VX exoskeleton

[ZEUS]

This is another one of those VX fantasy mods... I have conceptualized many variations of this idea and other things I know I will never do. IMO, an exo-cage has no business being on an IFS VX. But I have put quite a bit of thought into this subject anyway and I know it can be done and can look decent at the same time... if you have a solid axle swapped in and a minimum 35" size tire. Otherwise, it's just a heavy; ugly; out of place; performance, visibility, and economy robbing; pile of tubes masking the sexy lines of an uber-rare PUV... Yup, sounds like another classic "me first, me first" Marlin mod!

[Marlin]

Yup, sounds like another classic "me first, me first" Marlin mod!

Sweet, I have earned the "classic" adjective. Yippeee!!!! Success at last.
As for the exo, that is why I was only looking at lower, I caught my cladding on some trees in Uwharrie, if I had lower bars, that would save me from that kind of stuff, but they would have to be tight and close. I don't know, just an idea we talked about. It would not be like my bumper, which is looking better now that I know I can bend the tubing. Just you wait and see, just you wait.

[Triathlete]

Here are my thoughts on the subject for what its worth...
If your going to do an exo, you might as well do it right. That means a complete exo. You DO NOT have a roll cage built in. It is roll over protection that our government requires. Again NOT a roll cage. The purpose of an exo is to protect the exterior. If you roll it, the roll over protection might keep you from crushing you brains but that is about it.
As far as design. The only way it wil look good is if it tightly follows the lines of thr vehicle. Before jumping into it, take a look at some of the 4x sites and see what looks good. You will quickly see which ones are half ***** slapped together and those that are well thought out.
Also use the right steel tubing. I am sure your friend will steer you right in that catagory.
Good luck.

[orion]

NO GLORY STEALING THIS TIME! i have no need for an exo cage. I could see a lower cage looking good. and if you are going to use it, then go for it.

[Marlin]

Here are my thoughts on the subject for what its worth...
If your going to do an exo, you might as well do it right. That means a complete exo. You DO NOT have a roll cage built in. It is roll over protection that our government requires. Again NOT a roll cage. The purpose of an exo is to protect the exterior. If you roll it, the roll over protection might keep you from crushing you brains but that is about it.
As far as design. The only way it wil look good is if it tightly follows the lines of thr vehicle. Before jumping into it, take a look at some of the 4x sites and see what looks good. You will quickly see which ones are half ***** slapped together and those that are well thought out.
Also use the right steel tubing. I am sure your friend will steer you right in that catagory.
Good luck.

I agree with the well thought out and planned part. This would be different than the bumper. My bumper is easily removed, takes less than 2 minutes, so if I screw it up or don't like it, not a huge deal to recover from. The exo on the other hand would be very time consuming and not easily removed. You just have to trust me on that one, it would be a drawn out job, not a learn as I go like my other project.
I have done no research on this, but I would probably use chromolly 1" or 1.5" tubing. That is where funding becomes a problem, that stuff is crazy expensive, and I have to special order it around here. So baby steps, but once the VX is paid off, I can start saving more pennies. I am not smart enough to do the SAS, but if I were modding, I would want the protection before the capability, kind of like upgrading brakes before upgrading the engine...just makes sense to me.

[Ldub]

This may be helpful in the idea dept...

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/sh.../500/ppuser/36

Also, if you've got a miter box saw that can cut precise angles, I've found that 1 1/4" pine handrail is mighty handy for mocking up prototype pieces, for easier visualization.

[Triathlete]

This may be helpful in the idea dept...

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/sh.../500/ppuser/36

Also, if you've got a miter box saw that can cut precise angles, I've found that 1 1/4" pine handrail is mighty handy for mocking up prototype pieces, for easier visualization.

That would be Grandpa Bob in the Green Dragon out on the Rubicon...still the only VX that I know of that has completed that trail. 3 days to go 12 miles. GB said he felt like someone had punched him in the ribs for 3 days when he was done! And his VX was beat to hell...almost all of the cladding had been ripped off the VX.

PVC tubing is cheap and works good for mock ups of cages also (had to get back on topic!). With a little heat you can even make slight bends in it.

[pbkid]

chris- ive been thinking about a half exo for a while now... not only to keep my cladding on when on trails, but to keep idiots from clipping my car in a parking lot....
ill draw something up on my HORRIBLE 'microsoft paint' program that came on my computer and put it up... realistically i wont ever have the funding to do it, so i might as well offer the idea to you...

[ZEUS]

Sweet, I have earned the "classic" adjective. Yippeee!!!! Success at last.
As for the exo, that is why I was only looking at lower, I caught my cladding on some trees in Uwharrie, if I had lower bars, that would save me from that kind of stuff, but they would have to be tight and close. I don't know, just an idea we talked about. It would not be like my bumper, which is looking better now that I know I can bend the tubing. Just you wait and see, just you wait.

I could see a lower treatment working out. One of the ideas I had was to replace the cladding with steel - tube and plate - as well as some sort of rubber or plastic. I would want to make it look like I had it bolted to the body at the cladding bolt locations by fishmouthing the main tubes that follow the original lines of the cladding to receive mounting tubes about 1.5" long with recessed bolts in them. I also figured if I were going to do it I would run the tubes along the A-pillar and then have them die into the fender so that the fender would still be exposed and beautiful (mostly unprotected tho). Attachment is an issue however. Cages are usually isolated from the body and frame with a flexible joint to prevent cracking during twist. In the end, after I put that much thought into it, I decided it would be too much work, too much weight, and would never be used on my VX anyway. So I bought another big Jeep instead!