Engine Cage Build

[PappaF2]

After doing my SAS and wheeling for a number of years my battery mount started to crack like a mofo. I being the procrasinator that I am decided to let it go. Well it ended up going to long and the crack traveled all the way up and under my battery. So while contemplating my fix for this solution I thought about building an engine cage and hanging the battery off that. This idea seemed even more reasonable since I was due for my second timing belt anyway. What the fawk was I smoking?

Well slowly but slowly I have traveled down this path making slow progress. Just to many other things going on to get work done more quickly on it. I am finaly to a point where I thought I'd share some pics. Unfortunatly I am too cheap to buy a good bender so my weapon of choice was a harbor freight kink-o-matic and some 1 1/4" sch 40 A53 pipe. I decided to make no large degree bends knowing that the kninker would fawk it all up. All notching is done with a chopsaw by the precise eye ball method. As of now most of the main structure is pretty much done. I still have to:
-make some more mounting tabs
-make bolt in over the engine tubes
-mount battery
-mount grill/lights
-mount/install hood pins
-mount fenders
-fully weld
-reinstall belts/hoses
-any thing else I forget
It's not done so there will be more added. The plan is for it to look just like a nomal taco when done with fenders mounting in stock like locatins and the stock grill and lights in place. Let me know what you think.
I only have a couple shots right now, I'll get more later.

No turning back:

[drabnor]

looking good todd! you are in for a lot of work!

[mojavegold]

Looks fine. Are you tying it into an interior cage?

[PappaF2]

Originally Posted by mojavegold

Looks fine. Are you tying it into an interior cage?

Not as of now, but right after this project is done I'm putting my off road solutions cage. Later down the line I may tie the 2 together but for now I just want to get it done and wheel.

[Tweeter]

Hey can you take pictures on how you mounted the fenders up and how you do the head/corner lights por favor?

Looks sweet best of luck to you!

[PappaF2]

Originally Posted by Tweeter

Hey can you take pictures on how you mounted the fenders up and how you do the head/corner lights por favor?

Looks sweet best of luck to you!

Thanks
As soon as I end up mounting the lights and fenders I'll post pics. The fenders are just going to be tabs of various sizes made to fit. The lights are going to be tricky as the upper adjusting screw mount hits the tube that runs infront/above the radiator.

[PappaF2]

Originally Posted by drabnor

looking good todd! you are in for a lot of work!

Thanks RJ, ya it is a lot of work. It's all the little things that you don't really think about that the inner fenders/core support do that get ya.

[AZNPG]

looks nice man

[Angry Andy]

Holy crap, Todd!!!!

Thats nice. I like it!!!!

[PappaF2]

Originally Posted by Angry Andy

Holy crap, Todd!!!!

Thats nice. I like it!!!!

Thanks Andy!

[mojavegold]

Looks nice. It's gonna be bullet proof when you tie it into the interior cage.

[PappaF2]

Time for updates:
I had to ditch the airbox to fit some tube work for the cage so I got me a cheapo conical filter and adapter for 3" MAF and mounted it up. Looks like it should work although I haven't started the truck with it yet.


I spent most of my time this weekend getting the grill lined up and mounted and started mounting the head lights. I was a long tedious process getting the grill lined up but I think its looking pretty good now. Head lights only have one mount done so far but I think it'll work.



Start of head light mounts:



Random shots:



Starting to look like a truck again:


more to come in a few days.

[PappaF2]

Updates:
I made a bit of progress over the last week.
Got the headlight buckets done, just gotta finish weld them and drill a hole for the tension spring from the light housing. I used some 1" x 1/8" strap to make these. For the time being I plan on adjusting the headlight angle by adding wasers behind either the top of side adjuster mount to get the desired angle. No the most trick but it should work.




Started mouting the AC core thingie



A few months ago I figured since the rig was apart and I needed to replace my Power Steering pump anyway, I made a double size resivoir out of my 2 pumps.




Coming together more now:



More pics to come in the coming weeks.

[Deserttaco]

updates?

[PappaF2]

Originally Posted by Deserttaco

updates?

Ask and you shall recive!
So I guess Amber is going to be at Katy's house doing a scrapbook thing on Wed, cool.

UPDATES:
Starting to get closer to done, most of the major stuff is hung, just a few bits of fabrication left.
Got the AC core thingie hung:



Got the Battery box built and mounted:

[jh3]

This is just fawken sweet man, good to see good, informitive tech on ttora.

-Josh

[Deserttaco]

SWEET!!! looks good man. Keep up the good work, and the updates.

Amber and Katy are hosting some scrapbooking get together. They sure do seem to love doing that stuff.

[PappaF2]

Originally Posted by jh3

This is just fawken sweet man, good to see good, informitive tech on ttora.

-Josh

Thanks man.

Originally Posted by Deserttaco

SWEET!!! looks good man. Keep up the good work, and the updates.

Amber and Katy are hosting some scrapbooking get together. They sure do seem to love doing that stuff.

Thanks Steve. Ya I am trying to keep up the progress and as long as that keeps up I'll be doing updates. I'll be working on it again tonight and on Friday to, hopefully I can get some stuff done.
Here's an update in the wrong direction, I was drilling a hole in the fuse box support and got a bunch of wires tangled in the drill. SO of coarse it ripped a bunch of wires out of one of the connectors! So no I get to rewire that sh!t!!! Fawk it's always 1 step forward 2 steps back for me.

Anyhow, yea the girls love scrapbooking, but thats cool with me. As long as they keep doing that it makes it easier to justify working on/buying parts for the truck! Plus Katy has made some sweet pages about 4 wheeling trips!

[Brain]

Todd! That battery holder is SICK!!!! Almost makes me want to tube out my front end

[PappaF2]

Originally Posted by Brain

Todd! That battery holder is SICK!!!! Almost makes me want to tube out my front end

Thanks Brain! I almost thought I wasn;t going to be able to fit the battery under the hood, which is a big reason I started this project anyway. But by moving some engine components back some (fuse box, etc) I got it to fit.
I wanted to try and incorrporate some bling into this build anyhow, and after a couple different rebuilds of the mounts I am pretty happy with it.

[PappaF2]

Time for an update. Not to much happening, I've been working on the mounts for the hood pins. I thought I had them set on the first try but it turnned out I couldn't get the battery out once I had the supports tacked in. After wasting hours on several failed attempts at making a mount that would allow the battery to clear I finally came up with something that should work.
I also made the mounts for the driver side fender, I'll make the passenger mounts once I get a strait fender. I think most of the major fab is done, just need to weld it all up and make a few tabs and gussets here and there.

[AZNPG]

nice updates man

[joel]

Where did you buy the adapter for the filter to MAF from?

[PappaF2]

Originally Posted by AZNPG

nice updates man

Thanks, I just wish I could do enough work to update it more often.

Originally Posted by joel

Where did you buy the adapter for the filter to MAF from?

I got the MAF stuff from the Ricer section at Pep Boys.

[Super Doody]

Originally Posted by PappaF2

Time for updates:
I had to ditch the airbox to fit some tube work for the cage so I got me a cheapo conical filter and adapter for 3" MAF and mounted it up. Looks like it should work although I haven't started the truck with it yet.

Todd. Nice work. You should think about getting those fabric filter bags that goes over the filter. By itself it will suck in a lot of dirt.

[PappaF2]

Originally Posted by Super Doody

Todd. Nice work. You should think about getting those fabric filter bags that goes over the filter. By itself it will suck in a lot of dirt.

Thanks, ya I am planning on getting one of those fabric filter covers, espcially since this is the cheapo delux filter from pep boys.
Any leads on who sells the filter covers?

[Super Doody]

Originally Posted by PappaF2

Thanks, ya I am planning on getting one of those fabric filter covers, espcially since this is the cheapo delux filter from pep boys.
Any leads on who sells the filter covers?

Try this. A little on the expensive side. But a lot of other people make the same thing.

http://store.summitracing.com/egnsea...=KeywordSearch

[PappaF2]

Originally Posted by Super Doody

Try this. A little on the expensive side. But a lot of other people make the same thing.

http://store.summitracing.com/egnsea...=KeywordSearch

sweet thanks.

[gosurfn]

Originally Posted by PappaF2

Thanks, ya I am planning on getting one of those fabric filter covers, espcially since this is the cheapo delux filter from pep boys.
Any leads on who sells the filter covers?

just use some pantyho's (sp?), that's probably the cheapest way. The front end is coming together nicely. I'm planning on doing the same this summer and tying into the cab cage, any suggestions or words of wisdom? Why did you use that adapter for the air filter? Any reason why you didn't want to move th battery to the bed?

[PappaF2]

Originally Posted by gosurfn

just use some pantyho's (sp?), that's probably the cheapest way. The front end is coming together nicely. I'm planning on doing the same this summer and tying into the cab cage, any suggestions or words of wisdom? Why did you use that adapter for the air filter? Any reason why you didn't want to move th battery to the bed?

What is pantyho's?

Thanks, words of wisdom??? Not really, just that it takes alot longer than planned (at least how I plan ) Plan on spending time just staring at it trying to get things like the grill, fenders, hood line, etc all lined up.

I'm using the air filter adapter because my stock air box was impeading the placement of the passengerside down bar from front hoop to shock hoop.

The reason I didn't move the battery to the bed? Cause I'm an idiot.
If I had it to do over again I probably would have moved it to the bed and skipped the whole engine cage project. Originally though I liked the idea of the battery under the hood in stock location. I like it now that I finally got it mounted but it caused way to much time wasted and anger to do it again.