derf

I loved him in Blues Brothers.

That and exhaust tubing would dent way too easily just throwing stuff in the bed and letting it slide around. Not to mention trying to attach anything to it or trying to use it as a tie-down for a load. Cosmetic is fine but I want to be able to do truck stuff with my truck.

Because 16 gauge is way too thin for a legitimate roll bar. I don't need super thick wall tubing. Not even .120 wall. But something thicker than 16 gauge is needed.

Fair point. I can try it both ways. It may be good enough without or it may not look right. I was thinking about packaging for shipping as I thought about multiple sleeved pieces. If I cut it in 2, there are 2 pieces with a 90-ish degree bend taking up a lot of space in 2 dimensions. With 3 pieces, it still takes up room but may be a little more compact for shipping purposes. It's all speculation at this point though. I still need to get the die and some tubing to practice with first.

Yeah, though it would probably have to be an uneven split at the top. There is a slight bend in the center top. So the cut would have to be away from there to one side or the other. One thought is to make the main hoop in 3 pieces. The top section would have the center bend and the two outside bends going down. And cut maybe 3-5" at least down from those bends. Or probably right where the back legs attach. Then you'd have two pieces from the floor to the top bar. The user would have to weld 5 total segments together. The 3 pieces of the hoop and the stringers going back to the wheel well.

I'm still thinking about ways to make shipping easier and cheaper. It'll probably have to be shipped truck freight on a pallet. But if I can ship with the legs not welded on, it would likely save some on the cost. I could also do a segmeted hoop with some sleeves at the joints so it could fit in a box. I could cut it between the bends. That would require more welding and finishing. But it would be much easier and cheaper to ship.

I've had an idea rattling around in my head about reproducing a factory style roll bar. I have a tubing bender (JD squared) that I'm going to use to build a custom cage for another project, along with a few other things. I got the bright idea to take a factory rollbar and make what amounts to copies. Easy enough, right? Well, there's one snag. The biggest die I can get only fits 2.5" tubing. The tool doesn't support bigger. The factory bar is 3" tubing. I know I won't mind when I build mine. But I know some of you out there would love for someone like me to offer them up for sale. Question is, would people want them if they were made out of smaller tubing? Let me know your thoughts...

I have a set of springs handy. I can check them after work.

There are two styles. On some trucks, the helper springs are separated from the main pack above the axle and the frame has bump stops that the springs contact when the main springs compress enough. The other style looks like the picture above. They are directly integrated into the spring pack. They have less arch than the main springs. As the springs compress and flatten out, they compress against the load springs and the spring rate is added to the main leaf pack. The second style is easy to install and is a good compromise. Unloaded, you don't compress enough to hit the higher spring rate. Loaded, the helper springs just automatically kick in.

Not a lot of progress. Some drama is keeping it on hold. But I have been taking parts out of boxes and assembling a few things just to clear some shelf space. Got the brakes on the front axle. Also got the NP205 rebuilt, preparing for the Magnum box install.

Used, in good shape. On my pile of parts.

My go-to is https://boltdepot.com/

Even the JK and JL do that.

I know that slope too well. I'm already well down towards the bottom. I have my two other MJ projects to go crazy with. I wanted this one specifically to keep as a mild Jeep.

I was keeping an eye on craigslist and this popped up for a reasonable price and I snagged it. The paint is shot and there are some mechanical issues but it's basically straight and it runs. The hard top is in decent shape, as are the factory doors. I need to fix some of the seals though. 258 L6, Tremec T176 4 speed manual, Dana 300 transfer case. Front Dana 30 and rear AMC 20. It looks to have a mild lift kit, maybe 2" or so. 31x10.50 tires. I'm not going to mod it much. First round will be some basic maintenance and getting it to pass emissions. The "big" tires don't play well with what I believe is 2.73 axle gears so I'll probably step up a bit there. Probably throw a trueteac or two in while I'm there. I have an old Warn 8274 winch that will go on. And I'll likely swap out the janky bumpers that are on it now. It will eventually get a full repaint as the clear coat is shot. This is going to be a fun weekend driver for mild trails. I may even find a soft top and doors for summer driving.

These are long since out of production. But I always liked the looks of them. I'd like to have one for one of my my projects. I'm in the Denver area and I'm willing to pay shipping if it's reasonable. I do some trips around the country from time to time and can arrange to pick it up. Let me know what you have.

No. That's not Okay. I would send them back.

Have to join the group to see the listing, unfortunately.