Barn Door for JK factory hardtops

[02rangeredge]

I made some "paper doll" mockups to see what the JK version might look like. The mockup needs a few adjustments - it's a bit wider in the rear than it should be, but overall I think it shows how the flat fenders would look.

These would be pretty easy to make in fiberglass.

are you going to make a matching set for the rear?

 

[AgentOrange76]

Diggin the flat fenders. That was always one of my nitpicks with jks, nowhere to set your tools and beverages while you're wrenchin'

 

[jscherb]

are you going to make a matching set for the rear?

Matching front and rear would look like this:

 

[02rangeredge]

Matching front and rear would look like this:

that'll look great with the safari top, may be a bit much though with a safari top and wagoneer style front end

 

[jscherb]

that'll look great with the safari top, may be a bit much though with a safari top and wagoneer style front end

I don't plan to put both the flat fenders and the Retro Rhino grille kit on my Jeep. Just the Safari Cab and the Retro Rhino front clip. The flat fenders I'll do as an "art project".

Translation of "art project": a design I want to build because it'll be fun to build and cool looking, but I don't plan to use on my own Jeep. They won't be the first art project I've done, I've got a few others here also not being used .

 

[02rangeredge]

I don't plan to put both the flat fenders and the Retro Rhino grille kit on my Jeep. Just the Safari Cab and the Retro Rhino front clip. The flat fenders I'll do as an "art project".

Translation of "art project": a design I want to build because it'll be fun to build and cool looking, but I don't plan to use on my own Jeep. They won't be the first art project I've done, I've got a few others here also not being used .

your "art projects" all end up pretty amazing, I'm not a jeep guy but I've been looking out since I stumbled acrossed the trailer tub designs you sold to/ built with dinoot, I just thought aftermarket fenders and front end would get a little into the SEMA realm of look at the crap we CAN do but you shouldn't rather than the area of stock looking custom that most of your fabrications look like (by far the best being the safari top with a barn door)

 

[jscherb]

your "art projects" all end up pretty amazing, I'm not a jeep guy but I've been looking out since I stumbled acrossed the trailer tub designs you sold to/ built with dinoot, I just thought aftermarket fenders and front end would get a little into the SEMA realm of look at the crap we CAN do but you shouldn't rather than the area of stock looking custom that most of your fabrications look like (by far the best being the safari top with a barn door)

Thanks. But fenders and front ends not being stock-looking but custom? They definitely can be, Exhibit A is my CJ Grille Kit for the TJ/LJ, it's got custom fenders, cowl and hood and a stock CJ grille, and hopefully you'll agree it's about as stock-looking a custom as you'll ever see .

Goal #1 for that project was that it had to look 100% like it could have come from the factory that way, and goal #2 was that it was to be a complete bolt-on, no mods to the Jeep. I have the same goals for the Retro Rhino kit.

My goal for the flat fender project is to have the fenders look like they would be correct on an original Willys MB/CJ-2a but still look right on the modern JK.

 

[02rangeredge]

oh yeah that setup does, as does most of the great work you do, I meant the combination of the flat fenders with the wagoneer front end wouldn't look stock at all- it'd end up sort of like that reference photo you posted

as for your goal with the fenders, I think it'll be a pretty easy sell with the polish of all of your "art projects" and I can't wait to see how they turn out

on a side note; if you don't want them on your jeeps, are you test fitting on one of yours or a friends?

 

[jscherb]

oh yeah that setup does, as does most of the great work you do, I meant the combination of the flat fenders with the wagoneer front end wouldn't look stock at all- it'd end up sort of like that reference photo you posted

as for your goal with the fenders, I think it'll be a pretty easy sell with the polish of all of your "art projects" and I can't wait to see how they turn out

on a side note; if you don't want them on your jeeps, are you test fitting on one of yours or a friends?

I would install the flat fenders on my JKU to make sure they fit properly, but once that's done they'd come off. Maybe I'd find someone else who wanted to run them on their Jeep after I verified the fit.

I don't think I've ever posted a photo in this thread, but a while back I did a set of flat fenders for the TJ. I've never used them on my Jeeps, so they turned out to be an art project as well. They're more complicated than the JK flat fender design because they also include inner fenders to make them a 100% bolt-on installation.

They did get installed briefly on a mockup of a pickup proof-of-concept that used one of my fiberglass Jeep-tub trailers as a bed, but other than that they've never been used or installed on anything.

That project used several of my designs - the TJ flat fenders, the fiberglass trailer tub as a bed, and a half-cab version of the LJ/TJ Safari Cab modular hardtop. Oh and my "Cool Cowl" cold air intake cowl kit, that's the red part in the photo above with the air cap on it. I also mocked up another one of my art projects on the proof-of-concept pickup, the TJ Commando Kit. Other than this mockup and another test install, that project has never been used either, but it was a fun art project to build .

Sorry for going off-topic with so many of my art projects.

 

[AgentOrange76]

Your art projects are inspiring, keep posting! So much better than looking at some dude throw paint on a canvas. ....that's not art.....this is.....

I still love the comando front end and matching concept top. One of my favorites that you didn't install permanently.

Glad to see your truck still going like a champ! My Jeep just hit 100k this summer. I love the retro look and all the stuff you've done to it, really unique. Just for entertainment, are the scales printouts of the rhino grille "close enough" to hold in front of it and see sorta what a "new" J10 would look like? Nothing scientific, just for fun

 

[Comanche Scott]

For the "expeditionist" in all of us, having the fenders wide is a good thing to help keep all the grime and muck off the door handles.
Or maybe there could be a flange on the inner side of the rear that a full length extension rubber/plastic flap could be attached to.
Would definitely harken back to the utilitarian focus of the original flat fender design.

 

[jscherb]

Your art projects are inspiring, keep posting! So much better than looking at some dude throw paint on a canvas. ....that's not art.....this is.....

I still love the comando front end and matching concept top. One of my favorites that you didn't install permanently.

Glad to see your truck still going like a champ! My Jeep just hit 100k this summer. I love the retro look and all the stuff you've done to it, really unique. Just for entertainment, are the scales printouts of the rhino grille "close enough" to hold in front of it and see sorta what a "new" J10 would look like? Nothing scientific, just for fun

Sure, I had the Retro Wrangler pickup out today doing some hauling duty with one of the trailer, so I set the Rhino printout in place. It's not the right size, but you asked for something "just for fun", here it is...

 

[jscherb]

This looks great. I wonder what the air flow differences will be?
Would you open the slots in the "Pie Plates" as well?
The grill, while being narrow, is taller.
Seems like it will do a nice job of covering other stuff in the grill area too.
With a fully composite hood, it should even shave a bit of weight.

I took the factory grille off the JK so I could make some exact measurements for the new Rhino front panel to determine the length of the new Rhino hood that I'll be making. The front panel on the original FSJ angles forward about 10 degrees and I plan to duplicate that angle with the new panel, so the new hood will have to be longer than the factory JK hood. While I had the grille off, I snapped this photo, it shows how the slots in the new Rhino grille basically cover the entire area of the JK's radiator, so there won't be any problem with airflow.

This also shows roughly how much longer the new hood will be. The new hood will be 45" long; the JK factory hood is 39" long. The FSJ Rhino hood is 48" long.

 

[jscherb]

Having designed a number of jerry can and Rotopax carriers for the JK and TJ, I'm always on the lookout for new and interesting ways to carry fuel. When I found this stainless steel NATO can for less than $10 the other day, I had to grab one.

I don't think I'll need to design a mount for this one though, pretty much everyone already has a place to carry it:

Although two of them fit very nicely in a pouch I've got hanging on the Molle Bar sleeve on my roll bar...

These are of course not useful on the trail - they're intended to hold a convenient little nip, but alcohol has no place on the trail.

 

[jscherb]

I'm getting ready to start both the flat fender and the Retro Rhino projects so I'm organizing the parts and workspace in the workshop. The fenders in this photo I'll use to derive an exact-fit bolt flange for the flat fenders. The JK and FSJ hoods will be sectioned and spliced to create a master hood to make the mold for the Retro Rhino hood from. Using parts of both hoods I'll end up with a perfect fit on the JK with a hood that has the factory shape and curves of the original FSJ hood.

Haven't decided yet if I'll start a detailed thread somewhere on either project or if I'll just post occasional updates here.