Barn Door for JK factory hardtops

jscherb

Expedition Leader
One more option for mounting these LEDs.

JKWindshieldHinge2_zpsdhfymxjq.jpg


JKWindshieldHinge1_zpsa2xyeet0.jpg


JKWindshieldHinge3_zpswfvhpvqc.jpg


I also made a similar mount for the TJ.
 

Comanche Scott

Expedition Leader
...

Yesterday the company that's working on bringing the spare cover to market contacted me asking for my input on putting Velcro on the covers for patches; they're getting ready to start a first production run and are trying to decide what to do with Velcro for patches. .....

Any word on when they'll be ready to take orders on these tire covers?
Looking forward to putting them on my two rigs. :)

On a side note:
Just noticed how much wider the JK is to your LJ. Really like the rack on your LJ, it seems to fit it perfectly. :beer:
 

jscherb

Expedition Leader
Any word on when they'll be ready to take orders on these tire covers?
Looking forward to putting them on my two rigs. :)

I'll check with them. The last update I had was that they were having the sewing company do a 37" preproduction sample before starting the production of both 35" and 32" sizes in both black and Coyote.
 
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jscherb

Expedition Leader
Just noticed how much wider the JK is to your LJ. Really like the rack on your LJ, it seems to fit it perfectly. :beer:

At the the drip rails the two roofs are exactly the same width. The JK hardtop is lower, which may make it look wider. And they're different racks - the LJ has an XJ rack on it and the JK has a ZJ rack on it. The stock ZJ rack is narrower than the XJ rack, plus I've narrowed the ZJ rack slightly so the rails fit between the Alpine windows. For all those reasons the JK looks wider than the LJ, but it's not the case :).

It is true that JK tubs are slightly wider than LJ tubs, but since the JK top slopes in more at the sides than the LJ top, by coincidence they end up being the same width at the drip rails.



Narrowing the rack a bit has no effect on its cargo capabilities, when I'm carrying a wide load I use wider aftermarket crossbars on the rack which BTW I can use on both my LJ and the JK because the XJ and ZJ racks are compatible - all I do is slide the feet to the right distance for the rack rails I'm mounting the crossbars on.
 

Comanche Scott

Expedition Leader
Ah, that explains it. I mistakenly thought both roofs had the same rack. I was surprised at what seemed to be a big difference.
In any case, they both look great. :beer:
The more times I see your Safari top on both rigs, the more impressed I am with the design and execution. Looking forward to seeing how the JK soft side panels work out this summer. :)

Just a quick check, are they doing a 37" or a 35" tire cover?
I'm hoping it's 35", as I just bought those tires, and would have a hard time convincing the "banker" that I need to move up to 37" tires on both rigs to fit the cover. :elkgrin:

On the lights. You know what would be a lot of fun is to make a mount that simulates the front end of a Gatling gun. I'd do that coming right out of the center of the grill, just for fun. lol
Heck, I'd mount one on the front door of the house! Probably still wouldn't keep away those pesky solicitors though. :(
 

jscherb

Expedition Leader
Ah, that explains it. I mistakenly thought both roofs had the same rack. I was surprised at what seemed to be a big difference.
In any case, they both look great. :beer:
The more times I see your Safari top on both rigs, the more impressed I am with the design and execution. Looking forward to seeing how the JK soft side panels work out this summer. :)
Thank you very much.

I'm looking forward to the soft side panels too. They'll be the same as the ones I did on the LJ, just different dimensions (much smaller) and different color (they'll be Spice on the JK). The LJ soft sides have worked out great.

SteelHorseUppers1_zpskaks33xf.jpg


Just a quick check, are they doing a 37" or a 35" tire cover?
I'm hoping it's 35", as I just bought those tires, and would have a hard time convincing the "banker" that I need to move up to 37" tires on both rigs to fit the cover. :elkgrin:
Now I'm confused, I'm not sure now. I'll have to check with them on that too just to make sure I get it right.

On the lights. You know what would be a lot of fun is to make a mount that simulates the front end of a Gatling gun. I'd do that coming right out of the center of the grill, just for fun. lol
Heck, I'd mount one on the front door of the house! Probably still wouldn't keep away those pesky solicitors though. :(

That's strange - I was thinking about one being the muzzle of a machine gun just this morning. But I was thinking 50 cal, not Gatling, and I couldn't see how it would look right on a simulated 50. But on a Gatling it would be perfect!
 

jscherb

Expedition Leader
Just a quick check, are they doing a 37" or a 35" tire cover?

Got the facts. Yes they are having a 37" pre-production one sewed. That's mostly to check a few final production details. When that's done, they'll do a production run of 32" and 35" covers (I mistyped 37 instead of 35 in my earlier post, I've now corrected that post).

So you're in good shape, 35's will be in the first production run, which will be initiated very soon.
 

jscherb

Expedition Leader
This morning I installed a volt meter in the dash next to the USB outlet I installed the other day. You can't see it well in this photo, but I also installed a submini slide switch above the meter. In the left position, the meter and the USB outlets operate on switched power (when the ignition is on). In the right position, the meter and the outlets operate on direct battery power (fused of course). This enables me to check the battery voltage without any load from the circuits the ignition switch powers, and also lets me use the USB outlet when the Jeep is switch off if I need to. The voltmeter display is much more readable that it is in this photo, it doesn't photograph well.

Voltmeter_zpshwbsw3yw.jpg
 
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jscherb

Expedition Leader
It's been about two years since a company picked up the JK HD tailgate hinges I designed and turned them into a commercial product and there are now thousands of them out there on JK's. Most people buy them as replacements for worn and weak factory hinges, but some people have told me they bought them for the looks. Which made me think... what if there were door and hood hinges to match the styling of the tailgate hinges?

So... I made a prototype door hinge styled like the HD tailgate hinges. It's an exact bolt-on replacement for the factory hinge.

JKDoorHingeProtoP4_zpsoxya4t14.jpg


JKDoorHingeProtoP3_zpskxehw8ek.jpg


In this photo I'm testing the fit in the factory body-side hinge base, this was before I painted it:

JKDoorHingeProto2_zpsppmnjbxg.jpg
 

jscherb

Expedition Leader
Got the facts. Yes they are having a 37" pre-production one sewed. That's mostly to check a few final production details. When that's done, they'll do a production run of 32" and 35" covers (I mistyped 37 instead of 35 in my earlier post, I've now corrected that post).

So you're in good shape, 35's will be in the first production run, which will be initiated very soon.

Got an update from the company today - the sewing company told them the 37" test cover will be shipped on Monday, so as soon as they receive it and check it out they can initiate the production order for 32's and 35's.
 

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