Barn Door for JK factory hardtops

[jscherb]

This is a first for me... I bought an aftermarket styling part for my Jeep. I've never done that before - the JK has no aftermarket accessories at all (I'm not counting the ones I've designed), and the only aftermarket parts on my other two Jeeps are a few suspension parts like 2" spacer lifts and Air Lift 1000 air bag kits. Everything else on all three of my Jeeps I designed and built myself.

I've been thinking the factory front bumper looked too long with the flat fenders:

So I bought a VDP stubby bumper kit. The modification of the factory bumper and installation of the VDP ends was a quick and easy process and I think the mod looks perfect with the flat fenders.

 

[rubicon91]

Oh that looks great and those flat fenders look amazing as well. Great Job Jeff!!

 

[jscherb]

Oh that looks great and those flat fenders look amazing as well. Great Job Jeff!!

Thanks Donny! I decided I wanted these just before I left for Mom's, so I had them shipped to me in Florida and I brought my reciprocating saw with me on the trip. Only took about 20 minutes in the Florida morning humidity to do the mod .

 

[rubicon91]

Thanks Donny! I decided I wanted these just before I left for Mom's, so I had them shipped to me in Florida and I brought my reciprocating saw with me on the trip. Only took about 20 minutes in the Florida morning humidity to do the mod .

20 mins in the FL humidity is an eternity though lol. Looks great I think they compliment each other very well.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

 

[StayDirtyMyFriends]

Been a while since I've gotten on here and checked this thread. Good ideas and you're great at turning them into usable products. I was at EJS and I thought that was you in the vendor tent, but I wasn't sure. I should have just asked... I had wanted to have a conversation with you about your projects. No questions in particular, just chat. I really like the safari top and had to have one, don't really have the skills or time to build my own, so I went with the Smittybilt version. I really want a barn door style setup on it now though, and that will be up to me to figure out now. I had my dog with me though and couldn't come into the tent, so I just stood outside with him for about a half hour waiting on my friends to go through.

 

[jscherb]

Been a while since I've gotten on here and checked this thread. Good ideas and you're great at turning them into usable products. I was at EJS and I thought that was you in the vendor tent, but I wasn't sure. I should have just asked... I had wanted to have a conversation with you about your projects. No questions in particular, just chat. I really like the safari top and had to have one, don't really have the skills or time to build my own, so I went with the Smittybilt version. I really want a barn door style setup on it now though, and that will be up to me to figure out now. I had my dog with me though and couldn't come into the tent, so I just stood outside with him for about a half hour waiting on my friends to go through.

The MORryde/Retrofit Offroad booth was right at the end of the tent, you should have popped your head in long enough to say hi - I would have come out and it would have been nice to talk.

I wonder if the Smittybilt glass liftgate is curved the same way as the factory liftgate - it has to be at the bottom to seal against the tailgate but it may be different above that. The liftgate opening on my Safari Cab is compatible with the factory liftgate shape and curves so my barn door works very well with the factory hardtop - if the Smittybilt curves are the same then my barn door would work there too.

Probably to save money by using a part from their other hardtops, Smittybilt made the liftgate opening the same size as the other hardtops, but the back wall of their Safari hardtop is much taller. It might be cool to make a custom barn door for that hardtop that takes advantage of the extra height - it would require enlarging the hardtop liftgate opening but that wouldn't be too hard to do.

 

[StayDirtyMyFriends]

The MORryde/Retrofit Offroad booth was right at the end of the tent, you should have popped your head in long enough to say hi - I would have come out and it would have been nice to talk.

I wonder if the Smittybilt glass liftgate is curved the same way as the factory liftgate - it has to be at the bottom to seal against the tailgate but it may be different above that. The liftgate opening on my Safari Cab is compatible with the factory liftgate shape and curves so my barn door works very well with the factory hardtop - if the Smittybilt curves are the same then my barn door would work there too.

Probably to save money by using a part from their other hardtops, Smittybilt made the liftgate opening the same size as the other hardtops, but the back wall of their Safari hardtop is much taller. It might be cool to make a custom barn door for that hardtop that takes advantage of the extra height - it would require enlarging the hardtop liftgate opening but that wouldn't be too hard to do.

Yeah, I saw you (now that I've gone through posts on here with your photo), I was standing on that end of the tent on the other side by a plastic drum, just outside the clothing booth.
The glass itself appears to be flat, to get the bottom of the glass to seal with the tailgate they used something like a fiber infused plastic that is more rounded and molded onto the bottom 1" - 1 1/2"of the glass. I can snap a pic if you're curious. There is about 7" or so of extra height above the glass, so it is probably the same piece as they use on their regular hard tops. I have the morryde hinges, but I think you mentioned before that to use a barn door, a wide swing style of hinge would be needed.

 

[jscherb]

Yeah, I saw you (now that I've gone through posts on here with your photo), I was standing on that end of the tent on the other side by a plastic drum, just outside the clothing booth.
The glass itself appears to be flat, to get the bottom of the glass to seal with the tailgate they used something like a fiber infused plastic that is more rounded and molded onto the bottom 1" - 1 1/2"of the glass. I can snap a pic if you're curious. There is about 7" or so of extra height above the glass, so it is probably the same piece as they use on their regular hard tops. I have the morryde hinges, but I think you mentioned before that to use a barn door, a wide swing style of hinge would be needed.

Your MORryde hinges will work fine for a barn door for the Smittybilt Safari hardtop because that hardtop has a narrow hatch opening that matches the width of the tailgate (also matches the width of the early JK hatch opening), see below.

Wide-swing hinges are necessary for barn doors for the later model factory wide-hatch hardtop openings because the right side of the hatch is to the right of the hinge pins.

 

[StayDirtyMyFriends]

Your MORryde hinges will work fine for a barn door for the Smittybilt Safari hardtop because that hardtop has a narrow hatch opening that matches the width of the tailgate (also matches the width of the early JK hatch opening), see below.

Wide-swing hinges are necessary for barn doors for the later model factory wide-hatch hardtop openings because the right side of the hatch is to the right of the hinge pins.

Thank you for clarifying that for me. I may give it a go and attempt a barn door type of replacement for the glass. I'm not real sure where to begin with it exactly.

 

[akpostal]

I really like Scherb's Safari 2 door concept, the Smittybilt doesnt do it for me. The sliding windows that are coming to market soon for the 2 door will keep me happy.

Before I put my rear rack together I wanted the Barn door, but now the flip glass works best for me.

 

[jscherb]

Thank you for clarifying that for me. I may give it a go and attempt a barn door type of replacement for the glass. I'm not real sure where to begin with it exactly.

It does appear from the photos I've seen that the Smittybilt liftgate glass is flat, so if that's true it will simplify the construction of a barn door. The factory hardtop liftgate is curved in both directions, so in order to get a weathertright seal with a barn door on a factory hardtop the barn door has to be curved in both directions to match the curves of the liftgate opening in the hardtop.

Some barn door design considerations:

- The tailgate is curved, so for a flat barn door to fit a Smittybilt top, some way must be designed to allow the flat barn door to seal to the curved tailgate.

- A method of attaching the barn door to the tailgate must be designed and fabricated. The hardware should be strong enough for the barn door/tailgate assembly to be rigid - if the barn door isn't rigidly attached to the tailgate it may not exert enough pressure on the hardtop weatherseal to be weathertight.

- The barn door itself must be rigid so materials need to be selected so the barn door is rigid and/or reinforcements need to be designed in. For example, a barn door made of a simple piece of 1/4" plexiglass will be flexible enough that it may not exert enough pressure on the hardtop weatherseal to be weathertight.

- Window glass: laminated safety glass or tempered glass? Framed RV-style window or glass + gasket style? I wouldn't recommend a plastic window (plexiglass or other) because they scratch easily and are subject to clouding due to UV exposure (BTW the Alpine windows in the Smittbilt Safari hardtop are plastic, so if it were mine I'd regularly use a UV protectant on them).

- Probably not an issue for a barn door for a Smittybilt top, but for a factory hardtop barn door decisions must be made about the wiper and defroster grid. If either of these are to be features of the barn door, a wiper motor and arm/blade must be sourced and wired; a washer nozzle must be sourced, mounted and plumbed, and for the defroster a grid must be sourced, applied to the glass and wired.

I hope this helps.

 

[StayDirtyMyFriends]

It does appear from the photos I've seen that the Smittybilt liftgate glass is flat, so if that's true it will simplify the construction of a barn door. The factory hardtop liftgate is curved in both directions, so in order to get a weathertright seal with a barn door on a factory hardtop the barn door has to be curved in both directions to match the curves of the liftgate opening in the hardtop.

Some barn door design considerations:

- The tailgate is curved, so for a flat barn door to fit a Smittybilt top, some way must be designed to allow the flat barn door to seal to the curved tailgate.

- A method of attaching the barn door to the tailgate must be designed and fabricated. The hardware should be strong enough for the barn door/tailgate assembly to be rigid - if the barn door isn't rigidly attached to the tailgate it may not exert enough pressure on the hardtop weatherseal to be weathertight.

- The barn door itself must be rigid so materials need to be selected so the barn door is rigid and/or reinforcements need to be designed in. For example, a barn door made of a simple piece of 1/4" plexiglass will be flexible enough that it may not exert enough pressure on the hardtop weatherseal to be weathertight.

- Window glass: laminated safety glass or tempered glass? Framed RV-style window or glass + gasket style? I wouldn't recommend a plastic window (plexiglass or other) because they scratch easily and are subject to clouding due to UV exposure (BTW the Alpine windows in the Smittbilt Safari hardtop are plastic, so if it were mine I'd regularly use a UV protectant on them).

- Probably not an issue for a barn door for a Smittybilt top, but for a factory hardtop barn door decisions must be made about the wiper and defroster grid. If either of these are to be features of the barn door, a wiper motor and arm/blade must be sourced and wired; a washer nozzle must be sourced, mounted and plumbed, and for the defroster a grid must be sourced, applied to the glass and wired.

I hope this helps.

Thank you for the information. I was considering either 1/2" or 3/4" plywood for the basic frame shape that would be replacing the glass. I don't know if that will be strong enough to not flex against the seal though.

I would just use a standard rv window or I may not even put a window in it, because I have a backup cam that I can just keep on to be able to see what's behind.

 

[jscherb]

Thank you for the information. I was considering either 1/2" or 3/4" plywood for the basic frame shape that would be replacing the glass. I don't know if that will be strong enough to not flex against the seal though.

I would just use a standard rv window or I may not even put a window in it, because I have a backup cam that I can just keep on to be able to see what's behind.

Plywood may be stiff enough, and installing an RV window in it will also stiffen the plywood so that may work out. Thicker plywood may stand proud of the hardtop - the original glass is about 1/4" thick and I believe when closed it ends up roughly flush with the hardtop or slightly lower, so 3/4" plywood may be raised as much as 1/2" from the surface of the hardtop at that point. That may or may not be objectionable to you.

You could use thinner plywood, even 1/4", if you build a supporting structure inside it. The Safari Cab barn door has an internal structure to make it completely rigid, it's visible in this photo. There's a raised area going all the way around the window (consistent with automotive practice for the last 100 years or so ); this area is wider at the bottom to enclosed the wiper motor. With a structure something like this even 1/4" plywood would be rigid enough and it would integrate nicely with the hardtop as it slopes in.

 

[rubicon91]

Jeff as always it is an absolute pleasure to meet up and have a drink and talk Jeep. Now that I'm have seen the flat fenders both front and rear in person I absolutely love them. They look fantastic. Unfortunately due to mother nature we did not get to hang out more and I didn't get to see the fridge slide/table but I will before he leaves. What do they say if you do not have a picture it doesn't exist. Here are our jeeps. And that stubby front bumper ties in perfectly. Great Job all the way around Jeff with those fenders.

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[jscherb]

Jeff as always it is an absolute pleasure to meet up and have a drink and talk Jeep. Now that I'm have seen the flat fenders both front and rear in person I absolutely love them. They look fantastic. Unfortunately due to mother nature we did not get to hang out more and I didn't get to see the fridge slide/table but I will before he leaves. What do they say if you do not have a picture it doesn't exist. Here are our jeeps. And that stubby front bumper ties in perfectly. Great Job all the way around Jeff with those fenders.

Thanks Donny, glad you like the fenders!! Hopefully it won't be raining next week when we get together for lunch - I'd really like your feedback on the fridge slide/table/water system, I've got zero camping experience compared to you (actually, compared to almost anyone) so your feedback on the design will be very helpful!
Jeff