Building custom soft top for the LJ

[locrwln]

Great looking top and kudos for the work you put into this. Are there going to be options for those of us with hardtop models? Or will you have to have the "soft top" door surrounds? I too love the look.

Jack

 

[squint]

Thanks for the update Greg! I agree with your thoughts on the different types of material. My son has a replacement, aftermarket top on his 2000 TJ and it is nowhere near the OEM top as far as durability, etc...

AND...

I am so with you on the zippers. This is my primary, #1 reason for wanting a new top. I have never been able to keep the rear window zipper, on any top I have had, operating correctly. You know the deal... It may be too stiff due to cold, it may not be lined up just right, and I force things and pop... zipper is jacked. I am working on a temporary fix while I wait for your top. If and when you have price ideas and availability dates, please let me know, so I can be prepared (read this as... prepare my wife that I am dropping the cash!)

Regardless, good luck with your business venture.

John

Ha! I understand. I am always preparing my wife for the price of these various endeavors of mine.
Thanks for the encouragement!

 

[squint]

Great looking top and kudos for the work you put into this. Are there going to be options for those of us with hardtop models? Or will you have to have the "soft top" door surrounds? I too love the look.

Jack

During the planning stages I actually thought often about creating new surrounds, but for now, the factory surrounds are both fairly cheap and plentiful so no plans to reinvent those. I was concerned that the front quarter panels would be extremely difficult to make but I was able to prove myself wrong.
Thanks for the question and glad you like it.

 

[Jim K in PA]

Hey Greg - any new updates or pictures of the finished product? I am once again looking at my options for my LJ's top, and came back to peruse your creation again.

Hope all is well.

 

[jscusmcvet]

Hey Greg - any new updates or pictures of the finished product? I am once again looking at my options for my LJ's top, and came back to peruse your creation again.

Hope all is well.

Me too! Holding my busted rear zipper together with mini caribiners til you get somethign up and going

 

[Silvanus]

I'm planning a make over next year on my TJ-L, Sandglow Yellow paint and a top like yours. I'm utilizing an front TJ & rear YJ bow system for the frame and having a marine top craftsman sew the top. I'd keep the side curtains blank with the rear curtain to have the clear plastic. Color would be almond or sand. The factory top I've got is quite lame, and there's really no color options for us TJ-L owners, just black! the prices are roof shattering as well for black!
Squint great idea, this is one of my favorite threads for Jeeps! This is what us utility minded Jeepers are looking for! Good luck with your endeavor!

 

[Lacy Hershey]

Awesome build! Love the top! Personal opinon, makes the Jeep look better and enjoyed reading about it. Excellent work.

 

[squint]

Hey Greg - any new updates or pictures of the finished product? I am once again looking at my options for my LJ's top, and came back to peruse your creation again.

Hope all is well.

Me too! Holding my busted rear zipper together with mini caribiners til you get somethign up and going

Sorry I didn't see this earlier. My workload has been horrendous lately so there hasn't been much time for EP..
There have been a few hickups and a few "ahaa!" moments and overall, things are coming along. I am fortunate to be working with a some very talented, souls (think Jeff Scherb-genius types) who have come up with some great improvements and ideas to cut costs while keeping the design honest. If this doesn't work out (although I believe it will), at least I learned a great deal in a very short period of time and used the creative side in a way which my regular job does not allow. At this moment, I can only tell you that I am delighted with the results of our combined efforts thus far and we are still charging ahead. I hope to look back one day and decide the journey was the real treasure and have no regrets.

I can say that I have been missing driving my jeep tremendously while it is being worked on. After all the traveling I have done, I can say with certainty that I am not a materialistic type, but I must admit that when I jump in my Jeep each morning, It makes me feel like a kid again.

I appreciate the posts and hope all is well with you and your families.

 

[squint]

I'm planning a make over next year on my TJ-L, Sandglow Yellow paint and a top like yours. I'm utilizing an front TJ & rear YJ bow system for the frame and having a marine top craftsman sew the top. I'd keep the side curtains blank with the rear curtain to have the clear plastic. Color would be almond or sand. The factory top I've got is quite lame, and there's really no color options for us TJ-L owners, just black! the prices are roof shattering as well for black!
Squint great idea, this is one of my favorite threads for Jeeps! This is what us utility minded Jeepers are looking for! Good luck with your endeavor!

Sounds like a great project which will result in an incredibly unique jeep in the end. I think the sand glow will make a nice color for sure as well. I have seen a number of "TJ-L's" over the years on line and have always loved the end results. Do you have a link with pics? When I had just the front and rear cover finished, I thought seriously about using window material only for the sides and back while working on the final product, but decided against it when I saw the costs. The whole back side would be a nice touch but you have to make sure it doesn't touch any of the bows or it will chaffe quickly. [edit- Not sure if you meant the entire rear would be clear?]
Can't wait to see the results too-make sure you start a thread! Thanks for the compliment as well.

 

[squint]

Awesome build! Love the top! Personal opinon, makes the Jeep look better and enjoyed reading about it. Excellent work.

Thank you Lacy and glad you like it.

 

[Silvanus]

Hey Greg,
I meant the rear panel to be like a standard top's rear panel. If you can get your top idea up and running, I might be inclined to have one of those bad boys on my TJ-L, sand or almond, just saying!

 

[squint]

Sounds good. Do you have a thread or link started? Would love to see what you have done so far....

 

[pyro4x4]

Love this top. On a side note, I think it would be cool to be able to buy optional window panels without the windows. I see this being useful in a camping situation where you could sleep in the back of the jeep and have some privacy.

 

[squint]

Thanks! We are still thinking about privacy covers since the original prototype had velcro strips sewn on the insides of the windows and they worked well. They basically give the soft top curtains to keep out prying eyes. Extra features such as this have a monetary impact so we have to be careful about going too overboard, but for now the plan is to include them in the final design.

 

[Silvanus]

Sounds good. Do you have a thread or link started? Would love to see what you have done so far....

I'm doing it next Spring, I've been scouring classifieds for used YJ bow assemblies and speaking with marine top craftsman at the moment for pricing and how long they'll have my Jeep. I think I'll do a thread on it though, we TJ-L owners need a few more options than what we're given!