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 The Family Style Sport Cage With Bill Johnston
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  Trail
Tough Products is shipping it's Family Style Sport Cage in kit form to
take care of your needs. The 1.5" tubes (.120" wall
construction) come pre-formed, notched and well marked for a simple
installation. This kit is designed to fit under both hard tops and soft
tops while not getting in the way as you get in and out of the vehicle. It
is sold in two sections so that it will fit into the budget a bit easier.
We will be installing both the front kit and the rear kit to show how easy
it is. This is a weld together kit, so you will need some welding skills
and equipment, but this adds to the strength of the final
product. |
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  The
first thing we had to do was prepare the vehicle for it's new components.
We removed the front carpeting and the soft top. We had just installed the
fold down windshield kit in preparation for the cage, so we dropped the
windshield to get it out of the way. I knew we were going to need some
elbow room inside, so we pulled the front seats out (4 bolts each) and set
them to the side. |
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  One
problem that I had heard about from the masses before starting this
installation was that I would have a problem getting the cage past the air
vents that are on the side of the dashboard... As you can see, we used a
screwdriver to 'gently' pop the vents out of the panel. They pop back in
just as easily when you are finished. |
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  We
removed the targa bar next, but keep it handy so you can replace it during
the fitting of the front tubes. More on that later. The tubes are well
marked so you just put it together like a puzzle. |
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  Before
any welding, make sure you have some damp rags to shield the dash board
from the heat and sparks. We just tacked the tubes in place for now, no
use melting the plastic! As you can see in the pictures, we used ratchet
straps to hold things together and assure a nice fit. The notches are all
pre-fitted to the marks, but you can move the bars a little if you have
special needs or preferences. We moved the rear stringers a little bit,
but I'll explain that a little later. |
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  We
did one section at a time. First the front kit and then the rear. Here you
can see us removing the tacked front section to allow more room for
getting the welds right. |
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 The
front tubes are designed to fit against the stock middle tube. This is
where you may want to replace the targa to double check the clearance. We
lined up the front tubes with the center of the middle tube... we should
have lowered the tube a bit because it contacted the targa when we
finished. We made the adjustment in the targa to compensate, but if we had
paid attention in the first place, the targa would have slipped right down
snug. |
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09/15/04 14:51
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Have
you ever driven a trail that had a drop-off that made you think "I
wish I had a little bit more security in here"? I have. I have also
wanted a bit more protection for any passengers that I might have riding
in the back seat. The stock (factory) roll bar is surprisingly strong, but
it doesn't help if you are not directly under it. What about that fold
down windshield kit you have wanted for so long? Try wheeling with the
windshield down and no additional protection and you are just asking for
trouble. Time to find a strong sport cage that is well built and fairly
easy to install. 
