jscherb
Expedition Leader
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Barn Door for JK factory hardtops
- Thread starter jscherb
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The same drop-down menu that has the PM option also offers a Send Email option.
jscherb
Expedition Leader
If your question(s) would be of general interest to other people, please ask the question(s) in a thread - if it's a fiberglass question you could ask it in this thread or in my thread about the modular factory hardtop conversion, if it's specific to your camper project you can ask the question in your camper project thread and I'll answer it there. I'll do my best to provide a detailed and thorough answer to whatever questions you have but and if there's any chance they'll be of interest to others we should have the conversation publicly so others may benefit from the answers as well.
So I went to my local fiberglass supply house and dropped about 500 bucks to create my Jscherb garage of magic lol. I wanted to start with something small to obviously see how far off I am. I had the Center piece of the dashboard for my Wrangler lying around so I figured it would be perfect practice to try and create a mold and then a mirror part.
So I closely followed your detailed process over the past couple days and today was the big day. I popped the mold off the dash piece and had an awesome orange mold for the part!
The only small issue I ran into was when I was attempting to use the lamination roller, it seemed to pull up the fibers instead of removing bubbles and actually caused them. I had better luck removing the bubbles with the brush. Thankfully the first few layers went down flat as to not effect the tooling gel coat! Very happy with my first attempt and look forward to the future projects. Thanks Jscherb!
So I closely followed your detailed process over the past couple days and today was the big day. I popped the mold off the dash piece and had an awesome orange mold for the part!
The only small issue I ran into was when I was attempting to use the lamination roller, it seemed to pull up the fibers instead of removing bubbles and actually caused them. I had better luck removing the bubbles with the brush. Thankfully the first few layers went down flat as to not effect the tooling gel coat! Very happy with my first attempt and look forward to the future projects. Thanks Jscherb!
jscherb
Expedition Leader
Congrats on your first fiberglass success!!
Two comments:
- On a small part like that, I wouldn't use a roller - I'd use a brush only, with a firm stippling action.
- If the roller is pulling up fibers, usually that means there isn't enough resin. When the fiberglass is properly saturated with resin, the roller will do its job well.
jscherb
Expedition Leader
Some news for 2dr JK owners - I've just been asked to get the slider window retrofit kit for late model 2dr factory hardtops into production. They kit will look exactly like the JKU windows in the photo below except they'll be longer to fit the window opening in the 2dr.
I've already been in touch with the hardware company that's manufacturing the JKU retrofit kit to tell them to expect to be getting a prototype 2dr kit from me so they can do the manufacturing engineering, the bad news is that I'm traveling for the next 3 weeks so there will be a little delay until I can get it to them. I have done a prototype 2dr retrofit kit already although I outfitted it with a cargo hatch instead of a slider window, so as soon as I get back from my travels I'll whip up a prototype kit for slider windows (there's a difference in the size/shape of the hole in the retrofit kit between the window and hatch versions). The cargo hatch retrofit kit is pictured below.
I'll post updates as the project progresses; expect a summer release date.
I've already been in touch with the hardware company that's manufacturing the JKU retrofit kit to tell them to expect to be getting a prototype 2dr kit from me so they can do the manufacturing engineering, the bad news is that I'm traveling for the next 3 weeks so there will be a little delay until I can get it to them. I have done a prototype 2dr retrofit kit already although I outfitted it with a cargo hatch instead of a slider window, so as soon as I get back from my travels I'll whip up a prototype kit for slider windows (there's a difference in the size/shape of the hole in the retrofit kit between the window and hatch versions). The cargo hatch retrofit kit is pictured below.
I'll post updates as the project progresses; expect a summer release date.
chadwicksavage
Adventurer
still the same company as the safari cab?
jscherb
Expedition Leader
No. My LJ/TJ Safari Cab design was licensed by and is currently manufactured and marketed by Gr8Tops. Gr8Tops is not currently involved in any of the projects in this thread.
Jurfie
Adventurer
Nice! I was just thinking today (the first warm day that I was out in the JK with the windows down) how nice it would be to have operable rear window to reduce wind buffeting. I sometimes pop the back glass open just to be a bit more comfortable at speed with them down and the Freedom Panels off.
Of course, my next thought was how it's almost time to swap tops for the summer. :wings:
Comanche Scott
Expedition Leader
Great idea.
Maybe cut out some slots for knives, or a cup so that it doesn't block the fridge vent.
Maybe cut out some slots for knives, or a cup so that it doesn't block the fridge vent.
jscherb
Expedition Leader
Another idea I may try is putting the fridge on a swivel, so after the slide is fully extended the fridge can swivel to the side. Not sure how much utility that would gain, but it would put a wider table at the back instead of the side, so the cargo area and the table might be more accessible at the same time. In this anim the fridge is swiveled and you can see it's in front of the tail light a bit - this config wouldn't take up any more of the cargo area left-right or access to the cargo area because the fridge swivels outboard.
Jurfie
Adventurer
I like this idea, but is it possible to swivel it completely out of the way to maintain access to the rear cargo area? It would have to be a hinged arm rather than just a swivel, though.
What are your ideas for securing the table in the up position and supporting in the down position.
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