Barn Door for JK factory hardtops

[jscherb]

BTW if anyone wants to duplicate what I did with the Duluth toiletry bag I posted a photo of earlier today, here's what I did.

I sewed a length of brown webbing along the side of the bag, stitching it every inch and a half like a Molle web might be sewn. Then lengths of double-sided hook & loop fastener from Harbor Freight (https://www.harborfreight.com/3-4-quarter-inch-x-35-ft-roll-hook-and-loop-cable-strap-96215.html) slip behind the webbing to fasten it to the grab bar or roll bars.

Also notice I sewed a short piece of the same webbing to the end of the bag to capture the bag handle. The handle doesn't need to be sticking out and flapping around when the bag is on the grab bar, so it tucks into the piece of webbing on the end.

 

[jscherb]

Finished up the cargo window/hatch Molle/Quickfist panel today. I'll let the paint harden overnight and tomorrow I'll install it and take some final photos.

 

[jscherb]

Installed the final painted prototype JKU cargo compartment Molle/Quickfist panel this morning.

And inside... lots of gear can be carried on the inside of the panel, so it may be useful even to people who don't have the cargo window/hatch installed.

The panel installs with no drilling and without removing the hardtop.

The cargo hatch in the photos above is an early prototype; the production hatch has different hardware and gas struts to support the hatch/window when open. There could be two versions of the cargo window/hatch - a version with tinted glass and a version with a solid aluminum panel powdercoated black.

Also today I started on the design of the JK 2dr panel. Step 1 in creating the panel for the JK 2dr, a full-size printout of the panel design:

 

[Jurfie]

That is awesome!

 

[jscherb]

Maybe someone can explain this to me... what's the purpose of a canvas jerry can cover? Apparently they were military issue?

Reproductions are available: https://www.kaiserwillys.com/canvas-jerry-can-cover-top-fits-41-71-jeep-willys

And other styles are also on the market...

I've never seen one of these in person, let alone on a Jeep, and I'm wondering what the real purpose of these covers might be.

 

[JDaPP]

Keep it from rattling?

 

[jscherb]

Keep it from rattling?

So far I've heard:

- To protect plastic cans from UV (good idea but probably not the reason the military originally used them because plastic cans didn't exist then).

- To protect the spout from accumulation of dirt that might get into the vehicle's tank (reasonable but there is a hole in the original near the spout, I suppose that would keep most dirt away).

- And to prevent rattles (I think the original military straps didn't secure the can well enough to keep it from rattling)

Would those reasons apply enough to make them useful on a modern trail Jeep?

Maybe if it was also insulated, it could limit expansion of the can (especially plastic ones) in cases of high heat/sunlight?

 

[jscherb]

I wonder if an insulated Rotopax cover would help prevent bulging fuel containers? I'm always seeing bulged containers like these and they worry me.

 

[Jurfie]

I wonder if an insulated Rotopax cover would help prevent bulging fuel containers? I'm always seeing bulged containers like these and they worry me.

Yikes!

 

[jscherb]

Two weeks ago I posted this:

At the SEMA Show, a number of companies were showing add-on tire pressure monitoring systems. Mostly I like the factory TPMS system in my JKU and I've been thinking maybe it would be nice to have something similar in the LJ. I talked to a bunch of these vendors at SEMA and this one showed up in the mail yesterday. The battery in the main unit has a solar charger so it's sitting in the sunroom charging so I can test it. I'll post more once I test it.

Now that the snow is mostly melted here I installed the system today.

Here's most of what comes in the kit:

The sensors replace the valve caps on each tire and come preprogrammed for specific locations (they can be reprogrammed without too much trouble). There are replaceable batteries in each sensor. Jam nuts ensure the sensors won't work loose from the valve stems and there's a wrench for tightening the jamb nuts. My kit was short one jam nut, even though the catalog photo shows that five are supplied, I only got three of the four required.

The monitor is solar powered; the top of the box is a solar cell that keeps an internal battery charged. I'm interested to see if the battery stays charged up here in the gloomy winter and with the Jeep spending its non-driving time in the garage - I'll report on that after some usage. A non-skid pad is included for the dash so the monitor can sit on the dash without slipping off altnough there isn't a flat enough place on the JKU dash for the pad so I'll put the monitor in the cubby in the center of the dash. The display (shown larger than life size in the photo below) shows the pressure for each tire, battery charge, whether the unit is charging from the solar cells or not (the sunshine icon).

There are 3 buttons on the top of the monitor unit, these are used for configuring a few features and canceling alarms. Features that can be set include high and low pressure thresholds for alarm activation, measurement units (Bar/PSI) and sensor learning. There's a micro-USB port on the side for charging the battery - this may come in handy in the winter here when there's not much sun. It appears that the low pressure alarm limit can't be set below 25 psi, so that may limit the usefulness of this system on the trail if you run lower pressures than that.

Installation is trivial - remove each valve cap, screw on a jam nut, screw on a sensor, tighten the jam nut against the sensor. Do all 4 and you're done.

I decided to test it on the JKU at first because I'll be able to compare readings with the Jeep's built-in TPMS so the first thing I did after installation was compare the settings:

The Jeep reports about 2psi higher. At the last oil change at the dealer I had them check the pressure with their accurate tire gauge; they set the pressure to 35 so I am inclined to believe the Jeep's readout.

The instructions are typical of those found with a Chinese tech product - some interpretation is required. Two examples: there's a temperature setting function and the instructions explain how to set the temperature, but they don't explain what that function does. In some TPMS systems that function throws an alarm of a tire gets over the specified temperature. (Edit: it does report the tire temperature, it's in a side note in the instructions that I missed. To display the temperatures, press either the left or right arrow button.) The factory setting is 70c (158f).

One other example, the instructions go through the steps required to have the monitor relearn which sensors are being used and where they are, it's a pretty simple procedure except that it doesn't work unless you notice the footnote at the bottom: "Note: Internal sensor code learning by quick air exhaust.". Translation - at the step in the process where the monitor is supposed to learn from a sensor, the sensor won't send a signal to the monitor unless you unscrew the sensor slightly to let a little air leak out. Also that note specifies "internal sensor" (perhaps this kit is also available with in-tire sensors), but letting air out is required for these external sensors as well.

This kit can be found at: https://www.auxbeam.com/70023741. I won't make either a positive or a negative recommendation at this point because I've just installed it and need to do some testing before I decide if I'll use it - if I decide to use it, it will be on one of my non-TPMS Jeeps - the LJ or the pickup.

 

[Jimmbobb]

The sensors replace the valve caps on each tire and come preprogrammed for specific locations (they can be reprogrammed without too much trouble). There are replaceable batteries in each sensor. Jam nuts ensure the sensors won't work loose from the valve stems and there's a wrench for tightening the jamb nuts. My kit was short one jam nut, even though the catalog photo shows that five are supplied, I only got three of the four required.
....
I won't make either a positive or a negative recommendation at this point because I've just installed it and need to do some testing before I decide if I'll use it - if I decide to use it, it will be on one of my non-TPMS Jeeps - the LJ or the pickup.

Word of caution: I installed a similar set up on my Dodge W250 this summer. 50 miles later I had two valve stems fail on tires that had <100 miles on them. They were the cheap rubber stems, and I can't say that the installer didn't do a poor job or that the stems weren't poor quality, but I removed the tpms kit and returned it. Fortunately I was carrying two spares!

 

[jscherb]

Word of caution: I installed a similar set up on my Dodge W250 this summer. 50 miles later I had two valve stems fail on tires that had <100 miles on them. They were the cheap rubber stems, and I can't say that the installer didn't do a poor job or that the stems weren't poor quality, but I removed the tpms kit and returned it. Fortunately I was carrying two spares!

Thanks, I'll keep a close eye on the valve stems.

How exactly did your valve stems fail? What broke?

 

[Bobzdar]

There would be room for more if I didn't have the kitchen battery in the way.

This made me chuckle - the saying "you've got everything but the kitchen sink" doesn't apply to you as you have that and a full kitchen, too!

 

[Zeep]

That much mass at the end of a valve stem created a catastrophic failure on a friends motorcycle once.
Luckily he was ok.
Never the less, I wonder if something like this, could communicate with a aftermarket head unit equipped with tpms?

 

[jscherb]

That much mass at the end of a valve stem created a catastrophic failure on a friends motorcycle once.
Luckily he was ok.
Never the less, I wonder if something like this, could communicate with a aftermarket head unit equipped with tpms?

A lot of these Chinese systems seem to use the same sensors, so a good chance they might work.

Update on my post about the system - I've discovered that if you press the left or right arrow buttons the display will show the temperature the sensors report for each tire. It actually was in a side note in the instructions, I missed it.