jscherb
Expedition Leader
The bonded windows are surplus from the window manufacturers I'm talking to. Since they're surplus, they're not exactly the correct size for fitting into a JK hardtop, but they're close enough for my testing.
Barn Door for JK factory hardtops
- Thread starter jscherb
- Start date
The bonded windows are surplus from the window manufacturers I'm talking to. Since they're surplus, they're not exactly the correct size for fitting into a JK hardtop, but they're close enough for my testing.
jscherb
Expedition Leader
Project update: Since I finished playing around with window ideas a week or so ago I've been working on the molds for the Safari Cab roof panel. The roof assembly is made up of a number of components in addition to the main roof panel; so far I've been working on the component molds and since those aren't too exciting too look at I haven't posted any photos. When I get to the main roof panel mold I'll be sure to post some photos.
In addition to the hardtop windows I posted about over the past few weeks, I've been working with several window companies on specs for half-door upper slider windows. Today I got engineering drawings from one of the window companies; I can't post them but I did overlay the drawings on a photo of a JKU with half doors.
In addition to the hardtop windows I posted about over the past few weeks, I've been working with several window companies on specs for half-door upper slider windows. Today I got engineering drawings from one of the window companies; I can't post them but I did overlay the drawings on a photo of a JKU with half doors.
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Comanche Scott
Expedition Leader
While the Toyota style pop-outs are my sentimental favorites, I'd probably opt for at least the driver's side to have the locking hatch. That would be the perfect place to keep medical kit, & fire extinguisher, as long as the latch didn't have to be "locked" to stay closed.
Something like a pushbutton latch with a lock tumbler would make it very handy, and a stick on rain gutter (like the ones for the rear door windows) above it to deflect rain.
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Really cool designs Jeff. Will be pretty cool to see this picked up for sale. :beer:
Something like a pushbutton latch with a lock tumbler would make it very handy, and a stick on rain gutter (like the ones for the rear door windows) above it to deflect rain.
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Really cool designs Jeff. Will be pretty cool to see this picked up for sale. :beer:
jscherb
Expedition Leader
I'm thinking the cargo hatches would have slam latches like the one on the small hatch pictured below. Slam latches like this don't have to be locked in order to latch.
About the rain gutter, the JK Safari Cab will have a gutter all the way around, not just over the 4 doors - so the rear hatches and the rear barn door will be protected by the gutter. Wouldn't be too hard to do an add-on gutter for over the cargo hatch opening of a factory hardtop either.
Thanks. Don't know yet if any of this will get picked up for production, I'm just focused on the design and building the first prototypes right now.
Comanche Scott
Expedition Leader
Perfect! :beer:
A
AngryRedBird
Guest
Here's my question.. would it be possible to create a storage hatch/opening/bay in the second row doors.. forgoing the windows in the doors.. making it so that it's a double opening from the inside of the jeep as well as the outside the jeep. Mind you this application would only be used if no others were sitting in the second row seats.
jscherb
Expedition Leader
I don't believe it would make sense to modify the rear doors to accept a cargo hatch - the doors would have to be disassembled and both the movable window and the fixed panel would have to be removed. And the opening would be pretty small anyway, so it might be more trouble than it's worth.
A better solution might be the JK-8 style version of the Safari Cab. In the concept drawing below the entire side panel swings up, but the side panel could be fixed and a swinging cargo hatch installed. This would work with either a half-door in the back, or a door filler panel, and the cargo hatch opening could be the entire length of the side if that made sense for the usage planned for the Jeep.
On a JK-8:
On a JKU, although this drawing shows the roll-up soft side panels instead of the hard side panels, but you get the idea...
jscherb
Expedition Leader
I've posted drawings in the past of a tilt-top camper concept using the Safari Cab parts:
As I've been working on the Safari Cab roof panel mold I've been thinking maybe there's a better way to make a pop-top camper - maybe the roof panel should be hinged at the side instead of the front. If it opened to almost 90 degrees, that would provide a lot more interior room than if it were hinged at the front. Here's a rough idea of what it could look like:
The canvas would unfold as the roof tilted up, to make this animation simple I just "popped it in" in one frame.
As I've been working on the Safari Cab roof panel mold I've been thinking maybe there's a better way to make a pop-top camper - maybe the roof panel should be hinged at the side instead of the front. If it opened to almost 90 degrees, that would provide a lot more interior room than if it were hinged at the front. Here's a rough idea of what it could look like:
The canvas would unfold as the roof tilted up, to make this animation simple I just "popped it in" in one frame.
GetOutThere
Adventurer
How would that side tilting tent do in the wind though? First impressions says ... poorly.
jscherb
Expedition Leader
It's a well-proven design that's been available commercially for the Land Rover Defender from Dormobile for years: http://www.dormobile.co.uk/
jscherb
Expedition Leader
A few photos of the work in progress on the JK Safari Cab roof molds and parts... this may not seem too exciting, but what you're looking at is the rear half of the drip rail/mounting flange for the roof. It's sitting in place on the Safari Cab side panels. I molded two, there's a second one leaning against the workbench in the second photo.
The drip rails will go all the way to the windshield, this is just the rear half. The reason I've made the drip rail/mounting flange in multiple pieces is that the same molds can be used for both the JKU and the JK 2dr Safari Cabs. This part gets bonded to the underside of the roof panel and serves as the bolt flange to attach the roof to the modular sides and rear panel. Also it serves as a drip rail over not only the entry doors, but over the rear side windows, protecting slider windows or cargo hatches from excessive runoff from the roof, and protects the back hatch/barn door opening as well.
And since I designed the mating surfaces of the roof and side/end panels to match the profile of the factory roof, it's possible to modify a factory hardtop by installing a Safari Cab roof on it. Here are a couple of photos of the same part sitting on a factory hardtop:
It's form-fit to the curves of the factory hardtop, and fits very nicely.
I know it doesn't look like a very exciting part, but it's a key to the modularity of the Safari Cab. Also it's key to allowing the roof panel to be installed as a mod to a factory hardtop, and it's key to enabling the roof panel to be set up as a tilt-up camper top like I've shown in concept drawings over the course of this thread.
Just for fun, starting with the photo of the drip rail/bolt flange sitting on the factory hardtop I drew in the rest of the roof components and animated it. It isn't a precise drawing, just a quick sketch to show the roof panel with the drip rail. The drawn-in parts are white to match the color of the actual drip rail that's sitting on the Jeep.
Also added a slider window to the drawing, but didn't add the Safari Cab rear barn door. Anyway, just some fun with my drawing program.
The next mold I'm making is the main roof panel, that one will probably be a little more exciting than this part
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The drip rails will go all the way to the windshield, this is just the rear half. The reason I've made the drip rail/mounting flange in multiple pieces is that the same molds can be used for both the JKU and the JK 2dr Safari Cabs. This part gets bonded to the underside of the roof panel and serves as the bolt flange to attach the roof to the modular sides and rear panel. Also it serves as a drip rail over not only the entry doors, but over the rear side windows, protecting slider windows or cargo hatches from excessive runoff from the roof, and protects the back hatch/barn door opening as well.
And since I designed the mating surfaces of the roof and side/end panels to match the profile of the factory roof, it's possible to modify a factory hardtop by installing a Safari Cab roof on it. Here are a couple of photos of the same part sitting on a factory hardtop:
It's form-fit to the curves of the factory hardtop, and fits very nicely.
I know it doesn't look like a very exciting part, but it's a key to the modularity of the Safari Cab. Also it's key to allowing the roof panel to be installed as a mod to a factory hardtop, and it's key to enabling the roof panel to be set up as a tilt-up camper top like I've shown in concept drawings over the course of this thread.
Just for fun, starting with the photo of the drip rail/bolt flange sitting on the factory hardtop I drew in the rest of the roof components and animated it. It isn't a precise drawing, just a quick sketch to show the roof panel with the drip rail. The drawn-in parts are white to match the color of the actual drip rail that's sitting on the Jeep.
Also added a slider window to the drawing, but didn't add the Safari Cab rear barn door. Anyway, just some fun with my drawing program.
The next mold I'm making is the main roof panel, that one will probably be a little more exciting than this part
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Haf-E
Expedition Leader
All very interesting - great idea making it work with the existing hardtop as well. Looks like you are creating a very flexible configuration of options - what Jeep and Land Rover should do from the factory. Hope this all results in a product available as I would go for it.
Very cool...
Very cool...
jscherb
Expedition Leader
Thank you. I'm designing the modular components so that many versions, configurations and options can be made from the same molds - JKU Safari Cabs, JK 2dr versions, retrofit roof panels for factory hardtops, swappable hard sides/roll-up soft sides, tilt-up camper tops, etc., basically all of the concept drawings I've shown in this thread.
I don't know if this will result in any of the configurations being available commercially, right now I'm just focused on getting the rest of the necessary molds made and making one or two prototypes for testing on actual Jeeps.