Barn Door for JK factory hardtops

[jscherb]

Hi Jeff,

With the rear rack, have you considered installing the camera system you were testing with the LJ on the JKU?

I have done an installation in the JKU and tested there as well, here's a shot of it installed. I needed to do that so I could write step-by-step instructions describing how to install the system in the JK, how to route the wires through the firewall and dash, how to mount cameras, etc. Anyway, since the system supports 4 cameras and I typically run 3 up front for the trail, having a fourth camera on the rack to improve rearward visibility is a good idea. I was also thinking one or more of the new LED pods I've been testing could be mounted on the rack to improve rearward visibility at night.

Something else that would go real well with the rack would be standard Jerry Can holders. Seems like it wouldn't take much to modify one of your previous Jerry Can holder designs to work great with the rack.

No modification to the jerry can trays would be required, they'd bolt right up. There isn't a lot of clearance between the rack and the hardtop on the passenger side when the tailgate is open though - there's enough for the Rubicans I posted earlier today, but something as thick as a Jerry can would contact the hardtop when the tailgate was fully open. Should clear the soft top though, it slopes forward more than the hardtop. A jerry can definitely can be mounted on the driver's side of the rack, or multiple cans can be mounted on top. I haven't bolted them in place in this photo, but the trays would bolt directly to the rack basket. These trays are available separately already, so no new work for me to do.

In this photo I've got one can on top with a cargo box and another can on the driver's side:

Two cans on top laying down:

I am thinking about maybe doing a new tray which would hold a can horizontally like this:

One thing I need to give some thought to is the weight rating for the rack. You've seen me bouncing on it doing the 225-lb. gorilla test, so it's plenty strong, but I probably need to come up with a formal weight rating. Another rack on the market has a weight rating of 75 lbs., but that rack alone weighs something like 96 lbs. according to that company's web site, so since my rack is at least as strong as that one and only weighs 39 lbs., maybe the load capacity of mine should be 75 lbs. + (96-39) = 132 lbs.?

 

[IdaSHO]

Rating is one thing, weight up that high is another.

Especially on a Jeep


Cool concept though :ylsmoke:

 

[SGNellett]

You don't have to hit the lottery to buy the pickup bed, it's about $800, sold as a trailer tub kit by Dinoot.com. But the TJ Commando kit and the TJ flat fenders aren't production parts, so hitting the lottery might help with those .

But starting that particular project leads to a frame stretch, which leads to new axels, which leads to a new powertrain.... hell, the fenders might be the simplest part, LOL!

 

[jscherb]

This morning I made up a quick spare mount for the Rubican containers. Containers can be mounted vertically or horizontally.

10-liter:

20-liter:

It's just one new part because it uses the same base as my jerry can spare mount:

In addition to Rubican mounts, it will also accept Rotopax mounts.

 

[Comanche Scott]

I'd agree with the others in regards to weight up high.
Your Rubican option on the passenger side is a great idea, and it looks like an easy bolt up for a Jerry can mount on the driver's side.
So that covers a 5 gallon Jerry can of water and an extra 2.5 gallons of fuel. Plus more mounted through your Spare Tire mount.
On other thing to think about is that all the weight hanging out off the end cap when the door is open. Gust of wind, or parking on a hill, and the door gets away slamming out against the stops could cause damage to that end cap, and the spot welded sheet metal that makes up the internal supports.

 

[jscherb]

I'd agree with the others in regards to weight up high.

If the concern about weight up high is altering the center of gravity of the Jeep, whatever you could put on the Overland Rack wouldn't be near as much as "over the roof" style racks like the Gobi are rated for (the Gobi web site rates their rack at 300 lbs. dynamic load, 800 lbs. static).

Your Rubican option on the passenger side is a great idea, and it looks like an easy bolt up for a Jerry can mount on the driver's side.
So that covers a 5 gallon Jerry can of water and an extra 2.5 gallons of fuel. Plus more mounted through your Spare Tire mount.
On other thing to think about is that all the weight hanging out off the end cap when the door is open. Gust of wind, or parking on a hill, and the door gets away slamming out against the stops could cause damage to that end cap, and the spot welded sheet metal that makes up the internal supports.

Maybe the best approach is to rate the Overland Rack at 75 lbs., which is what a few other tailgate racks are rated at. Since the Overland Rack only weighs 39 lbs., a 75 lb. load on it is 57 lbs. lighter in total than what the same load on one other commercially available 96-lb. rack would be.

 

[jscherb]

It's a damn shame I didn't chime in here while you were test fitting the window. Because I'm wounding is its plausible to create a window blank thus creating a panel wagon/van of sorts and that it would act rest flush as if it was a full panel with any indication of a window ever being there.

If the goal is to turn a factory hardtop into a panel truck without any indication of a window ever being there, like the Jeep below that I photographed at the SEMA Show last fall, then bodywork is necessary to hide the joint. What you'd want for that application is a fiberglass panel that would fill the window opening flush with the outside surface of the hardtop - the Retrofit Kit I've done for the slider window isn't flush, it fits down into the window recess in the hardtop.

It wouldn't be hard to make a "Panel Truck Retrofit Kit" in fiberglass that included two panels that would fill the window openings, but I don't know if there would be much demand for such a kit.

On the other hand, if you didn't mind if the window opening showed, it would be pretty easy to make the slider window Retrofit Kit parts with no hole in them for the window, that would look something like this:

 

[TrailBadger]

Great shot of what I was asking.. But here si what I was interested in doing. I've yet to see anyone actually do this But gr8top was very close. I'm wanting to take a 2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited and create a panel jeep as shown in your picture.. However with one slight difference. I want to incorporated half doors as behind the seat storage. which would look similar to the Gladiator concept where a side door behind the drivers seat opens up allowing for quick access to store items. But as I said, I wanted to use either half doors or modified doors on both sides. I've yet to figure out the concept but this is close.

 

[jscherb]

Great shot of what I was asking.. But here si what I was interested in doing. I've yet to see anyone actually do this But gr8top was very close. I'm wanting to take a 2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited and create a panel jeep as shown in your picture.. However with one slight difference. I want to incorporated half doors as behind the seat storage. which would look similar to the Gladiator concept where a side door behind the drivers seat opens up allowing for quick access to store items. But as I said, I wanted to use either half doors or modified doors on both sides. I've yet to figure out the concept but this is close.

If you haven't already seen it, you should check out this thread: http://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/160775-Converting-a-factory-JK-JKU-hardtop-to-modular . There's a lot of info in there about modifying factory hardtops - you can probably create the hardtop you need for your concept by modifying a factory top.

 

[TrailBadger]

Excellent resource thanks for sharing. Bookmarked

 

[Comanche Scott]

If the concern about weight up high is altering the center of gravity of the Jeep, whatever you could put on the Overland Rack wouldn't be near as much as "over the roof" style racks like the Gobi are rated for (the Gobi web site rates their rack at 300 lbs. dynamic load, 800 lbs. static).

Maybe the best approach is to rate the Overland Rack at 75 lbs., which is what a few other tailgate racks are rated at. Since the Overland Rack only weighs 39 lbs., a 75 lb. load on it is 57 lbs. lighter in total than what the same load on one other commercially available 96-lb. rack would be.

Could you just give a "static load - tail gate closed" rating?
If so, your rack holds a lot more than the competition due not only to the light weight design, but the rigid structure.

My concern with the liquid storage in the rack basket is more about the leverage it creates when the tailgate is opened and slams against the stops. Like a gust of wind, or opening the tailgate with the vehicle on an incline. or just someone opening the door too fast and it slamming against the stops. The weight above the hinges imparts a twisting force to the passenger rear end cap.
Your Rubican mounts, and Jerry can mount on the passenger side puts the weight much lower reducing the twisting affect.

 

[TrailBadger]

I like the tailgate system but I'm trying to reduce the load and eliminated access weight. the steel or plastic jerry cans seem to stick out like a sore thumb.. But the rotopax type containers fit nicely. Close compact. I'm always searching for different things which tend not to be used on vehicles but could be implemented to server as something new in deferent areas of the vehicle. This is the only way expo travel should be. Adapt with what one has.

 

[jscherb]

This morning UPS delivered a final set of JKU slider windows. The window company made the few tweaks I asked for after I received the set last week. I did a quick install in a test panel, and these are perfect. I've told the company they're good to go for volume production.

BTW the windows are the same style as the ones that are in the JK half door slider kit, so everything will match if you've got sliders in both the hardtop and half doors... in this photo a hardtop slider is being held in place next to a JKU with half doors and the half door sliders installed.

 

[rubicon91]

Looks awesome Jeff!!!!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

 

[Yuke]

Looks great!