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CJ7 roll bar diamter 2" or 2.25" ?

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drespecki

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
What is the OD of 1.75 tube with .120 wall?

Looking to add some things to my roll bar but have a dumb question about the diameter.. Everyone says the CJ7 bar is 2" but when I put calipers on it and checked, it was 2.25" (1983) Is there some standard regarding tubing diameter that I am missing out on and measuring the diameter wrong?

The Or-Fab sport cage says it is 1.75" diameter but when I measure it, it is 2"... When they say something is 1.75" .120 wall, it is NOT 1.75 really but 2" ????
Arrrghhhhhhhh!
 
#3 ·
Tubing is measured on the outside dia. (OD). a 2"x .120" wall tube is 2" OD and 1.76" ID. Pipe is measued by ID (flow)

2" is plenty, 1.5" can be used for triangulation and other support or 1.75" used entirely. that seems to be the norm.

Might want to chek your calipers against a mic or other known dimension. I have a pair of much loved Starret 6" calipers that have started to skip this last year. I will miss them. They were a gift from my wife when we first married 20+ years ago.

WSS
 
#4 ·
WSS said:
Tubing is measured on the outside dia. (OD). a 2"x .120" wall tube is 2" OD and 1.76" ID. Pipe is measued by ID (flow)
Click to expand...
:thumbsup: The stock sport bar is 2.25" OD. Not sure if it is pipe or tubing.
 
#6 ·
#7 ·
#8 ·
drespecki said:
I have the sport cage and it is 2" OD but is advertised as 1.75, .120 wall steel tube.
Here is the link:
http://www.orfab.com/details.php?Ap...ication=Jeep&Part_Number=82086&Title=JEEP CJ WELD-IN SPORT CAGE KIT &Active=Yes
Click to expand...
Be aware, that sport cage kit probably won't work with the stock dash pad. It may also conflict with hard-door window cranks and the wing windows. The grab bar may also have to be removed, or relocated.

Edit: Reviewing the installation instructions, it appears the grab bar remains. I'm still not sure about the window cranks and wing windows, however.

Matt
 
Discussion starter · #9 ·
Matt1981CJ7 said:
Be aware, that sport cage kit probably won't work with the stock dash pad. It may also conflict with hard-door window cranks and the wing windows. The grab bar may also have to be removed, or relocated.

Matt
Click to expand...
Yeah, I have the sport cage now and I actually did away with the dash pad for a more 'rustic' look and cannot tell if it would have interfered... The grab bar has slot for it and fits still.
 
#10 ·
WSS - Yes, that was the stock bar on my 82.

It depends on how you want to locate the front bar and what shape it is. I notched my dash pad to make it fit close and to keep the same profile as the dash and ws. As for the window cranks, that's hard to overcome an interference issue with.
Image

Image
 
#11 ·
On my scout, I put the crank in the glove box and just suffered the 3/4 turn. I found two old worn out cranks and shortened them and put the HELP brand knobs from a chevy on the short crank, muck like a vent crank. Keep your stock cranks though.

WSS

PS, nice notch on the pad.
 
#13 ·
I was thinking I might just leave them on and I'll just have to open the door some to crank it. Or go the Red Green way and keep a cordless drill handy!;)
Yeah my pad was in great shape too, I hated to do it.
Image


Matt - I think that the 83 and up pads had the ends recessed with just a thin part at the end. I wish mine had, then I wouldn't have needed to slice into mine!
 
#15 ·
I'm not sure. Personally I don't like them. I don't want any section of the "cage" tied to the body metal or to be a flat piece of thin steel that can bend easier than a 2" thick walled tube. Now if they are just for looks that's different, but mines for safety.
 
Discussion starter · #17 ·
Okay, I found out what was causing my dumbo perception. Or Fab emailed me back and said they DO use 2" tubing on the sport cage and the 1.75" description is wrong. OMG, thought I was going crazy.

Excerpt from Or Fab:

First of all thank you for your business. We apologize for this and we will do our best to clear this up. When investigating and "drilling down" to get to the bottom of it, this is what I have discovered. When the CJ7 sport cages we originally developed we used actual CJ7s. All of the CJ7s had a stock roll bar of 2-1/2 dia. Manufacturing a sport cage out of 2-1/2 is not realistic and would be too large to clear all of the interior components. Using 1-3/4 would be a rather large size difference than the stock roll bar and the aesthetics and durability would be off. Our R&D manager determined that using a 2" tube would adapt to the stock CJ7 interior and stock roll bar the best. We manufacture other sport cages for different vehicles and those are 1-3/4 and that I think is how 1-3/4 made it to the description for the CJ7s. Rest assured that 2" is the correct size tubing for the CJ7s and that again has been tested and approved through our R&D manager. Our manufacturing department even had to source out a special notcher to get the notch to be a good fit when adapting it to the stock CJ7 roll bar. So 2" tubing is definitely the tubing size intended for CJ7s. Our website is wrong for that description and we will get that fixed ASAP and again we apologize.
 
#18 ·
WSS said:
Renegade82, are you tying to the frame?
Click to expand...
Yes, a 6 pt. tie in is the plan. That A pillar will tie straight down to a 2x2 tube that will be the front support of my 2x2 sliders, that then gets welded to the frame. I haven't got to that stage yet except for the pre-planning. This winter sometime.
 
#19 ·
Renegade82 said:
I'm not sure. Personally I don't like them. I don't want any section of the "cage" tied to the body metal or to be a flat piece of thin steel that can bend easier than a 2" thick walled tube. Now if they are just for looks that's different, but mines for safety.
Click to expand...
I agree. I'm thinking the dash mounted setup is only marginally safer than tying the crossbars directly to the windshield frame. :nono:

I'd like to build one like yours. :thumbsup:

Matt
 
Discussion starter · #20 ·
Matt1981CJ7 said:
I agree. I'm thinking the dash mounted setup is only marginally safer than tying the crossbars directly to the windshield frame. :nono:

I'd like to build one like yours. :thumbsup:

Matt
Click to expand...
I also agree with that but added the sport cage for a number of other reasons....
#1 I added the YJ family bar for more bikini/safari top coverage towards the rear
#2 Needed bars going to the front so it would not look so goofy and the safari top would tie down better
#3 It gave me a grab point in the corner near the upper windshield so I could grab onto it (small welded on bar) and swing my lard *** up into the jeep easier
#4 Did NOT have the bars running to the floor/frame as they interfere with getting my bad legs in and out of the CJ. I have nerve damage from the waist down and my legs and especially feet are not good.
#5 Was easy to do :thumbsup:
#6 Still have the original CJ7 bar and can swap it in in a few moments if I really need to.
#7 Windshield will still fold down if I want to do that..
 
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Renegade82
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