage they get us for up here.. Keep this number if you ever need something moved/picked-up cheap - SW Couriers, 01282 841505/07821 115595. Am not affiliated, but 6cyltdi gave me their number. Got my winch from Devon to Inverness for £30 (DBORC wanted £115) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighlandRover Posted October 28, 2009 Author Share Posted October 28, 2009 you're not a million miles away from highland galvanisers. not sure how much it costs to dip a chassis these days, but i suppose its an option if you need to mod the chassis you have. otherwise, bolt on cages exist for export to countries where you are not allowed ot weld to the chassis. Maybe you could phone round some suppliers and see what they say. callum, Thanks for pointing that out, I had no idea that they even existed. I called them today and they quoted me around £150 to get the chassis regalvinised, which for my stupidity is not too bad! Saves spending around £200 to even get the chassis back to Richards. I also called Richards and they gave me the dimensions for some mounting points which should come in handy! So I think the plan of attack is to purchase a NOR cage and extreme wing kit, fabricate mounting points, check allignment, weld on and take the chassis to Highland galvanisers. Thats the plan anyways! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighlandRover Posted October 28, 2009 Author Share Posted October 28, 2009 Safety Devices list a few bolt-in cages, not sure they meet with your desired spec, but probably worth a look. Safety Devices 90 roll cage brochure. You don't say what vehicle it is, so I have assumed You assumed correctly! I had a look at their cages and I just dont think they look too sturdy with the bolt on rear stays but I may be completely wrong as I have never seen their products up close but thanks for the info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will_warne Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 No question for me - weld on mounts every time particularly as the bulkhead outrigger realy needs beefing up. I've done the bolt on cage thing and they are OK but I don't think I'd trust one in a big roll. As the vehicle isn't built up there's 2 ways I'd look at it. Either do the welding and paint with a zinc rich paint or try and get the chassis dipped again. I'm no plater but you could also look at Zinc flame spraying as it may be possible to do this locally and, as the damage to the plating will be mostly external (bar a small amount behind the weld) it would be easy to reach. One last thing to think about is that rot rarely kills competition cars - they get VERY bent far before they rust away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighlandRover Posted October 29, 2009 Author Share Posted October 29, 2009 Just ordered the NOR challenge cage and extreme wing kit supplied with mounting points to weld to the chassis, the guy was really helpfull and pointed me in the right direction! Wallet is a tad lighter now tho! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
callum Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 Just ordered the NOR challenge cage and extreme wing kit supplied with mounting points to weld to the chassis, the guy was really helpfull and pointed me in the right direction! Wallet is a tad lighter now tho! if you're going to get your chassis re-dipped have a think about the other bits of car that you might like to get dipped at the same time, such as bulkhead, door frames, cappings. It probably wouldn't cost you too much on top of the chassis dippig price to get these bits done at the same time. Of course yo may not have the time, but in my experience its these sorts of things that tend to rust a bit quicker than the chassis and it would be nice not to have to think about them again for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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