A-man930 Posted Friday at 01:44 AM Share Posted Friday at 01:44 AM How much does the cab flex relative to the chassis? What are the consequences of bracing the back of the cab? I’ll start with the disclaimer that I am not building a proper roll cage – I’m approaching this as a “cab saver” that could probably save my life in a pinch. This means that there are compromises from structural “ideals” in the name of aesthetics. Here are my requirements: Minimal “verticals” to sit outboard of the body. Bed will be in the factory position (I am open to a < 1/2” adjustment rearward by slotting the bolt holes on the chassis side.) Bed will have a tonneau cover; no pass throughs into the bed. My solution for the rear is a lower support structure fabricated from .188” wall 2x1 rec tubing. This will sandwich between the cab and the bed and provide “perches” below the rear glass for the tubular cage. It will tie into my tube rockers and the top of the frame rails. What I can't decide is if I should I weld this structure to the back of the cab, or leave it freestanding. I'm prone to weld it, but should I worry about inducing some kind of stress elsewhere? In a "lean against a a tree" scenario, am I asking to bust the glass out? At full flex, will the welds to the rockers and the frame be stressed and crack? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted Friday at 11:58 AM Share Posted Friday at 11:58 AM If it were me, I’d weld everything together. Especially in a case like yours were there’s so much additional plating and material already, I wouldn’t worry about having too much rigidity. Any seams, I’d cover with a non hardening sealer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-man930 Posted Friday at 01:34 PM Author Share Posted Friday at 01:34 PM 1 hour ago, neohic said: If it were me, I’d weld everything together. Especially in a case like yours were there’s so much additional plating and material already, I wouldn’t worry about having too much rigidity. Any seams, I’d cover with a non hardening sealer. Good point. There is a lot of reinforcing already: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff351 Posted Friday at 03:50 PM Share Posted Friday at 03:50 PM I'm thinking that if you weld it to both the frame and the cab, you should be fine. I like where you are going with this idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-man930 Posted yesterday at 12:27 AM Author Share Posted yesterday at 12:27 AM On 5/2/2025 at 10:50 AM, jeff351 said: I'm thinking that if you weld it to both the frame and the cab, you should be fine. I like where you are going with this idea. I'm all but convinced I'm going to weld it. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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