Barn Door for JK factory hardtops

jscherb

Expedition Leader
Did you make the bag for it too or can this be purchased?

I sewed it. I used about a half yard of 1000d coated Cordura nylon fabric, which is very strong and durable and pretty much weatherproof, and a 60" #10 zipper. The fabric is available from lots of places on eBay for about $6.00 per yard; there are lots of sources for zippers.
 

jscherb

Expedition Leader
A few weeks ago Retrofit Offroad asked if I would write step-by-step assembly instructions for their upcoming 20" LED light bar. As you can see in the box, "some assembly is required". It's not difficult, but always a good idea to include very detailed instructions. They sent me one to use for writing the instructions.

LightbarBoxed_zpswni7mvrq.jpg


Fully assembled, it looks like this:

HoodBar4_zpslgfkf3hb.jpg


I've been experimenting with other ways to use it, here's one. The two halves are just setting in place for this photo, but it wouldn't take much to make brackets to mount the light bars as shown below, in between the rails of the Garvin rack. Integrates nicely with the rack in this location; they're not too obtrusive.

TwoTens_zpsmar8kmcc.jpg


I doubt I'll use this light bar on any of my Jeeps but it's always fun to try to come up with new ideas for mounting things like this and designing the necessary brackets.
 

jscherb

Expedition Leader
Don't know if you guys get over to the trailer section of the forum much, but a couple of years ago I designed a system of generic modular fiberglass parts for building campers, I called it the TrailTop system. I built a proof-of-concept teardrop and a pop-top camper using the parts.

TrailTopTeardrop_zpsod2qpwev.jpg


JeepTubTiltUp_zps9fd553f8.jpg


I haven't had the time to do anything with the TrailTop system since then, but I'm now building another TrailTop project. It's in the huge TrailTop thread in the trailer section and starts here: http://forum.expeditionportal.com/t...per-building-components?p=2364077#post2364077

TopBevel2_zps60pjyavu.jpg


Just FYI in case anyone has nothing else to do and wants to see what I'm doing when I'm not designing and building Jeep stuff :). (I guess technically the TrailTop system is sort-of a Jeep thing too though)
 

southpier

Expedition Leader
struggling with this as far as placement since it's closer to the "barn door" idea than the trailer, but the trailer thread has some good pictures depicting what i'm asking, to wit:

has the idea of a Jeep Woody been explored? the underside of the tilt top trailer top has the panel & rib pattern which encouraged my inquiry. and the removable sides on the safari top would offer some place for wood panel inserts. an aftermarket company (AEV?) made a four door rear door filler panel with access hatch for one of their pickup conversions with a body extension too. so put that all together and we got Woody!
 

jscherb

Expedition Leader
struggling with this as far as placement since it's closer to the "barn door" idea than the trailer, but the trailer thread has some good pictures depicting what i'm asking, to wit:

has the idea of a Jeep Woody been explored? the underside of the tilt top trailer top has the panel & rib pattern which encouraged my inquiry. and the removable sides on the safari top would offer some place for wood panel inserts. an aftermarket company (AEV?) made a four door rear door filler panel with access hatch for one of their pickup conversions with a body extension too. so put that all together and we got Woody!

Since you mentioned AEV, back when I was working on the original TrailTop parts design I showed how the parts could be used to build a topper for a Brute...

TTBrute2_zps5668029e.jpg


And speaking of the tilt-top trailer, here's a tilt-top version for a Brute...

TTBrutePopTop1_zps11a6cd8f.jpg
 

jscherb

Expedition Leader
Planning ahead... when I arrive in Las Vegas next week for SEMA I'll need to park at the hotel. It's a good idea to know how much clearance I need... being as tall as I am, I can reach an 8' ceiling standing flat on the ground so I knew the top of the tent was about 8', but I decided to measure to be sure. It's 7' 11".

MaxHeight_zpsl0zch85v.jpg


Then a quick trip to Google maps to see the sign on the deck I'll need to park in. 8' 8", should be good, but it looks like there may be low hanging beams so I'll have to be careful :).

MaxHeight2_zpsraqkbrpz.jpg
 

unkamonkey

Explorer
It's good to know these things. My motorhome is 9'6' to the top of the Fantastic vent dome. I have to check our the roof clearances where I take it.
I also have 2 antennas that I have dragged on some ceilings.
 

jscherb

Expedition Leader
The Jeep is loaded and ready for the road trip from upstate NY to Las Vegas for the SEMA Show and several days of Jeep/RTT camping and off-roading in Death Valley. Leaving before dawn tomorrow.

LoadedAndReady_zpsavg68ugy.jpg


Two comments about cargo space and loading...

- Removing the rear seat made a huge difference in the cargo space. I've got the fridge/kitchen, and extra spare tire and all the gear I need in there and there's still a lot of extra space. While it's a pain to remove the seat the first time, now that it's been done the bolts will go in and out much easier.

- I'm bringing a pair of folding chairs and a folding table (seen in this photo), and they fit very nicely on top of the RTT. I put the table in front of the folded RTT ladder and the chairs behind, and the travel cover still zips in place very easily. Since I'll only be using the table and chairs at the campsite, storing them up there is perfect.

CampingSetup1_zpsgjvdt9c3.jpg


This year a few new products based on my designs will be debuted at SEMA. I'll post photos and info about them as well as other things I find interesting at the show. I'll also post photos of my Death Valley experience, stay tuned.
 

rubicon91

Explorer
Safe travels Jeff. Can't wait to hear about your camping excursion afterwards :)

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
 

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