Barn Door for JK factory hardtops

[jscherb]

The hinges look good! I was kinda hoping they would tie into the tire carrier because I'd like to be able to add a trail rack but they sure look solid.
Nice work.

I've designed that but haven't built it for the JK yet. I have built the TJ/LJ version of it and have been running it for several years on my LJ.

 

[David Harris]

A drawing simulating the JKU Safari Cab showing the windows on either side of the barn door for improved rearward visibility, an Alpine window on the roof which curves over the top, and a slider window on the side.

Nice looking top. Do I detect no small amount of Defender envy going on here?

 

[jscherb]

This week I finished up the work on the mold for the JK Safari Cab rear panel, and yesterday I made the first part in that mold. Here's the resulting part, just popped out of the mold. It hasn't been trimmed yet and the mold release hasn't been washed off, I'll get that done later today.

It's very similar to the factory hardtop rear panel, but it's got recesses for mounting the opera windows on each side of the barn door opening, and it doesn't have hinge recesses above the door opening. It's also got some differences not visible in this photo, such as the bolt flanges for attaching the removable side panels to it.

More photos to come as I get it trimmed and cleaned up.

 

[jscherb]

Here's the Safari Cab rear panel after trimming. Since I made the panel to accept the factory liftgate weatherstrip, I put that on after trimming to test the fit (fits just like factory).

Another shot, with the barn door setting in place. The barn door is slightly large, I won't do a final trim on it until the parts are on a Jeep, which will enable me to final trim it get the door gap perfect all around.

I've still got the plywood "window" in this barn door, and I haven't cut the holes in the panel for the opera windows yet. I do have clear windows on hand to install, so over the next few days I'll put clear windows in all 3 openings. In case you're wondering about the opera windows, the openings the opera windows mount in are the same height and vertical position as the side windows, so they'll match the sides nicely. When the opera windows are installed, the viewable area out of them will be roughly 1" less than the size of the mounting surface on all 4 sides due to the window frame/gasket, so if the window opening looks a bit large in these photos that's why.

 

[jscherb]

I drew on the photo to simulate what it might look like with tinted windows in place.

 

[Jorsn]

Is there an increase in glare coming through those two rear windows at night?

 

[jscherb]

Is there an increase in glare coming through those two rear windows at night?

I've been driving my LJ Safari Cab for almost 4 years now, and based on about 75,000 miles of experience in all kinds of driving conditions, day and night, I can say for sure that there's no negative affect of any kind from the rear windows. What there is an increase in though, is visibility out the back - those windows greatly reduce blind spots out the back. Here's a photo looking out the back of the LJ Safari Cab:

 

[jscherb]

I've installed clear windows in the barn door and the Safari Cab rear panel. It's just plexiglass for now, I don't want to have real glass in there while I'm still in the prototype phase of the project. Real glass will be installed later, and probably some degree of tint to be decided later.

Up on the workbench to see through the windows...

From the inside...

 

[Jorsn]

I've been driving my LJ Safari Cab for almost 4 years now, and based on about 75,000 miles of experience in all kinds of driving conditions, day and night, I can say for sure that there's no negative affect of any kind from the rear windows. What there is an increase in though, is visibility out the back - those windows greatly reduce blind spots out the back. Here's a photo looking out the back of the LJ Safari Cab:

Thanks for the clarification!

I've installed clear windows in the barn door and the Safari Cab rear panel. It's just plexiglass for now, I don't want to have real glass in there while I'm still in the prototype phase of the project. Real glass will be installed later, and probably some degree of tint to be decided later.

Up on the workbench to see through the windows...

From the inside...

Looks like it's really starting to come together!

Do you think the safari top will weigh a lot more than the regular hard top?

 

[Jurfie]

I'm betting it'll weigh less.

 

[jscherb]

Looks like it's really starting to come together!

Thanks. Next I'll be working on the side panels, and after that the roof. Still a ways to go.

Do you think the safari top will weigh a lot more than the regular hard top?

I'm betting it'll weigh less.

Depends on how it's configured. I think with the maximum number of windows (including the 4 Alpine windows in the roof), it'll probably weigh about the same as a factory top. Since glass is heavier than fiberglass, a configuration with fewer windows could come in a little lighter than a factory top.

 

[patsfan]

where and when can I buy this top? will it cost more then an oem top?

thanks

 

[Jorsn]

Thanks. Next I'll be working on the side panels, and after that the roof. Still a ways to go.

Depends on how it's configured. I think with the maximum number of windows (including the 4 Alpine windows in the roof), it'll probably weigh about the same as a factory top. Since glass is heavier than fiberglass, a configuration with fewer windows could come in a little lighter than a factory top.

What about an increase in noise inside the cab? Are you planning on incorporating a head liner or some type of coating?

http://opticarmorwindows.com/default.asp
^^These guys make a JK replacement windshield that weighs 13lbs less than the factory windshield. I bet you could save a good amount of weight with some of their other windows.

 

[jscherb]

What about an increase in noise inside the cab? Are you planning on incorporating a head liner or some type of coating?

For the LJ Safari Cab, I finished the exposed interior fiberglass surfaces with bedliner, and installed a headliner in the roof. There are also strips of carpet along the side below the windows. All of that can be seen in this photo I posted yesterday. It's vey quiet, definitely quieter than a factory LJ hardtop.

In fact because of the headliner, when running with the soft sides instead of the hard sides, with them rolled down on the highway it's about the same noise level as the factory hardtop. That may be hard to believe, but it seems a lot of the noise in the LJ's factory soft top comes from the roof panel drumming in the wind, so eliminating that and replacing it with the hard roof panel with the headliner really brings the noise way down.

Soft sides installed and rolled down (but obviously not on the highway):

BTW in the photo above I'm also running half doors - the combination of the roll-up sides and the half doors is really great on the trails - it's a very open air experience but still with the sun protection and cargo carrying capacity on the roof.

http://opticarmorwindows.com/default.asp
^^These guys make a JK replacement windshield that weighs 13lbs less than the factory windshield. I bet you could save a good amount of weight with some of their other windows.

Weight really isn't a factor since the Safari Cab won't weigh more than a factory top, even in it's heaviest configuration. I'm not a fan of polycarbonate windows, there's really no way to keep them from scratching over time.

 

[jscherb]

where and when can I buy this top? will it cost more then an oem top?

thanks

I don't know if the top will ever be available for sale, I design and build these projects as a hobby and mostly for my own use (and occasionally for friends, like the barn door for Tom's JK in this thread). I not in business and I don't sell anything, so if they are to get to market, some company or person will have to come forward to market them. That's how my other fiberglass designs got on the market (my LJ/TJ Safari Cab, my Jeep-tub trailer kit and my military trailer kit).

As for cost, that totally depends on the company or person that signs up to bring it to market... the cost of raw materials is not too expensive, but the selling price would depend on many factors - that company's cost structure, overhead, marketing cost, profit margin, etc. etc. Based on the material cost, I can build one of these tops for a fraction of what a factory top costs, but I don't count my labor as a cost and I don't have to make a profit or cover a company's costs.