Barn Door for JK factory hardtops

[jscherb]

Finished all but one of the brackets and bolted everything together. There is no drilling in the Jeep required, everything bolts right in place.

Once the sides are carpeted the black carriage bolts will blend in nicely.

Not visible in the photos is a bracket securing the front to the floor; the one last bracket I need to make will secure the right front corner to the floor. I've designed it, just have to make it and bolt it in place. When that's done it'll be time to make the lid. The lid in this next photo is the cardboard mockup lid, you can see where it'll hinge. Probably will make the lid tomorrow.

 

[Presto88]

That's really looking nice, Jeff. I may not copy yours exactly (when I FINALLY get around to building something there) but it's going to be pretty close. The only real difference I would like is for the box to be taller so I can store more in it. I'm not concerned about it being on the same level as the rear compartment. Should be an easy modification on my end! Thanks for doing all of this leg work for the rest of us bums!

 

[jscherb]

That's really looking nice, Jeff. I may not copy yours exactly (when I FINALLY get around to building something there) but it's going to be pretty close. The only real difference I would like is for the box to be taller so I can store more in it. I'm not concerned about it being on the same level as the rear compartment. Should be an easy modification on my end! Thanks for doing all of this leg work for the rest of us bums!

Jim,
Thanks.

As designed, there's no reason the sides couldn't be made taller, the same brackets could be used.
Jeff

 

[jscherb]

Finished construction of the 2/3 Seat Delete/Storage Compartment Kit.

The lid in action:


The next step is to remove all the parts for painting and carpeting. While the plywood parts are out I'll trace them to make patterns to be part of a set of instructions.

 

[jgaz]

Nicely done

 

[14JKURX]

Great job!
Now it just needs to go to market where the rest of us can get the DIY Kit.

 

[jscherb]

Nicely done

Great job!

Thank you very much. I'm very pleased with how the design is coming together.

Now it just needs to go to market where the rest of us can get the DIY Kit.

If a company or person wanted to bring such a kit to market I'd propose they offer two things:

1. The seat delete bracket. This should be offered separately for those who don't plan to do a storage compartment and just want to remove the big side of the seat.

2. The storage compartment "DIY Kit". I'd recommend this consist of the brackets for the compartment (you'd also need to buy the seat delete bracket), paper patterns for the plywood parts and instructions. The builder would source his own plywood, nuts and bolts, latch and whatever finish and/or carpet was desired.

Does that make sense?

Not sure if anyone will want to bring a kit or the seat delete bracket to market, but I'll be happy to explore the idea with anyone who is interested.

 

[jscherb]

These are the brackets for the seat delete and compartment, painted and ready for final installation. The seat delete bracket is the large one on the right and the rest of the brackets are part of the storage compartment. The small bracket in the center with two slots in it is the striker plate for the latch I used, depending on the latch used this may not be necessary.

I made paper patterns from the plywood parts in case they're needed to as part of a DIY kit. The pattern for the lid is only a pattern for the corner cutout because the lid is a simple rectangle with a cutout in the corner. The rear piece that the hinge attaches to is made from a simple length of 1x2 and a simple rectangle of plywood so templates aren't necessary for those. I'll scan these and turn them into a PDF for future use.

I'm working on painting the plywood parts now; when that's done I'll cover the parts with carpet and install everything.

 

[jscherb]

The finished seat delete bracket.

 

[jgaz]

That bracket looks good!
Did you duplicate the thickness of the factory bracket for this piece?

I don’t own a JK, but if I did I’d be all over this mod. Making the floor flat would give one the ability to sleep on that side if only on occasion.
I’d do it just for the option of a place to crash when you get to a campsite late or when it’s raining.

 

[jscherb]

That bracket looks good!
Did you duplicate the thickness of the factory bracket for this piece?

I don’t own a JK, but if I did I’d be all over this mod. Making the floor flat would give one the ability to sleep on that side if only on occasion.
I’d do it just for the option of a place to crash when you get to a campsite late or when it’s raining.

Thanks!

The factory bracket is more complicated than this one because it supports the fold function of the big side of the seat as well as supporting the small side of the seat, and it's made of two pieces of 1/8" steel. This bracket is 3/16" steel and it's stronger than the factory bracket in the way it supports the small side of the seat and the seat belt.

 

[Zupan]

Where did you get those Cleco clamps? Those could come in handy for so many things.

 

[jscherb]

Where did you get those Cleco clamps? Those could come in handy for so many things.

Some were my father's, some I picked up at the huge AACA Hershey flea market a few years ago. I've got a bunch more of the clamps in the photos plus many of the "temporary rivet" type which are extremely handy for sheet metal work. They're available lots of places online.

 

[jscherb]

Painting the plywood parts. I'm doing a textured finish in satin black. All of the outside surfaces will be covered in carpet but on the inside this finish will be visible. With the texture it doesn't look like plywood anymore.

 

[Zeep]

That's going to be sweet! Will the dome light luminate the interior of the compartment sufficiently?
Maybe a LED on the lid would be a nice touch.