 | Home > Maintenance & Modifications > Safety Devices L138/3 front rollbar questions |
 
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| big110 Member Since: 02 Nov 2016 Location: Sweeden Posts: 342  
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We all know Safety Devices Cages are less to be desired when it comes to fitting instructions.
Ive got a few questions and would love to pictures from folks who have this specific roll bar/cage bit fixed to thier puma. question 1... can I see how this connects through the roof, and to what structure of the vehicle is it fixing to? question 2.... I have Mantec raised air intake, can I still use that with this? http://www.safetydevices.com/expedition/pr.../270/1937/ |
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1st Jun 2021 6:03pm |
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| big110 Member Since: 02 Nov 2016 Location: Sweeden Posts: 342
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Yes I’ve got a full internal cage but this would compliment it well.
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2nd Jun 2021 2:55am |
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| camelman Member Since: 27 Feb 2013 Location: Peak District Posts: 3387 
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Mantec snorkel won't fit. I have a southdown.
https://www.southdown4x4.co.uk/Snorkel%20D...norkel.htm  |
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2nd Jun 2021 6:06am |
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| camelman Member Since: 27 Feb 2013 Location: Peak District Posts: 3387
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..
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2nd Jun 2021 6:07am |
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| jimbo55 Member Since: 15 Jul 2020 Location: Midlands Posts: 400
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Probably best to contact them direct, they might be able to make you something to link the two together |
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2nd Jun 2021 6:31am |
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| camelman Member Since: 27 Feb 2013 Location: Peak District Posts: 3387
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SD sell cages which have the external hoop over the drivers seats and then go internal for the rest of the way back. I had one in the Camel 110 and also a cab only version in the 110 hardtop. The external and internal loops are bolted together by spreader plates through the roof.
Looking at their website however, they don't offer them for Puma vehicles, only TD5 and earlier. http://www.safetydevices.com/expedition/pr.../655/1810/ |
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2nd Jun 2021 7:04am |
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| big110 Member Since: 02 Nov 2016 Location: Sweeden Posts: 342
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Yes, unfortunetly no puma version of the cages that connect internal to external. I thought next best thing was to do the 4 point puma internal and then the external cage. I spoke to a local fabricator and they will be making a rear hoop for my puma to match the 4 point cage bits and will make it a 6 point. Very easy to do since SD sells the couplers etc. and these fabricators make cages for a living.
SD emailed me back and literally stated " we dont have any pictures of this cage on the inside because we have never installed one"...REALLY?????????? nonesence! and the fitting instructions make no mention of how or where it cuts in to the roof. Im not about to start drilling and cutting the defender without a proper picture SD! sorry. |
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4th Jun 2021 3:23pm |
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| big110 Member Since: 02 Nov 2016 Location: Sweeden Posts: 342
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I thought I would update this for the next person maybe searching for install info. Yesterday I was able to get the internal support structures installed. On the puma, you must 100% remove the wing skins to install this cage. There is trimming of the bottom of the wing skin that must be done off the vehicle, as well as you cannot access to part of the front crossmemember to bolt on the SD mounting plate. Dont waste your time trying to figure out if you can get away with not pulling the skins. At least for this specific puma cage ( safety devices L138/3 external 4 point cage) you cannot install it otherwise.
step 1, pull the wheel arches/wheelwell liners. There are mostly just the black plastick clips holding them on. Maybe 15 or so. Punch the center pin on them all the way through and you will find maybe 1 or 2 actual bolts that need removing. Then the arch and liner come out as one. Pulling the skin was just as straight forward as starting at the bulkhead where you only need to loosen the bolts a bit except for the top one which has to come all the way out. Then work your way all the way around on the inside of the wing with 11mm to undue all the bolts. Undue the wire clip that powers the side marker light. I found VERY handy to have a ratcheting spanner to do these as I could not get a full ratchet set up there. Maybe you could with 11MM 1/4" sockets but I did not have them. after all the bolts are off it lifts up off the bolts that were in the bulkhead. All but the top one as mentioned above acts like a hangar of sorts. so lift the panel UP and away. The left hand wing came off VERY easy but the right hand side was a little more tricky to get at the skin bolts. You need to move the air intake box and also the heater intake box to access the bolts. You dont need to remove them from the vehicle but you do need to unbolt them from the top wing intake and the side intake. Then its just a matter of a long ratchet extention and I used a "knuckle" on the socket because the angle was weird to get at the bulkhead bolts. Those and the ones on the top of the wing skin closest to the bulkhead were the tough ones to reach. Once you get past the top air intake for the heater, you can access them all without trouble just as easy as the left hand skin. I used the opportunity to spray areas i couldnt reach with the waxoil I had too with the wings removed and hit every electrical connector I could reach with dialectric grease. This cage as mentioned requires a bracket to sit on top of the outrigger and slide between it and the bulkhead using the original bolt. In other defenders I have worked on there is a spacer between the outrigger and the bulkhead that can be removed when you pull the bolt. I was expecting that, however I found that the spacer has been updated with a welded on tube. So this required cutting it flush with the outrigger and cutting about 1/4" of material out so the bracket could slip in between. not difficult but also not described well so I wanted to mention it. Cutting the holes for the cage supports to go through the skin is slightly scary but also once you remove the skins it is pretty intuitive. I used a corded dremel tool with a 2" cut off wheel as highest speed and was able to cut both wing holes and trim the bottom of the wing panels.Too risky for a full size cut off disk on my grinder. You get one shot to do it corrrectly so dont rush it. It was a dance of test fit, use  file, test fit file more until I had perhaps 1/8th" all around so nothing would bind up if the panel flexes slightly. For this install the instructions state you should pop rivet the internal cage support arm in place about half way down the skin on the bulkhead side. I did not find this necessary to do.
Provided are new captive nut clips for the bulkhead and hardware to connect the bottom of the cage support to the outrigger bracket. Nice stainless hardware provided by SD. At this point it was a matter of hanging the skin back on the bulkhead hardware, bolting the bottom of the internal cage support to the bracket installed to the top of the outrigger and just loosely put all the skin bolts back in. This is as far as I have gotten.but I feel like I have got through the most technical and scary part of the install. Next will be working on the windscreen hoop install, and getting the roof bars bolted through the roof to the B pillar supports. Happy to update the thread with more info as I do it, perhaps it will help the next guy out on the install. cheers for now |
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15th Sep 2021 2:12pm |
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| Gasket Member Since: 30 May 2020 Location: Manchester Posts: 629 |
Hi - I would love to see your progress on this as have been considering this cage for my own Puma.
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15th Sep 2021 2:28pm |
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| big110 Member Since: 02 Nov 2016 Location: Sweeden Posts: 342
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I’m happy to keep updating and add pics that I take. I didn’t see anything online about this install etc so I’ll do my best.
I should note this seems to be the closest to a true internal/external cage for the puma. As I mentioned someplace this is coupled with the SD 4 point cage which I had extended to a rear hoop and crossbars to make a 6 point internal. I still was nervous about windscreen and front door protection so this set up, along with fully welded on DOM sliders I’m hoping would give me and the family some protection in a roll over and tip over on road or off-roading. |
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15th Sep 2021 3:50pm |
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