Solid vid, came out real good, I'm putting the same kit in right now. Couple tips I found, for anyone with a head liner still, drill a pilot hole before you do the hole saw, cut an X in the liner, that way it doesn't wad up and rip with the hole saw. Tip from another vid on welding, weld the B/C pillars onto the halo first, then pick the whole assembly up a few inches, prop it up with some 2x4s, to hit those welds on the bottom of the halo.
Can't wait for the new Tacoma content! Found your channel a week or so ago and binged every video! Lol you're making me want to build a tube bumper and rock sliders for my 94 F150 on 35s
Looks good! If you want something that looks different and probably more durable, you can try bed liner spray on the outside of the cage. This rig is looking rugged. Excited to see it in action.
I just wanna say welding those plates to the floor if you keep your heat in the thicker metal on stuff like that it works a lot better but still not a bad job just little things like that can make a massive difference
I like your unibody attachment mod. This does make me wonder what the difficulty of windshield replacement will be. Maybe linked front supports would do the trick?
Sick cage, nice install. I’ve thought about doing it but I’m worried about water just freely running in through the holes. I’m in the PNW and have to deal with rain and snow. Have you had it in the rain yet?
Where I am at these things are a dime a dozen you could pull all your stuff off and put it on something with a clean body. You could buy them here for about two to $300 at a tow yard auction.
You should just cut that roof out and replace it with a clip on rag top. Now that you have a cage, you don’t need the roof for protection anyway 🤷🏻♂️ It would be really cool on a hot day!
@@mikes4x4garage for sure dude, I’ll be arriving to the lake bed Friday around 4 pm. At least that’s the goal. I plan to camp somewhere in the desert with the wife and kiddo. I’m bringing a bunch of wood!
Thanks for the vid! Did you end up installing the brace behind the front seats? If so are you having any issues running stock seats with it in? Gracias!!
Hey man! I have one in each wheel well at the top, and one on each side in the middle (right under the floor pan/seat area) 6 in total. They’re perfect!
@@mikes4x4garage hell ya good stuff I like this cage and I live 15 minutes from there shop haha got me thinkin now. You could weld a bunch of little half circles to the top cage to use for ratchet straps and tie downs to haul stuff
@@mikes4x4garage I’m definitely going to look into that I haven’t been around rtt’s much to know how they attach. I saw a kid in a fb group roll his xj a month ago and every part of the roof except where he was sitting was caved in and I decided its definitely necessary. Absolutely nuts the surgery you’ve done to keep that thing jeeping btw. Props man
Question, why didn’t you just buy a cheap XJ with a straight body and then swap over all the important stuff? Obviously some things can’t just be “taken off”, but it’s definitely a question I asked a few times watching your last couple of videos. But hey, this gets more views then a straight body would. 😂
@@mikes4x4garage I thought maybe so when i seen him chilling before he started welding! For those tight spots you should pick up a stick welder if ya don't have one. Those rods can be bent all different ways to get a job done. The cage turned out awesome, nice job!
Hey Tim! It’s a titanium 170 from Harbor freight. Runs on 240v and it’s gas Mig. Absolutely no complaints about it and I’ve ran about 50lbs of Wire through it
@@mikes4x4garage sick! Yea need to start learning because I need to stop buying Jeeps and not knowing how to weld lol. Plus it seems like the one you use works great!
I love that you're still trying to get even gaps when that poor vehicle is all mangled. 😄 Another great project!
It’s fine haha!
Solid vid, came out real good, I'm putting the same kit in right now. Couple tips I found, for anyone with a head liner still, drill a pilot hole before you do the hole saw, cut an X in the liner, that way it doesn't wad up and rip with the hole saw. Tip from another vid on welding, weld the B/C pillars onto the halo first, then pick the whole assembly up a few inches, prop it up with some 2x4s, to hit those welds on the bottom of the halo.
Good stuff right here 👍🏻
Looking good, your welding is getting on point!
I’ve got some serious hours behind that welder!
Can't wait for the new Tacoma content! Found your channel a week or so ago and binged every video! Lol you're making me want to build a tube bumper and rock sliders for my 94 F150 on 35s
Thanks for watching ! Do it!
Love how the cage goes THROUGH the front quarters like that. Looks sick that way as opposed to going around them.
Yeah it’s cleaner! I like it too
Nice work! You should build some quarter panel armor! Might hide most of that old damage and look great
Great video! Going out to the shop to get to work on mine. I also appreciated the “lessons learned” content, very helpful!
Looks good! If you want something that looks different and probably more durable, you can try bed liner spray on the outside of the cage. This rig is looking rugged. Excited to see it in action.
Wicked cage . I went with an internal cage . Gets in the way of everything. Wish I had of went the way you did
This is currently my favorite UA-cam channel
I love you
@@mikes4x4garage did we just become best friends
Came out nice, probably going to build a similar one myself here soon.
Good to see you posting consistently again. Cheers from SoCal.
Cheers!
Do an x pattern on the rear bars in the trunk.. Thats how you build support for decking and wooden structures.
The “Bruh”s when you were talking about taking off the header had me rolling
BRUH
Bruh I’m here for the beer. You didn’t say nothing about work.
I just wanna say welding those plates to the floor if you keep your heat in the thicker metal on stuff like that it works a lot better but still not a bad job just little things like that can make a massive difference
As a owner of an old jeep and an old yota Im diiging the content man keep it up!
Shoot, you made replacing that windshield look super easy. Maybe I’ll give it a try on my ZJ. Crack builds character tho 😂
It’s not that bad! Just use the 90° razor blade tool not the wire. When you go to do it you’ll understand. Also use a lot of glue
I like your unibody attachment mod.
This does make me wonder what the difficulty of windshield replacement will be.
Maybe linked front supports would do the trick?
bro, I absolutely love your channel. Keep up the great work.
Thanks Carlos !!!
Love that you're still breathing life into your XJ. What wheel and tire package are you running?
Cage looks great jeep looks awesome
Ready for some thrashing
Now I see why the visor was for sale. Looks good
Love your video and Commitment to doing it right.
Thank you!
Why the Exo Cage 🤣I wish XO-Fab made a cage for the ZJs, because I would be all over it!! Nice vid Mike 👍
Sick cage, nice install. I’ve thought about doing it but I’m worried about water just freely running in through the holes. I’m in the PNW and have to deal with rain and snow. Have you had it in the rain yet?
Great video man! Can't wait to see what else you'll put out!
I love this Jeep! Keep on building!
Thanks !
looks dope! nice job, don't lose too much sleep over the gaps.
Yeah I’m not too worried
Where I am at these things are a dime a dozen you could pull all your stuff off and put it on something with a clean body. You could buy them here for about two to $300 at a tow yard auction.
You should just cut that roof out and replace it with a clip on rag top. Now that you have a cage, you don’t need the roof for protection anyway 🤷🏻♂️ It would be really cool on a hot day!
I wonder if your rear would still get a little smashed above the tire with the exocage. Looks awesome though!
I’d imagine if I were to roll it would still be destroyed, however I think I would be much safer inside. That’s all I care about really
@@mikes4x4garage For sure, dents give character on crawlers haha.
Add some SFI padding to the bars near your noggin. ER trips from a minor fender bender sucks. :)
True. Though I don’t see how I could hit the ones up front 🤔
@@mikes4x4garage LOL, yeah. Little hard to hit the A-pillar bars... B and C (esp that diagonal brace) on the other hand. :)
Good thing you replaced the windshield first!
I think I could replace it with the cage on however it would be more of a challenge for sure
Keep these videos coming, they are great!
Will do 🫡
Lets go mike , happy for a quick upload
Thanks brotha!
Dang inflation sucks. I paid less than 1,000$ for mine 3 years ago🤯.
Best dang Hybrid cage around though!
Great video! Looks great! Looking for an XJ myself
Get one!!
Tip Should have lifted the cage to weld halo before welding it to the floor would have been ezer. Could also paint it that way 2 ..... good video
Yeah I agree and see that now
Looking forward to more xj vids, have a 94 2 door I have plans for. Like the exocage, but not sure I want to cut holes in my baby.
I don’t blame you!!
However , done right it is just fine and you can still have your headliner
Dude, this thing looks amazing 😍
Looks sick, I'd say tie the back of the cage into the rear bumper as well. That is what I've seen done with this kit
I’ve never seen that, do you mean come down on the outside and tie in?
@@mikes4x4garage yeah right down the side with a bend in the tube to attach to the rear bumper. Maybe add an extension or something.
I guess it's probably more geared towards complete exo cages but it looks good imo
@@braniganhoran5806 yeah I will do that some day and add onto the design for sure
Hell yeah dude, I was completing a job an installation on a friends XJ and wondered about yours. Keep up the good work! See you at the hammers!
Come find me!
@@mikes4x4garage for sure dude, I’ll be arriving to the lake bed Friday around 4 pm. At least that’s the goal. I plan to camp somewhere in the desert with the wife and kiddo. I’m bringing a bunch of wood!
Hell yeah! Great video as always, Jeep looks sick!
Thanks drew!
Nice job Mike!!!!
That visor is sexy makes the whole look of the xj
It is for sure
I have a 1996 2 dr XJ and this would look great on it!!!! What axles/ wheel combination are you running? That stance looks really good
Stock axles, regeared to 4.88s. 35” tires and around 5.5” of lift
Looks rad. Well done.
Awesome video man keep the content coming
This takes the *"tis but a scratch"* meme to a while to level
why did you decide to leave out the b-pillar cross bar ?
There was no cross bar, there’s a 5 point harness bar but I’d need to bend it and notch it
Jeep looks good
Thanks for the vid! Did you end up installing the brace behind the front seats? If so are you having any issues running stock seats with it in? Gracias!!
Did you drop the tank before welding the c pillar plates?
Thats a sick cage
Thank you!
Hey man Where did you place your rock lights? It lights up really well.
Hey man! I have one in each wheel well at the top, and one on each side in the middle (right under the floor pan/seat area) 6 in total. They’re perfect!
Congratulations!
That came out great.
Thank you 🤘🏻
Man now I want a jeep just for this cage lol
haha!
Another awesome video!!
Thank you!
where did you get the window visor on the front? it looks so sick i want one
Looks good that’s a awesome kit but do you think front tire will rub the rock slider now that they are extended?
Nah it still has a ton of room behind the tire 👍🏻
@@mikes4x4garage hell ya good stuff I like this cage and I live 15 minutes from there shop haha got me thinkin now. You could weld a bunch of little half circles to the top cage to use for ratchet straps and tie downs to haul stuff
I’m sure the visor is gone. Can’t find those anywhere.
Still have it!
Can you put a gutter mounted rack over that? Or just latch the rooftop tent directly to it? Building an overland xj but have a toddler
I’m sure you could put it right on top if you wanted
@@mikes4x4garage I’m definitely going to look into that I haven’t been around rtt’s much to know how they attach. I saw a kid in a fb group roll his xj a month ago and every part of the roof except where he was sitting was caved in and I decided its definitely necessary. Absolutely nuts the surgery you’ve done to keep that thing jeeping btw. Props man
Nice job! Looking forward to the next posting.
Dude I have had the hardest time finding a windshield for my xj! Where did you get yours? thanks!
I just called the local glass place. Super cheap
Will the tire hit the extended rock slider when articulating?
PNW?
I was just looking at do fab. Their local to me.
They’re up there, I’m in Cali
Nicely done Mike. How much did the kit weigh?
I would say around 160#
Why not weld the holes up instead of flex steal. Just wondering?
Laziness I guess
Game for the visor if you still got it.
I’ve got it! DM me on instagram if you’re interested
My ocd was kinda hoping he would fix the wrinkled cab properly
gives it more character
@@mikes4x4garage for sure , changed my mind when I seen it finished
Could always find a good body and move your parts over to it.
13:59 i hear band of horses - the funeral good song
Great song
What’s your full time job Mike? You are a very skilled individual.
Thank you! I’m active duty coast guard.
Hey bomhaur can you do a bike build
Question, why didn’t you just buy a cheap XJ with a straight body and then swap over all the important stuff? Obviously some things can’t just be “taken off”, but it’s definitely a question I asked a few times watching your last couple of videos. But hey, this gets more views then a straight body would. 😂
Time and money is what it comes down to.
If I need anything welded im coming to you!
good job but please try to straighten the damage a bit better 👍
Impossible
Upload on my bday ! Wohoooo
Happy birthday!
very good.. what size is the tube??
Thanks! It’s 1.75” x.120 DOM
Is the diy cage kit
Hey man, did the key to come with free shipping?
The cage? It was free shipping at the time yes
So what had happened was…
Looks great!
What had happen wuz
We're can I get a viser like ?
Time to test it out! Roll it
Yikes I’m going to try not to 😂
bro where is ur garage i want to come hang out lol
Did you trade the Ford in for a newer Chevy?
Nope! Just a friends truck.
@@mikes4x4garage I thought maybe so when i seen him chilling before he started welding!
For those tight spots you should pick up a stick welder if ya don't have one. Those rods can be bent all different ways to get a job done. The cage turned out awesome, nice job!
Is that Clearlake CA at 20:39?!?
negative !
RIP Harmlessfarmer 6:28
RIP.
Did you ever consider making your own?
No way. Way too much work for me, vs how much buying a kit cost
Mike what welder do you use?
Hey Tim! It’s a titanium 170 from Harbor freight. Runs on 240v and it’s gas Mig. Absolutely no complaints about it and I’ve ran about 50lbs of Wire through it
@@mikes4x4garage sick! Yea need to start learning because I need to stop buying Jeeps and not knowing how to weld lol. Plus it seems like the one you use works great!
Does anybody know what rear bumper he has
Yeah I do 🆗, Filthy addictions off-road
Did he change the channels name? Or am I imagining things?
You’re imagining !
@@mikes4x4garage Too weird, I always think of you as the Tacoma guy. Guess I didn't look at the channel name when I subbed a year ago 🤣😂
Thank you
Thank you Jim!
Santa Rosa area?
Something like that!
Missed a spot!
drop next video
Let me get that visor :)
It’s for sale!
👍🏻
Let's gooooo!