Barn Door for JK factory hardtops

[Jurfie]

Love both options! I can envision the availability of purchasing the top as a whole package, and/or the option of buying individual components to build your own. Barn door, flip up side panels, roll up soft sides/rear panel (or the ability to utilize the factory soft-top side/rear panels), hard panels for half doors, larger roll-up soft panel sides that run from behind the front doors over the half doors to the back (or a second zip-in), raised roof, flat roof w/removable panel(s) over the front seats, pop-top camper roof...hmm.

Either way, I sure hope you also develop a 2dr version! While not as popular as an expedition vehicle, I'm certain there would be a lot of interest from those owners...I know at least one that is!! :wings:

 

[jscherb]

Love both options! I can envision the availability of purchasing the top as a whole package, and/or the option of buying individual components to build your own. Barn door, flip up side panels, roll up soft sides/rear panel (or the ability to utilize the factory soft-top side/rear panels), hard panels for half doors, larger roll-up soft panel sides that run from behind the front doors over the half doors to the back (or a second zip-in), raised roof, flat roof w/removable panel(s) over the front seats, pop-top camper roof...hmm.

Thanks. All of the options you list are possible, but if the JK Safari Cab ever got picked up by a company for production I doubt they would produce all of those things. They'd have to decide which options would be most popular and put their money there. It's different when I build a prototype, I can design and build anything I want, I don't have to worry about what might sell or worry about the cost to develop an option, I can just design and build what I think is cool. It's a different thing when you have to make business decisions about production.

Either way, I sure hope you also develop a 2dr version! While not as popular as an expedition vehicle, I'm certain there would be a lot of interest from those owners...I know at least one that is!! :wings:

Some of the parts I'm making work directly on a 2dr, like the barn door and the hardtop rear panel with the opera windows. The longer parts don't, and need some generally minor mold changes. I don't have a 2dr here to work with, so I'm not doing any 2dr-specific parts for the JK Safari prototype. I actually don't even have a JKU of my own yet, I'm working with my friend Tom's for now. Unfortunately I don't have a friend with a 2dr .

 

[MagicMtnDan]

I like the creativity you're showing in this thread so allow me to give you some of my input:

* The factory's design of the rear door and hardtop window is not, IMO, ideal. Having a drop-down tailgate would be an improvement even if it means there'd be a longer reach-across to access the back storage area.
* Your barn door design is an attractive solution but seems to raise other concerns: (1) Removing factory hard top leaves the barn door on there, right? And (2) the rear window can't be opened (or can it?) when carrying long items is the challenge.
* In regard to your new top designs, please consider finding a way to mount a good sized rack on top without using the unattractive and obstructive support tubing that Gobi and others have to use to support the weight. Designing a new top is a great idea but it must (IMO) include a way to support a roof rack. I know you're creative enough to find a way to do this (and you're probably already addressing it).

Keep going - I like what you're doing!

 

[Jurfie]

Some of the parts I'm making work directly on a 2dr, like the barn door and the hardtop rear panel with the opera windows. The longer parts don't, and need some generally minor mold changes. I don't have a 2dr here to work with, so I'm not doing any 2dr-specific parts for the JK Safari prototype. I actually don't even have a JKU of my own yet, I'm working with my friend Tom's for now. Unfortunately I don't have a friend with a 2dr .

If you were closer, I'd offer up mine!

 

[lysol]

I like the creativity you're showing in this thread so allow me to give you some of my input:

* The factory's design of the rear door and hardtop window is not, IMO, ideal. Having a drop-down tailgate would be an improvement even if it means there'd be a longer reach-across to access the back storage area.
* Your barn door design is an attractive solution but seems to raise other concerns: (1) Removing factory hard top leaves the barn door on there, right? And (2) the rear window can't be opened (or can it?) when carrying long items is the challenge.
* In regard to your new top designs, please consider finding a way to mount a good sized rack on top without using the unattractive and obstructive support tubing that Gobi and others have to use to support the weight. Designing a new top is a great idea but it must (IMO) include a way to support a roof rack. I know you're creative enough to find a way to do this (and you're probably already addressing it).

Keep going - I like what you're doing!

But keep the front of the rack back a little so that if someone were to mount front facing lights up there, they wouldn't shine on the hood.

 

[jscherb]

I like the creativity you're showing in this thread so allow me to give you some of my input:

* The factory's design of the rear door and hardtop window is not, IMO, ideal. Having a drop-down tailgate would be an improvement even if it means there'd be a longer reach-across to access the back storage area.

Swag Offroad offers a kit to convert a JK tailgate to drop-down operation: http://www.swagoffroad.com/JK-Drop-Down-Tailgate-Conversion-Kit_p_20.html.

* Your barn door design is an attractive solution but seems to raise other concerns: (1) Removing factory hard top leaves the barn door on there, right? And (2) the rear window can't be opened (or can it?) when carrying long items is the challenge.
* In regard to your new top designs, please consider finding a way to mount a good sized rack on top without using the unattractive and obstructive support tubing that Gobi and others have to use to support the weight. Designing a new top is a great idea but it must (IMO) include a way to support a roof rack. I know you're creative enough to find a way to do this (and you're probably already addressing it).

Keep going - I like what you're doing!

(1) No, the barn door is quickly and easily removable, so when you take the hardtop off, you can remove it.

(2) The barn door will accept any RV-style window, so if you wanted to retain the swing-up feature of the factory liftgate, you could install a swing-up window in the barn door. I can fit at least 8'-long boards in my LJ Safari Cab, whenever I need to carry something longer I either put it on the rack on top, bring my trailer, or drive the Suburban. And as I said the barn door upper is easily removable, so if I really needed to carry something long inside the Jeep and have it hang out the back, I'd just remove the barn door and stick it inside the Jeep, same as you might do with half door uppers.

As for the rack, the design for the JK Safari Cab includes integrated roof rack mounting points that tie the roof rack to the sport bar, so no weight from the rack is borne by the hardtop, and also no exocage-style rack like the Gobi is required.

My LJ Safari Cab has integrated roof rack mounts, and I regularly carry loads up there on the trail with and without the hard sides. The integrated rack mounts on the LJ Safari Cab also tie the rack to the sport bar, so there's no problem supporting a roof-top-tent plus two occupants up there; no weight is borne by the hardtop.

And BTW the barn door is nicer with a roof-top-tent than the factory liftgate would be because you don't have to worry about installing the tent in a way that doesn't interfere with the liftgate.

 

[jscherb]

A few more drawings I did on the flight back from SEMA...

First is Safari Cab with hard side panels. It's got two Alpine windows on each side of the roof, and the side windows have kick-out vent windows in the back like '76-'84 Toyota FJ40 hardtops had.

Same as above, but with a roof rack. The Safari Cab will have integrated roof rack support, so no exocage-type rack is necessary.

And same as above, but with the hard side panels and rear panel swapped out for roll-up side curtains.

 

[Jorsn]

Would it be possible to encorporate storage windows into any of your designs?

 

[jscherb]

Would it be possible to encorporate storage windows into any of your designs?

Funny you should mention that... the other day at SEMA I saw this swing up window/storage compartment in a pickup cap, and it made me wonder if people would want such a thing in a Jeep hardtop.

The way I'm doing the window openings in the JK Safari Cab side panel, it'll be a flat surface (unlike the curved surface of the factory hardtop) so pretty much anything can easily be mounted there. So RV-style windows, glass-and-gasket windows, bonded glass, storage windows, etc., are all possible. I'm planning to do something different (and retro) in the first set of side panels that I mold, so stay tuned.

The one in this pickup cap is made from diamondplate aluminum, and there's an interior light in it that goes on when the window is opened:

Personally I'd rather have visbility in the side of the hardtop than storage, but obviously not everyone feels that way... I also saw this Rotopax mount replacing a window in another Jeep at SEMA:

 

[Jurfie]

View attachment 255680

Hey that's cool...is that a SketchUp model? Neat concept too, but I like the flip up idea better myself.

 

[Jurfie]

The only thing I don't like about those types of windows is the clunky handle lock hardware. Wish someone would come up with a more streamlined design (especially for the side windows).

 

[Jorsn]

Funny you should mention that... the other day at SEMA I saw this swing up window/storage compartment in a pickup cap, and it made me wonder if people would want such a thing in a Jeep hardtop.

The way I'm doing the window openings in the JK Safari Cab side panel, it'll be a flat surface (unlike the curved surface of the factory hardtop) so pretty much anything can easily be mounted there. So RV-style windows, glass-and-gasket windows, bonded glass, storage windows, etc., are all possible. I'm planning to do something different (and retro) in the first set of side panels that I mold, so stay tuned.

The one in this pickup cap is made from diamondplate aluminum, and there's an interior light in it that goes on when the window is opened:

Personally I'd rather have visbility in the side of the hardtop than storage, but obviously not everyone feels that way... I also saw this Rotopax mount replacing a window in another Jeep at SEMA:

I think it would sell... I got those pictures from a thread on here from a few years back and plenty of people were interested. The reason I like the flip down is because it was designed to be a little work bench/prep area with a small led light up above. Something like this...



I too rather have the visibility of hard top windows but it would be nice to have something that was removable for extra storage.

The rotopax/rebel offroad window has been around for a few years now. It's pretty neat... but not worth $300 a window and that's without the rotopax.

Hey that's cool...is that a SketchUp model? Neat concept too, but I like the flip up idea better myself.

Refer to post above.

 

[JDaPP]

I have the rotopax window on my driver's side. My experience is that the window on that side is not useful as I couldn't see out of it anyways. Haven't had a single time where my wife or I cussed not having that window. Just my $.02

 

[jscherb]

The hinge rack system parts are painted and ready for installation and testing. The Hi-Lift brackets can install directly to the hinges, or on the baseplate grid. I hope to test install them both ways later today. I also made up a pair of QuickFist clamps with thumbscrews, they'll go on the Hi-Lift and hold the shovel like the one I saw at SEMA.

The parts just setting in place on a tailgate in the workshop, they're not bolted in this photo.

After Tom and I get this installed, he'll run with it a bit to test it, and we'll also make up some additional carriers, I think we'll probably do a Rotopax bracket next.

 

[jscherb]

Tom and I got together this evening to get some work done on the barn door project and the hinge-mounted accessory project. First we worked on the accessory mounts...

Here's the Hi-Lift mount on the hinges:

In this next photo the Hi-Lift holder is mounted on the grid. There's more room for other accessories, we'll probably do a Rotopax mount next.

A military shovel mounted on the jack using QuickFist clamps:

Someone asked me whether it would be possible to mount a step on the rack to make it easier to access cargo on a roof rack, so I did the 225-lb. gorilla (me) test on the Hi-Lift mount. No problem. (It might look like I'm standing on the bumper in this photo, but I'm standing on the Hi-Lift mount base that's attached to the hinge-mounted accessory rack).