No pix, but how 'bout an attempt at describing what I am planning on attempting to build for my dream Jeep?
My wife and I really like the 'open' feeling of having the top down, but I want a roof rack. I also want it to be able to hold a lot of weight on a rare occasion. After all, I might get back into elk hunting one day... plus I want to be able to open or close the roof fairly easily.
So what I want to build is a half rack (reaching from the stock roll bar to the back) with a a solid floor, permanently mounted.
The rack floor would double as part of the Jeep roof. Then I want to basically cut the soft top into panels (back, sides, and ‘targa-section’), and attach them to the roof rack using awning rails or something, in much the same way the CJ soft top attaches to the top of the windshield (not sure how it works on Wranglers).
That way I could roll up or remove the sides and/or remove the ‘targa top’ section above the front seats, and still have a heavy-duty roof rack. With the soft panels off, the roof rack would be like a bikini top over the back half.
To support the back of the rack I am planning on building a ‘full cage’ extending from the stock roll bar to the back of the Jeep.
Does that make sense?