Digger's '69 Build Thread

[Digger]

All that custom fabrication and you used a ratchet strap to hold down the batteries?!

Fair enough. I'm putting off a tie down plate until later.




I'm not sure what I want to do for sway bars yet. It will likely be front and rear. I don't know yet if I will use stock style or aftermarket like at Anti-Rock. The Anti-Rocks are nice, but I've heard they are a little soft for a sway bar. I need to get the remaining tasks done like roll cage, bumpers, etc. The rear is still 2" too high and the front is 1" too high, but it's also missing about 600lbs of planned weight.

[Justin]

You just need taller tires.

[Digger]

You just need taller tires.

*fingers in ears* "shut up, shut up, shut up" *fingers in ears*

[Digger]

My plan from the beginning was to make the Bronco our family adventure rig. Part of that plan involves towing our small popup camper, for which I needed a hitch. Weighing a lot of options, I settled on the Tom's receiver hitch. It wasn't the cheapest, but it gets the job done and saves me more fabrication time.
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The only things I don't like about the Tom's hitch is the way the receiver tube is welded in the middle of the cross tube and lack of any actual Class III certification.




I had to re-drill the holes in my gas tank brackets and slot the frame holes slightly rearward to clear the 23 gal fuel tank. (not a Tom's tank)
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I also had to notch the PO's rear bumper to clear the hitch, but it fits well. The new bumper will clear without issue.
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[Kinder]

A bronco with a trailer brings tears of joy to my eyes!

[Digger]

I also needed some side mirrors since mine were removed and 'glassed over by the PO.

I bought some 1stGen Ranger/BII mirrors from Dorman. They gave the Bronco a little bit more modern look.

I had to contour them slightly to match the curve of the door.
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New Rivnuts in the door.
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[Digger]

Now for the big job!

I have been unable to take the kids anywhere due to lack of rear seat. I ordered a Tom's fold-n-tumble, but refused to install it until I had proper roll over protection. The Bronco came with a simple roll bar tied to the floor. I didn't trust it much. I needed a full six-point cage and wanted to do something a little different with the front legs. My plan was to build a cage modeled after the Rock Hard Sport cages used on Jeep JKs to free up space in the foot box and tie the cage to the firewall to add rigidity to the body. I also will tie the cage through the floor to the frame for strength.


Using what I modeled before in CAD I hashed out an idea and polished it up it bit using computer analysis.


The first part was laying out the legs and making sure they would fit between the dash and inner wall of the tub.
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[Digger]

I had a whole weekend without the family, so I took 2 extra days off to bang out this project. This was Saturday morning at 6:30am.
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Time to start yanking parts!
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[Digger]

I like knowing where my tube came from:
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A side view of the front legs.
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Bending some tube. I was going to build this in two pieces, but decided to try the whole thing in one shot.
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Mocking up the main hoop and side hoops took the longest since it was laying the foundation for the rest of the work.
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Figuring out the front interface.
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End of day 1 (T=15hrs)
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[Digger]

I spent Sunday tacking together pieces and adding more body tie-in points to each leg. I also started laying out the rear halo and diagonal supports.
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Since I can't put diagonal bracing in the B-pillar hoop, I came up with a plan to form a large "X" from the back corners to the front corners to triangulate the cage.



Using CAD to determine tube lengths and cope angles, the pieces fit together nicely.
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Day two ended with all the tubes installed and tacked into place. (T=30hrs)
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[Digger]

I woke up Monday and took one more picture in the daylight
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Monday I needed to add all the necessary brackets for 3-point seatbelts and windshield supports along with corner gussets.
I build out triangulated brackets to hold the windshield, taking care to make sure the frame was parallel with the doors.
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With everything in place, my neighbor helped me pull the cage to finish welding the tubes and brackets together.
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Here you can see the longitudinal and lateral braces for the front legs. I tied into the strongest points on the body. Now the cage ties the rear of the body to the front and should add much rigidity to the truck. Even without these brackets, the front legs are pinned in by the dash and door supports and the fit is tight.
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Day 3 (T=42hrs)

[Digger]

Tuesday I got to work early to beat the rain. It was time for some paint!
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After waiting a few hours, time to install!
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The welds came out pretty good.
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I didn't take many pictures, but I got the Tom's Fold-n-Tumble seat installed along with the 3-point seat belts.
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The fit with the soft top came out perfect. I maximized the room inside without interfering with anything important.
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Total time = 54 hrs.

[phyler]

Dang. That is nice! Love the front legs.

[Digger]

A bronco with a trailer brings tears of joy to my eyes!

A small turbo diesel is nice too.

[ZOSO]

Love the cage. when are you tying it into the frame?

[TOOLMAN]

[Jesus_man]

Very nicely done! I really like the look. kids will enjoy the first ride!!

[Kinder]

Very nice.

[Dukietown]

soooo when can I drop mine off to get a cage built/installed? Looks great!

[Digger]

Love the cage. when are you tying it into the frame?

Soon! The cage is decently strong tied-in the way it is. Adding the frame ties will put it over the top. I used some roll over crash data I found to set the design loads, then I found FMVSS 216, which is a federal standard for roof crush resistance. The enhanced 216a standard matches closely to the loads I inputted from the crash data I found. (Roughly 4 Gs of force) By the numbers, the finish cage would receive a "good" rating for crush protection and exceed the minimum.

Of course without destructive testing, I'll never know for sure. It also depends on the condition of the truck's body. If the tie-ins are compromised by rust or fatigue, it will hurt the integrity of the cage.

[Digger]

More build, more pictures. Rear bumper this time:



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[Digger]

Testing out fit with the camper. She's a bit tight, but still has enough clearance. I was ready to replace the lift jack if necessary. Even went through some dips without issue.

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[Digger]

And for my last-minute, midnight-buzzer-beater job, I threw together a storage box to lock up the tools. Not Fort Knox, but will deter the opportunist.

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[Colorado75bronc]

Looks great! I like the box!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

[Dirtheadz]

box looks cool.... think Ive seen similar somewhere before

[Digger]

box looks cool.... think Ive seen similar somewhere before

Yeah, about that....


I wish I had more time to make mine as nice is yours!

[B.O.B.]

What size plate did you use on the front of the cage?

[Digger]

What size plate did you use on the front of the cage?

1/4"

That is about all I could squeeze between the door support and dash board.

[Digger]

You just need taller tires.

Done

37" BFG KO2s on 17" rims.
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[Justin]

Much better. Looks great!