Barn Door for JK factory hardtops

[jscherb]

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!

. I configure the Jeep for each trip, so the kitchen (and sink) are more often out of the Jeep than in, but I leave the kitchen battery in the Jeep pretty much all the time - mounted where it is, it's generally out of the way (except when I was testing the new Molle panel ), and since it's connected to the kitchen charging system the battery is always maintained.

 

[Jimmbobb]

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

How exactly did your valve stems fail? What broke?

The first flat happened at speed, didn't know what happened. As I was pulled over at the next rest stop checking things out, I hears the psssssstttttt of the second tire going flat. I could manipulate the valve stem to get the air to stop if I held it just so -- like rabbit ears on a 1970s tv. Air was rushing out where the stem came through the wheel.
At that point I pulled all the sensors and took the two tires to have new stems installed. My working theory was that the weight at the end of the stem, at speed, was too much. It's possible it was that and a poor install or mediocre stem, or that the sensor had nothing to do with it, but I was too spooked to figure that out.
I have a vague memory of a recall of an earlier version of this, the kind where each sensor just showed green or red. I'll have to look for that info.

 

[jscherb]

A couple of weeks ago I finished up my DIY changing room, made from an inexpensive set of canopy tent walls from Walmart:

I also posted about a few other details such as a shoe keeper and shelves for the inside of the changing room and now those are fininshed too.

I did these final details with the RTT off the Jeep and in its storage location against the garage wall, so these photos are sideways. You can use your imagination to rotate them .

This first photo shows the collapsible shelves. I'm holding them out as they'd be with the tent on top of the Jeep. it's got several compartments and a closet pole for hanging things.

The shelves fold flat, and can stay in place when the tent is stowed, they'll fit under the travel cover just fine and when the tent is deployed they'll unfold and hang down properly.

It's hung with fold-flat hooks:

The shelves came from Walmart and were about $16: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Better-H...ction-4-Shelf-Closet-Organizer-Gray/408298894

Before I made the changing room I sewed two shoe caddies; these hung at the side of the ladder so dirty shoes could be stored in them instead of on the ground or inside the tent. I took this photo when I was first testing them:

I originally sewed them with awning rope that slipped into the channel at the bottom of the tent platform, but since I used that channel for the changing room walls, I changed the shoe caddies to hang with snaps.

In the photo above you can also see a grommet in the top edge of the shoe caddy, it's there because the tent awning support rod goes into a hole in the edge rail of the tent platform there.

I installed the snaps with screws into holes I drilled in the edge rail of the tent platform:

I probably won't have the tent back on the Jeep until the spring; when it is up there I'll post photos of these accessories in action.

 

[jscherb]

A week or so ago I posted a question about jerry can covers, I was wondering if anyone knew exactly what they were for - apparently the military had canvas covers for jerry cans at one point. The discussion evolved towards plastic containers so I posted this photo of bulging Rotopax, wondering if an insulated cover would prevent this, and wondering if the bulging was dangerous.

Bulging must be at least potentially damaging to the Rotopax, because this warning is on the Rotopax web site:

We recommend venting fuel packs daily based on temperature and elevation changes, we will not warranty packs that have not been vented.

I suppose bulging could be dangerous, if one bulges enough to need to be replaced under a warranty it's likely leaking.

I drew an idea for an insulated Rotopax cover the other day, it would be sewn with insulation inside to reduce heat transfer from the sun to the container/contents, and would also support the attachment of Molle gear:

The concept seemed interesting so I sewed one.

On the side mount on my JKU:

There's a lot of room on the side for Molle gear.

I'm thinking a matching Molle bag, perhaps for recovery gear (strap, gloves, etc.) would be useful so maybe I'll sew one of them next.

 

[Jimmbobb]

On the side mount on my JKU:

There's a lot of room on the side for Molle gear.
I'm thinking a matching Molle bag, perhaps for recovery gear (strap, gloves, etc.) would be useful so maybe I'll sew one of them next.

I would buy one. I work with portable boat gas tanks daily, and had considered some sort of apron for them to ease the solar heating and expansion.

Your Molle on the outside is a great idea!

 

[jscherb]

Today's sewing project - a recovery bag to go with the insulated Rotopax cover. It's specifically designed to work with the Rotopax cover, but it can attach to pretty much any Molle surface. The bag is well reinforced, with stiffened sides and straps that go all the way around the bag and four Molle straps on the back, so it can carry a pretty good load. It's also got d-rings on the sides for a shoulder strap, should I decide to make one.

It's about half full with these items:

On the Jeep:

 

[ITTOG]

Have you driven it at highway speeds with just the rotopax cover and then with the recovery kit bag? If yes, how is the road noise?

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[jscherb]

Have you driven it at highway speeds with just the rotopax cover and then with the recovery kit bag? If yes, how is the road noise?

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

When I finished sewing yesterday it was pouring rain and when I finished sewing today it was snowing so I haven't road tested these yet. I'll drive them around tomorrow. Based on the other things I've had on the side mounts over the years I don't expect any noise or other problems.

 

[jscherb]

I'm experimenting with flush latches for the cargo window/hatches and working with the window company to see if they can implement the latches I'm experimenting with.

Because the prototype cargo windows the window company sent me have acrylic panes instead of tempered glass, I can cut holes in the panes to test different latches, so here are the flush latches I'm experimenting with. The mounting hardware for the original turn latches is still in place so ignore that hardware in these photos.

They operate very easily:


It's not clear at this point that the window company will be able to implement these but based on the testing I've done using these latches is a reasonable thing for me to ask the window company for.

I'll be installing this window in Robert's JK the Saturday after Christmas, stay tuned for photos and video then.

 

[jscherb]

Robert is home for Christmas so I have access to the 2dr. Today I installed the cargo window to see how the flush latches look and work. I installed these latches in the prototype windows the window company sent me, I was able to cut holes for them because the prototype has acrylic instead of glass. Also since the windows originally had t-handle turn latches the mounting hardware for those is still in place next to the new flush latches.

A closeup video of the latches. The acrylic flexes a bit; the production glass windows won't do that.


I'm still discussing these latches with the window company, it isn't certain yet that they'll be able to be used in the production windows.

I also made up a mockup Molle panel for the inside compartment and installed that so I could locate the holes for the mounting hardware.

Now that the holes are located I'll do a final engineering drawing so the Molle grid can be made in metal.

For comparison with the printout mockup, here are a few photos of the JKU version; after doing a cardstock mockup of that one I made a JKU prototype in metal so these photos show what the 2dr version will look like in metal.

 

[jscherb]

Here's a nice idea from the February issue of JP Magazine that would work well with the cargo windows/hatches. The magazine did a story on a Grand Cherokee that has cargo hatches instead of rear windows and it has a tool board inside...

It's in the February 2020 issue of JP, page 46.

 

[jscherb]

While I had the 2dr here I tried the Rotopax with the insulated cover on it.

And with the matching recovery gear bag...

And speaking of things that attach to the tailgate hinges... a while back I designed adapter brackets for the JL tailgate for mounting JK tailgate accessories to the JL - these brackets bolt to the JL tailgate hinges and provide a JK hinge bolt pattern, so accessories designed to bolt to the JK tailgate hinges can be bolted to the JL without modification. Retrofit Offroad picked these up and they're now in production and available on their website. A few photos:

Retrofit has several JK accessories that fit these brackets, such as a Rotopax mount and a HiLift mount, and they will soon have a "Universal Grid" that works with both the JK and the JL that provides a generic mounting grid for whatever gear you'd like to mount.

 

[jgaz]

Nice idea and design on the JK to JL accessory brackets.
Its a simple thing but gives JL owners a lot more options and/or the ability to use what they might already have.

 

[jscherb]

Nice idea and design on the JK to JL accessory brackets.
Its a simple thing but gives JL owners a lot more options and/or the ability to use what they might already have.

Thanks. It seemed like an obvious thing to do, why Jeep had to arbitrarily change the hinge bolt spacing from the JK to the JL I don't understand. Anyway with these adapter brackets most things designed to mount to the JL tailgate hinges should bolt right up.

Another related idea, I designed a "Universal Grid" that bolts to either the tailgate hinges of the JL or JK, or to the door hinges, and provides a grid for mounting things. The grid works great with QuickFist clamps and many other things that have a bolt-on mount. A design sketch:

 

[jscherb]

I'm always coming across new things to try on the headrest zipper mount. This bag came from the motorcycle world, I think it goes nicely with the Sahara leather seats...

Some of the other things I've attached using the headrest zipper mount - the Overland Outfitters leather and canvas "Backpack" bag (also has shoulder straps and backpack straps for carrying away from the Jeep), a "RollBag", originally intended for the roll bar but I added a zipper to this one to carry my recovery strap, a Rothco canvas bag I picked up at a military store and a military surplus Molle waist bag.

In all of the above photos, I've also got headrest Molle panels installed.


And... just got the March issue of JP (maybe the last issue ever?), it's always fun to see things that originate in this thread getting coverage in a magazine...