Converting a factory JK/JKU hardtop to modular

jscherb

Expedition Leader
The skylight Freedom Panel with the prototype sun shade in place in a modular hardtop.

SunShade2_zps6aado5tm.jpg
 
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jscherb

Expedition Leader
Looks really good! :beer:
If made with a quilted material, it would also reduce noise / provide a bit of insulation.

Thanks! The shade is just a quick prototype, I don't know if they would be an option when/if the skylights get into production, but if they are the company selling them could choose whatever fabric they thought best. Insulated/quilted is a good idea, I'll pass it along.
 

jscherb

Expedition Leader
I got this cell phone photo from the engineer at the RV window company today - it's a preproduction JK 2-door slider window. It's sitting in a retrofit kit to install it into a factory hardtop. This one is a passenger side, they were about to make up a driver's side and she said she'd ship both to me tomorrow. As soon as I get them I'll verify all of the details for correctness and assuming everything is good, I'll "bless" them for production.

PreproductionWindow1_zpsivw87x7h.jpg


They should be available very soon.
 

akpostal

Adventurer
Tell them to hurry up, I want to give them my money! My dog will thank them.

18119580_677953549069645_6567264522811541243_n.jpg


Who could say no to that face?
 
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jscherb

Expedition Leader
I got this cell phone photo from the engineer at the RV window company today - it's a preproduction JK 2-door slider window. It's sitting in a retrofit kit to install it into a factory hardtop. This one is a passenger side, they were about to make up a driver's side and she said she'd ship both to me tomorrow. As soon as I get them I'll verify all of the details for correctness and assuming everything is good, I'll "bless" them for production.

PreproductionWindow1_zpsivw87x7h.jpg


They should be available very soon.

Got word yesterday that a pair of preproduction 2dr slider windows will be delivered to me on Tuesday. I'll install them in the modular hardtop side panels Tuesday afternoon; assuming everything checks out they'll be ready for production. Photos on Tuesday.
 

Comanche Scott

Expedition Leader
Very nice! I like how much window was able to be fitted into this. :victory:
Should be some awesome ventilation for the JK crew.
 

jscherb

Expedition Leader
Today a pair of preproduction 2dr slider windows were delivered for me to approve. I installed one in the modular test hardtop right away to verify that everything is correct. These are now ready for production. I expect the company will place the first production orders for the windows and the retrofit kit right away, so they should be available shortly.

Preproduction2drWindow7_zpsoddthr8x.jpg


Preproduction2drWindow2_zpsce8u8osc.jpg


Preproduction2drWindow3_zpshm3l3zhg.jpg


Preproduction2drWindow4_zpsmt0cayxo.jpg


Preproduction2drWindow5_zpsxifwvc1z.jpg


Preproduction2drWindow6_zpsmjjayshi.jpg
 

Comanche Scott

Expedition Leader
Congrats on another excellent product! :beer:
You are going to make a lot of JK owners very happy people (and dogs). :victory:
 

jscherb

Expedition Leader
In the same box that came yesterday with the 2-dr preproduction slider windows were two preproduction Freedom Panel skylights. I installed one of them in a test Freedom Panel today. The tint isn't final, the glass company made the samples with whatever glass they were running when these samples came up; the final tint will be fairly dark.

PreproductionSkylightGlass3_zpsjkopnxsg.jpg


PreproductionSkylightGlass2_zpsm2lgcgqi.jpg
 
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jscherb

Expedition Leader
There's a Dana/Spicer ad in the November issue of JP Magazine (p74) with a photo of this Jeep, which has a hardtop apparently made by cutting the sides out of a factory hardtop.

DanaSpicerAdPhoto_zpsgj3pq1nk.jpg


Who knows, maybe it's a modular conversion they did after seeing this thread :). It looks like they left the rear panel thicker at the sides than I did with the modular conversion, so maybe all they did was cut the sides out and didn't make it modular. And I don't see joint lines between the rear panel and the roof, so it's definitely not modular. Oh well, they should have read this thread before cutting :).

Here's a photo from earlier in the thread showing the same thing, although the top in this photo has a modular (removable) b-pillar, which would be used to attach the front edge of roll-up side panels.

AssembledBCPillarForSoftSides_zpswtojmx93.jpg
 
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jscherb

Expedition Leader
A few months ago I posted this image showing how parts from a 2-dr and a 4-dr hardtop could be combined in a modular way to create a "factory" hardtop that would fit a JKU lengthened roughly the same as the Africa Concept from a few years ago.

AfricaLengthTop1_zpsdrcmqyzx.jpg


Today I did a mockup using some parts from my 2-dr modular factory hardtop conversion posed alongside a JKU hardtop to check some of the dimensions:

10StretchModular_zpsvm9lj5vh.gif


Obviously this wouldn't fit properly on a stock JKU, it would hang over the back 10"...

AfricaLengthTop3_zpsfbzvpxyy.jpg


Doing a tub extension in fiberglass might be an interesting project...

AfricaLengthTop3x_zpsrgd6q0pz.jpg
 
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