Barn Door for JK factory hardtops

[Comanche Scott]

Hi Jeff,

This is really great news!
I have to ask a stupid question because I lost track...
Is this first test window frame for the Jk or JKU?

I am loving the soft top, but when these windows come out, the soft top will most likely be put away for the next owner.
Super Mutt has promised to stop eating grass if I put sliding windows in the hard top for him.

 

[jscherb]

Hi Jeff,

This is really great news!
I have to ask a stupid question because I lost track...
Is this first test window frame for the Jk or JKU?

I am loving the soft top, but when these windows come out, the soft top will most likely be put away for the next owner.
Super Mutt has promised to stop eating grass if I put sliding windows in the hard top for him.

The first test window frame I asked the window company to make up is for the later model JKU. Part of the reason I chose to do this one first was that this size window fits both the JKU hardtop and the JKU Safari Cab, so I can do test installs in both. I have made up templates for all 4 sizes, and once the final engineering is done for one size, it's easy for the window company to do any other size.

I don't know which model would be released first. Going by the numbers only, there are more late model JKUs out there than anything else, so this first test frame they made me will fit more of the JKs out there than any other size. But will late model JKU owners want these sliders? Or will some other model owners be more interested? Early model JK 2dr models maybe? Hard to know, and since there are 4 different size windows between the 2dr/4dr and early/late versions of both, it's a tough decision.

 

[akpostal]

As giddy as I am about the potential for a slider, a barn door would be just as awesome.

Any more work on the storage door replacement window for the hard top?

 

[Comanche Scott]

The first test window frame I asked the window company to make up is for the later model JKU. Part of the reason I chose to do this one first was that this size window fits both the JKU hardtop and the JKU Safari Cab, so I can do test installs in both. I have made up templates for all 4 sizes, and once the final engineering is done for one size, it's easy for the window company to do any other size.

I don't know which model would be released first. Going by the numbers only, there are more late model JKUs out there than anything else, so this first test frame they made me will fit more of the JKs out there than any other size. But will late model JKU owners want these sliders? Or will some other model owners be more interested? Early model JK 2dr models maybe? Hard to know, and since there are 4 different size windows between the 2dr/4dr and early/late versions of both, it's a tough decision.

Yeah, I've been following along the thread over on WF, and putting in my vote for late model JKU.

The hardtop JK owners would really benefit more than anyone, since they only have two opening windows. So in a twisted sort of way, I'm kind of pulling for them.
I feel for those folks that travel with their dogs in the JK.
In reality, I could wait. We're still having a lot of fun running with the soft top down and stored, on the trails. Nothing like that wide open, fresh air feeling.
And since the rear seats are out, the dog(s) get to stick their heads out the side windows and drool down the doors to their hearts content. lol

Like akpostal said, the Barn Door would sure go great with the sliding windows... :elkgrin:

 

[jscherb]

Any more work on the storage door replacement window for the hard top?

Once the frame and mounting for the slider window is finalized, it's a simple matter to create a storage door with the same specs, so my focus right now is the slider frame and the frame mounting kit (this kit adapts the flat window frame to the curved window mounting surface of the factory hardtop).

I have been working on a storage door project, but it's for my military trailer, not the hardtop. In the last two weeks I've been building a chuck wagon/storage module topper/kitchen concept for the trailer, it's got four storage hatches (and a liftgate)...

That's over in my trailer thread, if anyone's interested the topper construction starts about here: http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...y-style-Trailer-Tub-Kit?p=2063467#post2063467

Working on the trailer project has given me some ideas about how a storage compartment for the hardtop might be configured, so it's useful input to the design of the fiberglass compartment that would go inside the hardtop behind the hatches.

 

[jscherb]

As giddy as I am about the potential for a slider, a barn door would be just as awesome.

Like akpostal said, the Barn Door would sure go great with the sliding windows... :elkgrin:

Would there really be enough demand for a fairly expensive upgrade like the barn door to make it worthwhile for a company to bring it to market? I haven't been able to convince myself there would be. It costs very little for me to mold and assemble a barn door in my home garage because my labor is free, but by the time a company got it into production their costs (labor, overhead, costs to outside suppliers for the various components, profit) it wouldn't be inexpensive anymore.

 

[Comanche Scott]

Mass Marketing

Would there really be enough demand for a fairly expensive upgrade like the barn door to make it worthwhile for a company to bring it to market? I haven't been able to convince myself there would be. It costs very little for me to mold and assemble a barn door in my home garage because my labor is free, but by the time a company got it into production their costs (labor, overhead, costs to outside suppliers for the various components, profit) it wouldn't be inexpensive anymore.

1). Definitely not cost effective on a small production scale. But submit to a company who does fiberglass for a living, looking to diversify after the bath of the loss in construction, and the view is very different. You may find the entire Safari Top is a plausible product.

2). People spend $1,800 on a soft top, just so they don't have to deal with the window.
http://www.quadratec.com/products/11116_4535_07.htm

3). Think about how excited the masses of Jeep folks were on the Africa Concept.

Yep, I do think there is a market. Just needs to be promoted, and easily/readily available.
People spend thousands of dollars on things as simple as lift kits, and Roof Top Tents...
Don't sell yourself short. What you've deigned and built is an answer to a big issue that would satisfy the masses. :beer:

 

[akpostal]

I think the barn door with the right marketing would be a big hit.

The sliders would be a big hit with 2 door owners with dogs, that marketing would write itself.

The full Safari top may be a harder sell do to cost, but would still be awesome.

You do impressive work with a great eye for detail. I really hope you license these out.

 

[Comanche Scott]

i should also add, your system doesn't leak... :victory:
Maybe Jeep engineers should take note. :beer:

 

[crusaderJK]

I think you should integrate a tailgate table into your barn door. I think the mounting bars for the barn door would interfere with the tailgate tables that are on the market today. So why not design a tailgate table that mounts to the mounting bars.
Added value at low cost!!

 

[jscherb]

Using the barn door mounting bars to carry gear or mount something like a table has been part of the plan from the beginning. Here's a post from way back in this thread showing some design ideas, including a table: http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...for-JK-factory-hardtops?p=1619417#post1619417. This design was done by a friend; since I didn't own a JK at the time, the first prototype barn door was for his JK, and he was working up these design ideas. Here's Tom's prototype:

I've also been thinking about a design that's simplified from Tom's original concept, with either a Molle grid or a table, or a table with a Molle grid on the outside (the bottom when it's open).

Or, I may use the StoreGate storage compartment/trail table I've already had installed on the tailgate:

I've had a non-table version of the StoreGate installed on my LJ for a long time, and it wasn't too hard to adapt it to work with the barn door stakes.

 

[Jorsn]

What about a rear window delete for the barn door? Could you do additional mounts in place of where the window is? I know Rebel Off Road did something like this years ago where they deleted the rear window and mounted a rotopax in place of the window. I was thinking more along the lines of mounting Molle bags in place of the window on the interior therefore doubling the storage space on the tailgate area and possibly a shovel mount on the external side.

 

[jscherb]

What about a rear window delete for the barn door? Could you do additional mounts in place of where the window is? I know Rebel Off Road did something like this years ago where they deleted the rear window and mounted a rotopax in place of the window. I was thinking more along the lines of mounting Molle bags in place of the window on the interior therefore doubling the storage space on the tailgate area and possibly a shovel mount on the external side.

That's really easy to do. The barn door window is a piece of flat safety glass held in place with a locking window gasket, so all that's required is to remove the glass, and replace the glass with a sheet of 1/4"-thick solid material (fiberglass, Starboard, or perhaps plywood with a skin like sheet metal laminated to it, etc.) using the same gasket to install the solid panel. I can even show you what it might look like... when I molded the first barn door, I temporarily installed a piece of plywood painted white in the window opening:

Viewed from the inside of the hardtop:

The other option is to never cut the window opening in the first place, the parts can be molded without the opening. Usually I don't mold the window opening, no reason to waste fiberglass materials on something you're just going to cut out and discard, but when I molded the first set of parts I molded the outer skin solid; I didn't mold the inner skin solid but I could have.

Either way, easy to do.

 

[jscherb]

Since we've been talking a lot about tailgates...

A couple of years ago I made up a jerry can carrier for my LJ that mounted between the tailgate and the spare carrier. I made it to hold one can, and it worked very well.

My original design was to hold 2 cans, and I planned to make the 2-can design, but never got around to it... until now. I just finished building a 2-can carrier, this time for the JK.

It's designed to also hold a HiLift, but since I haven't made the HiLift brackets yet, the jack is just sitting in place.

My gas cans are empty right now, but a cinder block (28 lbs.) is pretty close to the weight of 5 gallons of gas (6 lbs//gal x 5 = 30 lbs.).

Both Jeeps have HD tailgate hinges and tailgate reinforcements that make carrying this kind of weight possible - the LJ has a Gr8Tops Exogate, and the JK has MORryde HD hinges and tailgate reinforcement.

 

[jscherb]

The prototype slider window frame arrived today. It's just a frame, no glass yet at this stage. Once I verify the fit in the hardtop panel the next step will be to get complete prototypes made with glass.

So far everything looks good - my first impression is that the window company got the angles exactly correct; this next photo shows the frame just sitting on top of the test hardtop panel.

Next I'll trim the window opening in the hardtop panel and mount the frame along with the retrofit kit that adapts the flat window to the curved mounting surface.

BTW this window will fit both the factory hardtop (with the retrofit kit) and the JK Safari Cab (no retrofit kit required).