If someone really wanted to steal my Jeep, I'm sure they'd probably figure a way to do so.  Notwithstanding, I installed a security system anyway--just makes feel better, I guess.  The reason I paid so much (I could have got an aftermarket unit for much less) is because the Mopar unit was specifically designed for my Jeep.  The special wiring harness makes it totally "plug and play".  In other words, I didn't have to cut any of the factory wiring to install it.  A "T" wiring harness "splices" into the existing wiring connector inside of the steering column.  Then the EVSII plugs into that harness.  In addition, the EVSII has a switch which allows the unit to function properly with or without the doors installed.  I think it was a worthwhile addition, at a cost I could live with--gives me piece of mind.

For more information on Mopar products, visit their web site at www.mopar.com

I'm not sure what the chances are of my Jeep catching on fire, but $12 is a cheap alternative to watching it burn to the ground!  I installed my extinguisher on the vertical roll bar just behind the driver's seat where I can reach it quickly.  Instead of using pipe straps to secure the brackets to the roll bar, I drilled and tapped a couple of holes directly into the roll bar.  I purchased two extinguishers, so that I would have two brackets to keep it secure.  I modified one of the brackets by cutting off the top.  The second extinguisher I just keep in my workshop.

For more information on the Kidde line of fire extinguishers and other related products, visit their web site at www.kidde.com

Since I use my soft doors for most of the year, however, I extended the use of my Tuffy door locks one step further.  I purchased a couple of 6-inch spikes (i.e., really big nails) from my local home improvement warehouse.  I cut it a little over a inch long (measured from the head) and welded it to the top of the door hinge pin!

For more information about Tuffy door locks and other related products, visit their web site at www.tuffyproducts.com

Click on pictures for larger view, then "back" on your browser to return here.

Face it, no one plans on rolling their Jeep, but . . .    Let's just say that this is another one of those safety items that I should have installed a long time ago; but I just didn't want to go through all the hassle of doing it right.  And until the various bolt-in and/or weld-in "sport cages" were recently introduced, that meant building a totally custom cage (tube bending, welding, and painting, not to mentions refitting those plastic door frame thingies!).   Before finally deciding on the O-R Fab kit, I looked at several other sport cage kits on the market.  One kit was totally bolt-in, but the front tubes were situated in front of the vent and speaker grills on each side.  I didn't like the amount of leg room lost with this configuration.  Another kit was "through-the-dash", which didn't take up hardly any leg room.  But it was a weld-in kit, and it looked to me like a lot of trouble to install.  Then there was the O-R Fab kit, which didn't have tubes that extended to the floor at all!  That didn't look very strong to me.  But then O-R Fab introduced their optional floor mount kit.  The result was a totally bolt-in kit, which didn't take away any of my precious interior space, and is prolly just as strong as the others (I don't know, I'm not an engineer--but I feel pretty confident in it's design).  The O-R Fab sport cage replaces the stock tubes that extend from the roll bar to the windshield on each side; you know, the bars that those plastic door frame thingies mount to!  At the point where the O-R tubes reach the windshield, they bend downward to follow the sides of the windshield frame.  The lower bracket then bolts into existing holes in the door jams.  The kit also comes with a pair of brackets to secure the windshield frame to the sport cage.  And finally, there's one spreader bar towards the front, which is far enough back so as not to interfere with the sun visors or the soft top release latches.  

Real-Life Sport Cage "Product Test" Report -- January 2003

It all started one Saturday, with a nine-hour marathon install of a lift kit on a friend's new TJ Rubicon.  It wasn’t without the typical annoyances of working on a Jeep, even a new one.  A broken bolt or a stripped nut here and there, bruised and busted knuckles, and those damn factory sway bar links.  We heated them, beat them, cussed them, and finally ended up cutting them off!  But by the end of the day, Mike's Jeep was all back in one piece and he went on his merry way.

Having spent all that time bending, squatting, twisting, and otherwise contorting my body, I woke up pretty stiff Sunday morning.  I decided it would be a day for me to relax.  I would work on the web sites and maybe take the Jeep out for some fun.  And that’s exactly what I did.  Susan & Stephen both had activities that afternoon, so I decided to head over to Beavertown to plot some of the trails on my GPS.  I entered through the recently-opened gate on Route 66 and hugged the western side of the area all the way to the southwest corner to the Four Hills entrance.  Then I turned east and started my ascent up the foothills, which if you’ve never been up there, provides a breathtaking overview of Albuquerque.  The view is especially impressive after sunset.  I stayed far to the right, along the fence that isolates the military reserve to the south.  One fork led to a dead end.  And then another.  However, this second one was on a steep climbing right turn with a very nasty crevasse to the left. I managed to get the Jeep turned around.  And then, with the low winter sun in my eyes and a bit of misjudgment, my right front tire started slipping into the ditch.  I was expecting it to settle any second, but it didn’t.  Oh $hit, I think I’m going over!

By the time the right front tire stopped descending, the left rear was nearing the height of its arc. The rolling momentum was finally halted with a deep thud as the Jeep slammed topside down into the ditch.  The roll was in "slow motion", but it all happened so fast!  As I write this, barely 36 hours after the event, I really can’t remember what was going through my mind as I hung upside down from the seatbelt.  It was a good thing that I decided not to bring my hard doors, which would have presented a significant egress problem, not to mention considerable more damage!  I crawled out of the Jeep and made a quick assessment of the situation.  First and foremost, I was totally okay--my roll cage had performed admirably.  The Jeep, on the other hand, was less fortunate.  It wasn’t until the next day that I was able to realize the total extent of the damage.

At the moment, however, I had to figure out how to get my rig out and back home.  First I called Susan, who was in town.  I don’t exactly know why I called her first; a lot of good her minivan was going to do me at this point!  Nonetheless, she came out anyway just to make sure I was okay and to offer emotional support. :o)  Next I called Paul Thompson, who lives pretty close to where I was. He, in turn, called Garry Brown.  Paul arrived first.  We attached his strap and winch to my Jeep and did a test pull.  But knowing that Garry was on his way, we decided to wait for his arrival for a more coordinated effort.  Once all of the rigging was in place, the recovery took only a couple of minutes.  After allowing the Jeep a few minutes to become reoriented, one crank of the key and it fired right up!  Garry & Paul sandwiched me, front to back, for the ride out, just to make sure I didn’t get myself into any more mischief.  Many, many thanks to these 2 gentlemen for coming to my rescue!!

The Jeep drove flawlessly all the way home; not so much as a shimmy or a rattle.  The next day, I removed the soft top to better access the damage, which was more extensive than I had first thought.  The right front fender was completely tucked under and the hood dented in at that corner. No problem; I just pulled and pounded those back into shape.  The windshield frame, however, was twisted and the windshield ruined.  Finally, the entire factory roll cage was bent towards the driver’s side, and the sound bar and Tuffy overhead console were crushed pretty badly.  The O-R Fab Sport Cage fared quite well, however.  I ended up having to replace the windshield frame, the windshield, and the factory roll bar.  I just tossed the Tuffy overhead console, which I never really liked in the first place.  It was bulky, wasted a lot of space, and I can't count how many times I banged my head on the damn thing!  I was able to reuse sound bar and the front cage, after some minor tweaking.  I did end up modifying the front cage somewhat.  Not because it didn't do its job, but to help support my Windbreaker soft top and to remount my CB radio.  Of course, the additional spreader bars do provide that added sense of safety and piece of mind.  First, I cut out the original O-R Fab cross bar (it was too low and too close to me).  Then I welded in a new cross bar (which now site higher and further forward, towards the windshield frame) and two front-to-rear spreader bars, all of which I cannibalized from my old factory roll bar.  

Anyway, I learned a lot from this experience.  Some of these things, I already knew, but just failed to heed.  First and foremost, don’t go wheelin’ alone.  I was lucky in several ways; I wasn’t hurt, I was able to get out of the Jeep without assistance, I had a cell phone, I was able to get a good signal, I found someone who was home, specifically someone who was willing and able to come to my aid. Nonetheless, it’s still a bad idea to go out alone.  Next, make sure everything, and I mean everything, in your vehicle is secured.  Again, I did pretty good here.  Except for some odds and ends (water bottle, a tire gauge, pen, pack of gum, gloves, and some loose change I had in the console tray), most everything stayed put.  But the biggest and most painful lesson I learned from this was . . . never, ever go 4-wheelin’ without a camera!  I lost a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to capture this moment forever.  Not that I will never roll over again, but there will never be another "first" one!  One of the first things that I did after finishing all of the repair, was to get one of those disposal cameras and put it in my center console!

For more information about O-R Fab's TJ Sport Cage, visit their web site at www.orfab.com.

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