Barn Door for JK factory hardtops

[squint]

I didn't realize it was Smittybuilt when I first saw it. No comment there and no explanation needed. It looks a bit like a big marshmallo. I definitely prefer your top by the way.
I think Jeep owners will always pay for quality and those who don't will wish they would have later.

 

[jscherb]

I've always thought the point of a raised roof (a la Defender 110 or Troopie) is for the extra head room it provides when in the back.

Or the Jeep CJ-8/CJ-7 "World Cab" of the mid-80's...

Alex is now 6'6" and Robert (the smaller one in this photo) is now 6'7", so while they didn't need the headroom back when I had my Scrambler with a World Cab, they'd really need it now .

 

[jscherb]

Due to travel and other commitments, it's been a couple of months since I've been able to do any serious work on the JK Safari Cab. All that's really left of the construction phase is final fitting of the roof/windshield header/drip rail components and bonding them together, followed by the bonding the inner structure of the roof in place. I plan to get most of that done this week.

First the soft top comes off and the main components of the Safari Cab go on. This anim shows the sequence... upper door jambs, then side panels, then the rear panel:

Now the drip rails and windshield header can be put in place and the roof fitted and bonded to them. In this photo the drop rails and windshield header are installed:

The next step is bonding the roof and the windshield header together. When that's done, I'll install the latches on the roof so I can latch the front of the roof in place while doing the final fitting of the roof to the drip rails. More to come.

 

[jscherb]

JK Safari Cab progress report: Yesterday I bonded the windshield header to the inside of the roof panel, and today I got the latches installed.

Tomorrow's plan is to cut the holes for the Alpine windows and get the drip rails bonded to the bottom of the roof panel.

 

[stomperxj]

Jeff, what did you use to bond the two?

 

[jscherb]

Jeff, what did you use to bond the two?

Polyester resin and one layer of fiberglass mat between the parts.

 

[stomperxj]

Thanks Jeff. Wasn't sure if you maybe used some sort of automotive adhesive or something...

 

[jscherb]

Thanks Jeff. Wasn't sure if you maybe used some sort of automotive adhesive or something...

Sometimes I use automotive structural adhesive to bond things to fiberglass, sometimes epoxy and sometimes polyester resin+mat (this only if it's fiberglass being bonded to fiberglass as it was in this case), it depends on what I'm bonding and what the structural requirements are.

 

[kojackJKU]

Still anxiously waiting to see the modular safari top in production Jeff. Mitt full of cash screaming JUST TAKE MY MONEY!

 

[jscherb]

Still anxiously waiting to see the modular safari top in production Jeff. Mitt full of cash screaming JUST TAKE MY MONEY!

Three companies have expressed interest in it. Two I've ruled out for various reasons. The third seems to want to make some changes to the design, although they haven't made any final decisions on that or communicated to me which of the design changes they mentioned that they definitely would want to make. And I haven't decided yet if I really think it should be a commercial product anyway. I'll keep everyone posted.

In the meantime I'm still working to finish up the prototype, I'll get more done today and should have some photos to post later.

 

[jscherb]

Cutting the rough openings for the Alpine windows. They'll be trimmed to final size after the roof is bonded to the drop rails, which is my next step.

More photos to come later today.

 

[jscherb]

A few photos of the roof bonded to the drip rails. When the adhesive cures, I'll unbolt the drip rails from the top of the side/end panels and upper jambs, and the roof assembly will lift off in one piece - roof panel/drip rails/windshield header. I'm bonding it in place on the Jeep to ensure an exact fit.

 

[Haf-E]

Looks great - really like the "alpine" windows. Are they slightly asymmetric? Different on the ends towards the middle? Look like they might be LR Disco ones?

 

[jscherb]

Looks great - really like the "alpine" windows. Are they slightly asymmetric? Different on the ends towards the middle? Look like they might be LR Disco ones?

The window holes are just rough cut at this point, they might be deceptive. But there are left and right side windows, the left side windows are mirror images of the right.

Disco windows are pretty tall, the Safari Cab as a much lower roof:

 

[jscherb]

The drip rails and roof panel are now one piece...