Barn Door for JK factory hardtops
- Thread starter jscherb
- Start date
jscherb
Expedition Leader
Yes. Since I want to be able to use the winch in the back of any of the Jeeps as well as in the front, there's an extension for that use as well as for jumping.
And for jumping vehicles that don't have the cable underhood like my Jeeps do, I made up clamp ends as well:
There are two clamp ends so they plus the extension make up a long standalone jumper.
jscherb
Expedition Leader
Overland Outfitters sent me a few new preproduction products to try out. The large bag on the floor of the Jeeps in these phots is a new gear/travel bag they've done the same canvas and leather as their other products. I'll probably use it as luggage, seems too nice to use for recovery gear or something like that.
I had nothing to do with the design of that bag, but I was involved with the bags hanging on the seat backs. They're part of a storage system I designed for the Gladiator for them; I designed them to be compatible with the zipper attachment on the seat backs so if you don't have a Gladiator (or their upcoming Gladiator Storage System) you can still use the bags on the seats.
And also in the Jeeps is one of their first products - a Saddlebag that's form fitted to mount over the inner fender. I've had those in my Jeeps since they were released over a year ago.
I had nothing to do with the design of that bag, but I was involved with the bags hanging on the seat backs. They're part of a storage system I designed for the Gladiator for them; I designed them to be compatible with the zipper attachment on the seat backs so if you don't have a Gladiator (or their upcoming Gladiator Storage System) you can still use the bags on the seats.
And also in the Jeeps is one of their first products - a Saddlebag that's form fitted to mount over the inner fender. I've had those in my Jeeps since they were released over a year ago.
jscherb
Expedition Leader
A company you would all know is doing a special Jeep build to celebrate their anniversary. They like the Overland Outfitters storage products and they've asked for a special design for their anniversary build so Overland Outfitters has asked me to help them with the design.
The interior of the company's anniversary Jeep has Corbeau seats with custom upholstery and they've asked for a version of the Overland Outfitters seat back bags to mount on those seats. The production version of the bags has a zipper attachment that mounts to the headrest posts, but the Corbeau seats don't have removable headrests - they have a one-piece seat back with a hole in the upper back for a 4-point harness to pass through so I came up with a mounting method for those seats that doesn't require modification to the seats. I sewed a quick proof-of-concept and "installed" it in a cardboard mockup of the seat back.
Both OO and the company building the Jeep have seen photos of the design and seem to like it so Monday I have a meeting with both companies to test fit the proof-of-concept in the project Jeep seats and finalize plans for the custom design.
Their plan was to reveal the Jeep at SEMA this year, but SEMA has been cancelled so I'm not sure exactly what their plans are for the debut of the Jeep. Hopefully I'll find out Monday.
The interior of the company's anniversary Jeep has Corbeau seats with custom upholstery and they've asked for a version of the Overland Outfitters seat back bags to mount on those seats. The production version of the bags has a zipper attachment that mounts to the headrest posts, but the Corbeau seats don't have removable headrests - they have a one-piece seat back with a hole in the upper back for a 4-point harness to pass through so I came up with a mounting method for those seats that doesn't require modification to the seats. I sewed a quick proof-of-concept and "installed" it in a cardboard mockup of the seat back.
Both OO and the company building the Jeep have seen photos of the design and seem to like it so Monday I have a meeting with both companies to test fit the proof-of-concept in the project Jeep seats and finalize plans for the custom design.
Their plan was to reveal the Jeep at SEMA this year, but SEMA has been cancelled so I'm not sure exactly what their plans are for the debut of the Jeep. Hopefully I'll find out Monday.
jscherb
Expedition Leader
Shortly before the pandemic started, I finished a prototype I called the Gladiator Storage System. Overland Outfitters liked it so I turned the prototype over to them. It's designed to hang on the rear wall of the cab behind the back seat and provide storage, both in pockets and in hanging/removable bags. The basic design is a panel of pockets, and up to 3 bags can hang at the bottom - if a subwoofer is present there's only room for one bag on the driver's side, without the sub taking up space two more bags can be added.
I don't have a Gladiator, so I did all of the design and test fitting in a Gladiator at the dealer. The local dealer is very friendly to me and my projects. The pocket panel only:
With one bag attached:
Removed and sitting in the bed for a full view. Only one bag is present since this was being testing in a Gladiator with a subwoofer:
The bags are also designed so they can go on the seat back.
During the test fitting of the preproduction panel in a Gladiator there were a couple of very minor detail tweaks I suggested to improve it so they'll make those changes and get on with the first production run.
After testing the fit of the preproduction panel in a Gladiator at the dealer, I installed the preproduction panel in my '06 Wrangler pickup...
I don't have a Gladiator, so I did all of the design and test fitting in a Gladiator at the dealer. The local dealer is very friendly to me and my projects. The pocket panel only:
With one bag attached:
Removed and sitting in the bed for a full view. Only one bag is present since this was being testing in a Gladiator with a subwoofer:
The bags are also designed so they can go on the seat back.
During the test fitting of the preproduction panel in a Gladiator there were a couple of very minor detail tweaks I suggested to improve it so they'll make those changes and get on with the first production run.
After testing the fit of the preproduction panel in a Gladiator at the dealer, I installed the preproduction panel in my '06 Wrangler pickup...
jscherb
Expedition Leader
About two weeks ago I sewed a bag I called the Kitchen Keeper: https://expeditionportal.com/forum/...factory-hardtops.127687/page-300#post-2823798
It was the first of three new ideas I've been working on; the second idea I'm calling a Necessity Bag - it's for all those things that are necessities for someone's daily routine and provides storage for those necessities, a real glass mirror and a work surface.
It's designed to hang any convenient place - it can hang on a vehicle drip rail, a vehicle window that's rolled down a crack, a tent bar, a convenient tree...
It deploys pretty quickly, and the table has adjustable leveling straps.
In addition to spaces for 8 TSA travel size bottles or sample sizes, it's got a large pocket behind the mirror, three pockets on the bottom half, and on the outside it has pockets on both sides.
The third of these projects is a larger first aid bag with a similar style that perhaps would be useful to first responders. I'd welcome a first responder who wants to help with the design of that one.
I've also got two new metal fab projects queued up, I'm tired of sewing so maybe I'll do those before sewing the First Responder bag.
It was the first of three new ideas I've been working on; the second idea I'm calling a Necessity Bag - it's for all those things that are necessities for someone's daily routine and provides storage for those necessities, a real glass mirror and a work surface.
It's designed to hang any convenient place - it can hang on a vehicle drip rail, a vehicle window that's rolled down a crack, a tent bar, a convenient tree...
It deploys pretty quickly, and the table has adjustable leveling straps.
In addition to spaces for 8 TSA travel size bottles or sample sizes, it's got a large pocket behind the mirror, three pockets on the bottom half, and on the outside it has pockets on both sides.
The third of these projects is a larger first aid bag with a similar style that perhaps would be useful to first responders. I'd welcome a first responder who wants to help with the design of that one.
I've also got two new metal fab projects queued up, I'm tired of sewing so maybe I'll do those before sewing the First Responder bag.
jscherb
Expedition Leader
On rare occasions I've had a power connectivity problem with my fridge - the power plug stops making good contact with the socket. Since the fridge is a fairly high current device, a good connection is key to reliable operation.
The fridges I've got are Dometic 35's, and they come with a two-piece power plug. The "cigarette lighter" tip can be unscrewed, revealing a two-prong plug that resembles a 120v AC plug:
ARB fridges have the same plug, and they sell matching two-prong sockets: https://www.quadratec.com/products/96010_1012.htm. What's nice about these is that the prongs make better contact than the other style, and the plug can be secured in the socket by screwing the outer sleeve of the plug into the socket.
I ordered two of them to replace the power sockets in the Trail Kitchen and a power panel I use when I have the fridge in the Jeep but not the Trail Kitchen.
The sockets are an easy swap - they fit in the same holes and the connections are via spade lugs just like the cigarette lighter style outlets.
Installed in the Trail Kitchen power panel (it's the bottom socket):
Installed in my alternate power panel. On the right the plug is inserted and the sleeve is screwed in:
The fridges I've got are Dometic 35's, and they come with a two-piece power plug. The "cigarette lighter" tip can be unscrewed, revealing a two-prong plug that resembles a 120v AC plug:
ARB fridges have the same plug, and they sell matching two-prong sockets: https://www.quadratec.com/products/96010_1012.htm. What's nice about these is that the prongs make better contact than the other style, and the plug can be secured in the socket by screwing the outer sleeve of the plug into the socket.
I ordered two of them to replace the power sockets in the Trail Kitchen and a power panel I use when I have the fridge in the Jeep but not the Trail Kitchen.
The sockets are an easy swap - they fit in the same holes and the connections are via spade lugs just like the cigarette lighter style outlets.
Installed in the Trail Kitchen power panel (it's the bottom socket):
Installed in my alternate power panel. On the right the plug is inserted and the sleeve is screwed in:
zgfiredude
Active member
Do you have a link to your power panel? I'm currently mapping out how to address my electrical plan (see what I did there ;-) ) LOL
jscherb
Expedition Leader
I haven't posted details of the power panel, but I can describe the basics of the system.
There's a kitchen battery mounted over the rear inner fender in a MORryde Ammo Can tray. It gets charged by the alternator when the Jeep is running but there's no connection between it and the main Jeep battery when the Jeep is not running so the fridge can't ever drain the main battery.
I have two different power panels, the red one in the photo above I use when I don't have the full kitchen in the Jeep and when the kitchen is in the Jeep there's a power panel that's part of the kitchen.
Both panels have digital volt and amp meters so I can monitor the power usage of the kitchen/fridge. As of the latest update I posted, the red power panel has two USB power outlets, one "cigarette lighter" style outlet and one ARB screw-type outlet. The kitchen power panel has two USB power outlets, two "cigarette lighter" style outlets and one ARB screw-type outlet.
I've been using this system for several years; it does a good job of keeping the kitchen powered and the fridge cold without risking a drain on the main Jeep battery. Happy to answer any other questions you might have.
jscherb
Expedition Leader
About a month ago I was talking with someone from one of the major Jeep online retailers and they told me that the most popular upholstery color they sell is black with red stitching and they suggested that maybe bags in that color scheme would also be popular.
I decided to sew a prototype to see how it would look.
Zipped to the seat in my JKU:
I decided to sew a prototype to see how it would look.
Zipped to the seat in my JKU:
Jurfie
Adventurer
About a month ago I was talking with someone from one of the major Jeep online retailers and they told me that the most popular upholstery color they sell is black with red stitching and they suggested that maybe bags in that color scheme would also be popular.
I decided to sew a prototype to see how it would look.
Really nice! I'm sure it would be popular with JL/JT Rubicon owners.
jscherb
Expedition Leader
Thanks. That's exactly what my friend at the catalog company said
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