Barn Door for JK factory hardtops

[rubicon91]

Yesterday I whipped up another variation of the JK Safari Cab using the cardstock model:

See now this is absolutely a thing of beauty. I would love to see something like this. A J30 safari cab basically. That would be a stunner of a top.


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[Jurfie]

Safari Cab on a JK-8 with roll-up soft sides...

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ME!!! :wings:

 

[Comanche Scott]

Thank you.

What style window would you install in your barn door?

I'm not a J30 owner and have no plans to be, but I really think the barn door is a perfect option for it. Access to the cargo area is so much more convenient with a barn door than with a hatch/tailgate combo.

I've often thought it would be fun to make the trip out to the Expo, maybe one of these years I'll add it to my itinerary. I could bring the sewing project I did this summer... a tilt-up camper for a Jeep-tub trailer

That is a nice setup!
They have a great expo on the east coast as well.

I would install a bottom tilt out window with a screen, since I'd be using a swing out tire carrier.

 

[jscherb]

See now this is absolutely a thing of beauty. I would love to see something like this. A J30 safari cab basically. That would be a stunner of a top.

That is a nice setup!

I consider the trailer tilt-up to be the prototype for the Safari Cab tilt-up The Safari Cab tilt-up canvas would differ in a few dimensions and some details from the trailer version, but overall it would be very similar. Having proven it on the trailer, I'm confident it would work very well on the Safari Cab as well.

 

[jscherb]

They have a great expo on the east coast as well.

I wasn't aware there was an east cost one, I'll have to look into that.

I would install a bottom tilt out window with a screen, since I'd be using a swing out tire carrier.

Like this?

 

[jscherb]

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ME!!! :wings:

Here's another one for you...

 

[Jurfie]

I really want that. I mean REALLY want it. :drool:

 

[jscherb]

I really want that. I mean REALLY want it. :drool:

I've already done the LJ version of it (shown here compared to a J8). I'm working on the JK version now...

 

[Comanche Scott]

Yep, not sure if I'd do just a pop out (like your rear side window on the safari top, only popping "up"), or a full on gas strut version, like you show.
Would really depend on whether ventilation or access is the primary goal. My thought is more towards ventilation, at this point.

One thing I noticed looking at another roof top clamshell tent was that they use an elastic "waiste band" about the middle of the tent to help suck the material back in when lowering the top. If I remember correctly, I've seen similar things done on pop-up truck campers.
Having had a VW Eurovan camper with the pop top, something like that would be helpful. Especially on a tall Jeep.
Really enjoy your designs, and wish you continued success.

I *think* the last East Coast expo was just a couple of months ago. Might try a PM to Hilldweller, I think he did a seminar at the last one (all this is based on reading different posts on here that mentioned it, no first hand knowledge).

 

[jscherb]

Here's another option I've been thinking about for the JK8 (or a JKU with rear door fillers)...

The modularity of the Safari Cab design makes it possible to configure the entire side panels to swing up. I did some experimenting with the concept on the LJ Safari Cab a while back - I never did a complete implementation on the LJ, but it's definitely practical.

Here's what a JK8 would look like with that option:

 

[Jurfie]

That is just super practical, IMHO; especially for accessing gear in the middle of a jam-packed overland rig.

 

[SLOfizz]

Yesterday I whipped up another variation of the JK Safari Cab using the cardstock model:

The only issue with that is you need the height at the feet like you get on the J30 and you also need the shell height to hold the mattress/tent fabric so the tapered front is an issue. There is a reason John did it the way it is. I own one and know the challenges of it. The AEV version, like yours, looks way better but would not function as fabricated. The foot room and the front window on the J30 are the best feature. I have had to sleep with my head towards the drivers seat a few times.

I do think the J30 could go on a diet and get some of the 6" back. The J30 could get rid of the false ceiling in the top to gain some space, but it would not be much and would loose the luxury feeling inside. Or tapper the mattress at your feet I guess but loose the option to sleep the other way around. I think the best option would be to recess their mounting points to gain an inch, but would make the fabrication trickier.

I would love it of Ursa Minor made this barn door. They have the skills and equipment. I am sure my flip up window will break one day. I have the AEV tire carrier with fuel tanks and people always try to close the tailgate without the window all the way down or the jeep is parked on a hill and it closes itself. It has almost shattered way to many times.

 

[jscherb]

The only issue with that is you need the height at the feet like you get on the J30 and you also need the shell height to hold the mattress/tent fabric so the tapered front is an issue. There is a reason John did it the way it is. I own one and know the challenges of it. The AEV version, like yours, looks way better but would not function as fabricated. The foot room and the front window on the J30 are the best feature. I have had to sleep with my head towards the drivers seat a few times.

I do think the J30 could go on a diet and get some of the 6" back. The J30 could get rid of the false ceiling in the top to gain some space, but it would not be much and would loose the luxury feeling inside. Or tapper the mattress at your feet I guess but loose the option to sleep the other way around. I think the best option would be to recess their mounting points to gain an inch, but would make the fabrication trickier.

Doing a mechanism like the J30 is a fallback position for this one, but I think it's worth prototyping it as I've shown it to see how the room inside really works out. Both the J30 and the AEV unit have something taking up room that this design doesn't - the roof/false floor. My plan is to mount the sleeping platforms directly on the sport bars, which saves quite a bit of space (and weight) over that those others have. That additional space should also be enough for the mattress/tent fabric as you mentioned.

I would love it of Ursa Minor made this barn door. They have the skills and equipment. I am sure my flip up window will break one day. I have the AEV tire carrier with fuel tanks and people always try to close the tailgate without the window all the way down or the jeep is parked on a hill and it closes itself. It has almost shattered way to many times.

I'm not a J30 owner, but I have had a barn door on my LJ Safari Cab for almost 4 years now, and based on that experience it seems to me a barn door would be highly preferable to the factory lift glass in a camper situation.

If some company other than Ursa Minor signs up to bring the barn door to market, you'd still be able to use it with the Ursa Minor, it's completely compatible and can be installed with no modifications to the Ursa Minor. If there was an Ursa Minor owner who lives close to me who wanted to do what Tom did (put in some sweat equity working alongside me to make one), we could do one and get it installed and tested with the camper.

EDIT: Before I get a bunch of messages from people living far way who want to drop by for a day or two to make a barn door for their Jeep, it really isn't something you can come by to start one day and drive out with it finished the next. There are a lot of man hours and process time hours (example: waiting for gelcoat to cure as the first step of the layup, before the fiberglass layup can begin), so it's something that takes a bit of time - that's why I wrote "an Ursa Minor owner who lives close to me"... molding, assembling and finishing a barn door is best done in a series or work sessions, which is hard to do if someone lives far away. Installing a finished barn door doesn't take very long, but doing all the work to get there takes a bit of time.

 

[Septu]

For the barn door, option 1. Even though I can't really see out the rear - I mean I can with my (now) 33"... but the second I put my trailer on I can't see crap. However I couldn't imagine not having the wiper and defrost. I also LOVE the look of the 3rd brake light and backup lights up there (to cover the stock hinges). Although I think that would be a bunch of work to have a decent functioning backup light up there (the sketch didn't look very deep - depth wise). Some small simple brackets to just mount some small lights would probably be easiest.

However I wouldn't have an issue with a company offering the wiper/defrost as an option.

As for the price... I think realistically it would have to be under $600/700. Not to knock on the work and money things take to get them to the market... but I'd have a hard time shelling that out for this feature... much more than that, and I'd likely deal with the hassle of the lift glass. Unless I broke the glass... then I'd probably get something like this regardless, simply due to the cost of the new glass, vs the cost of something like this.

As for the safari cab... while I LOVE the look - I mean it truly transforms the JK/JKU, and looks AMAZING... I couldn't see myself buying something like it. First off, it wouldn't be cheap (easily 2k+ - likely close to 3k). Then there's the issue of a roof rack - although that's partially resolved with the integrated one. Lastly, you're not actually gaining any real interior room inside. Sure there's now 3-6 inches of additional interior headroom... with the way the roll bars are setup in a JK, the limiting issue (height wise) is actually those, just as much as the hardtop. That said... with the way the fastback tops sell, I'm sure there's a market of sorts for it. Hopefully that works out well for you... because it does look killer!

 

[jscherb]

For the barn door, option 1. Even though I can't really see out the rear - I mean I can with my (now) 33"... but the second I put my trailer on I can't see crap. However I couldn't imagine not having the wiper and defrost. I also LOVE the look of the 3rd brake light and backup lights up there (to cover the stock hinges). Although I think that would be a bunch of work to have a decent functioning backup light up there (the sketch didn't look very deep - depth wise). Some small simple brackets to just mount some small lights would probably be easiest.

However I wouldn't have an issue with a company offering the wiper/defrost as an option.

As for the price... I think realistically it would have to be under $600/700. Not to knock on the work and money things take to get them to the market... but I'd have a hard time shelling that out for this feature... much more than that, and I'd likely deal with the hassle of the lift glass. Unless I broke the glass... then I'd probably get something like this regardless, simply due to the cost of the new glass, vs the cost of something like this.

As for the safari cab... while I LOVE the look - I mean it truly transforms the JK/JKU, and looks AMAZING... I couldn't see myself buying something like it. First off, it wouldn't be cheap (easily 2k+ - likely close to 3k). Then there's the issue of a roof rack - although that's partially resolved with the integrated one. Lastly, you're not actually gaining any real interior room inside. Sure there's now 3-6 inches of additional interior headroom... with the way the roll bars are setup in a JK, the limiting issue (height wise) is actually those, just as much as the hardtop. That said... with the way the fastback tops sell, I'm sure there's a market of sorts for it. Hopefully that works out well for you... because it does look killer!

Thanks for the nice comments, and thanks for the input.

Can you elaborate on how you think the integrated roof rack mounts "partially resolve the issue of a roof rack"? I've had the same feature on the LJ Safari Cab since the beginning, and I've carted lots of stuff up there, including a roof-top tent, and I've never felt like there was some issue it didn't resolve. If I know more about what the issue is that you see in the design maybe I can alter the design to eliminate whatever the issue is.