Barn Door for JK factory hardtops

[akpostal]

Been looking forward to the rear fenders.

 

[jscherb]

After waiting overnight for the fiberglass to cure, it's time to remove the flanges from the Jeep.


After removing the tape and mold release from the Jeep body, no harm done...

This photo shows the flanges after trimming and washing off the mold release:

The flanges are trimmed a little large for now, they'll get a finer trimming later.

Test fitting the flange to the Jeep:


The next step is to make up cardboard mockup fenders that will serve as templates for making the mold master parts.

 

[jscherb]

I made up a preliminary cardboard mockup of the rear flat fender this afternoon. There are no radiuses anywhere on this mockup, it's just for overall shape. There are a few details I'm still thinking about, but in overall size and shape this mockup is fairly close to what the final fenders will look like.

I welcome any comments you might have (but if you don't like them, don't just say "I wouldn't put them on my Jeep", please be try to be constructive and tell me what you don't like about them ).

I stretched a line parallel to the body to verify that I've got the width correct; also the both the front and rear fenders cover the same amount of the tires.

I have a few minor tweaks to make to the mockup (plus any changes I decide to make based on your comments); once I've made the changes I think I'll paint the cardboard black to get a better idea of how the mockup looks. More photos tomorrow.

 

[jscherb]

A detail that's not in the photos above - these fenders will be strong enough to stand on, so an option might be a diamondplate tread to help with access to a roof rack and to protect the fiberglass from scratches...

One other detail you may not have noticed in these photos (besides how dirty the JK is), I've removed the bling "Jeep" emblem from the grille. The original Willys didn't have any emblem on the grille so I decided this one shouldn't either. Also try to imagine the fenders in body color - when I finish the rears I think I'll paint all 4 to match the body. On most early Willys flatfender Jeeps have fenders are the same color as the body, so I'll probably do that too.

 

[akpostal]

I like it without any radius. Hopefully if these come to market they offer a wider version as, like many others, my tires stick out a little more then stock.

Removed the Jeep bling on my grill and fenders a day or 2 after I bought mine.

 

[jscherb]

I like it without any radius. Hopefully if these come to market they offer a wider version as, like many others, my tires stick out a little more then stock.

Removed the Jeep bling on my grill and fenders a day or 2 after I bought mine.

At a minimum, the edges will have the same radius as the front fenders (it's a small radius, you can see it in the photo with the string), and the angles will be radiused the same as the front angle as well. I may soften the angle radius a bit more though, I'll decide that as I'm making the mold masters and see how they look.

Making wider versions would be very easy once the molds are made, so if a company picked them up and if they decided there would be a market for wider versions, that could easily be done. My main focus right now is finalizing the design for the rears so that I'm happy with them, making the masters and the molds and molding a pair, and then painting them body color for my Jeep. I'm not really focused on the commercial possibilities at the moment.

 

[akpostal]

How would it look if the flat fenders where the same color as the top?

 

[jscherb]

How would it look if the flat fenders where the same color as the top?

Here you go - black fenders, body color fenders, hardtop color fenders...

 

[akpostal]

I would stick with black fenders, but I kinda like the hardtop matched fenders.

 

[jscherb]

I would stick with black fenders, but I kinda like the hardtop matched fenders.

BTW I molded them in black for two reasons - first, because black is the most popular color for Jeep fenders/flares, and the second reason was because even if you did decide to paint them, say body color, you'd only have to paint the outside because the inside should probably be black anyway. So far I haven't painted the front fenders, what you see in the photos is the black gelcoat as they came out of the molds.

 

[02rangeredge]

Here you go - black fenders, body color fenders, hardtop color fenders...

I say hardtop matching, but only if you can replicate the factory textured look

 

[jscherb]

I say hardtop matching, but only if you can replicate the factory textured look

Thanks, but whether I paint the fenders for my Jeep or not or what color/texture they might be if the fenders ever went into production isn't something I'm thinking a lot about right now - the main task at the moment is to get the overall design of the rear flat fenders correct - shape, width, angles, radius, etc. The fenders can always be painted or molded in a different color or molded with a texture, but if the basic design isn't right none of that will matter .

 

[Jurfie]

the main task at the moment is to get the overall design of the rear flat fenders correct - shape, width, angles, radius, etc.

Is it possible to match the tops of the front and rear fenders? I think it would visually look better with a consistent line along the top. Also, it would make them higher clearance for the stuffed-big-tire-flexy crowd.

 

[02rangeredge]

Thanks, but whether I paint the fenders for my Jeep or not or what color/texture they might be if the fenders ever went into production isn't something I'm thinking a lot about right now - the main task at the moment is to get the overall design of the rear flat fenders correct - shape, width, angles, radius, etc. The fenders can always be painted or molded in a different color or molded with a texture, but if the basic design isn't right none of that will matter .

very true, good luck getting them perfect- they look pretty good with your safari top, I thought they'd be a little too much

 

[jscherb]

Is it possible to match the tops of the front and rear fenders? I think it would visually look better with a consistent line along the top. Also, it would make them higher clearance for the stuffed-big-tire-flexy crowd.

I could change the height of the top of the rear fender and move it higher, and I considered it but ruled it out for a number of reasons, including:

- The limiting factor in tire size is not this fender, it's the wheel opening in the JK body. Moving the top of the fender higher wouldn't support tires any larger than not moving it unless body sheet metal trimming was done.

- As it is now, these fenders (front and rear) have at least the same clearance as the new MOPAR "High Top" fender flares. What the ads I've seen say about those: "allowing for a 35" tire without a lift , or a 37" tire with 2" of lift. Fender flares attach to the stock mounting holes without trimming the sheet metal". That statement applies equally well to these flat fenders. 35's with no lift and 37's with 2" lift seems pretty good to me (Dang it, now I have to get 35's so the wheel arches of these fenders get filled up better ).

- Given the default stance of the JK (slightly nose down), as they are now the distance between the top of the tire and the bottom of the fender is about the same front and back (about 6.25" on my Jeep, both front and back). Also, as currently designed, the tops of both the front and rear flat fenders are the same distance from the ground (about 39.5" on my Jeep). Raising the top of the rear fender would make the distance between the tire and the fender larger in the back than in the front, and place the top of the rear fender further from the ground than the top of the front fender, both together would probably would look strange - in combination with the default rake, increasing the distance in the back would likely make it look like a hack jack-up job was done in the back.

There are a few more less important reasons, but I think those three are the main reasons for doing the height as I've done it.