I love your "I can do it" attitude towards this. I'm not sure why but this kind of thing is so far out of the realm of what I (and many) would attempt...Its neat to see someone taking it on. You may have mentioned it earlier but what happens when your done? Are you planning on taking this to manufacturing? There are so few choices out there for quality replacement stuff for our Jeeps, this would be nice. Besttops quality has become iffy at best since they left the US to manufacture and they are about it for soft stuff. Unless one has super deep pockets for some of the other options out there.
Also, how hard would it be for you to take what you've developed and create a new soft half cab? And a rear cargo (tonneu sp?) cover that uses rails instead of snaps would be awesome.
First, thanks very much for a rather huge compliment. Just knowing that someone out there is interested/inspired by this project is beyond reward. I am humbled by that comment when I think of all the amazingly creative people coming out with incredible ideas on this forum. The sharing of ideas across platform is what makes this place so alluring and inspirational.
When pondering the idea of this top, I tried to imagine a barrage of critical comments coming from my peers asking why the design didn't address a variety of different challenges.
This tends to be a more forward thinking crowd (instead of just rocks, mud, buggies and straight axels- don't get me wrong, I have a place in my heart for all of these things too) however I am blown away that I have not received any criticism. I believe it is a tribute to the maturity and open mindedness on this forum. With that said, please feel free to question anything- I really don't mind. :elkgrin:
Originally, I had absolutely no intention of selling this top. It was simply another challenge much like many of the other ideas (some crazier than others) that came into my mind and I pushed forward.
A considerable amount of time was invested just thinking about the feasibility of the design. Before the build phase ever began I came up with multiple ways to do every step, with backup plans for every inch, top to bottom. When the decision came to start the project, I came to the realization that I may want to offer it to others and perhaps either sell the idea or turn it into some type of business. This was never set in stone, but simply a possibility, since it was going to consume a great deal of my time. As a result, altering the design with the necessity of standing up to universal compatibility as opposed to catering to my own needs/vehicle only, became equally important. As a for instance, taking into account the height on a typical 4 to 6 inch lift with 35 “ inch tires. - It still has to fit into a 7' standard garage door opening (let's face it- not everyone has an 8 or 9 foot garage door). The first design was for a much larger, taller roll cage than the factory cage which would support a similar soft top. For reasons I will not go into right now, it would have been a one-off, and most likely not practical in terms of replication.
Is the intention there to sell or produce this top at this point? That is a tough one. I will certainly take a good hard look at it once it is completed.
As for creating a half cab version, the intention was already there since the hardware design supports such a thing perfectly. This would be accomplished utilizing the existing zippers on the front quarter panels and the bikini top. This would provide a little more room than a typical windjammer (by a few inches). While in this mode, the rear hardware (the C and D pillars with bows) could be removed or left in place depending on preference. This would not only allow for different “looks” but more importantly, the mounting of additional equipment such as shelves, netting, lights, roof racks, along with an endless amount of items that may or may not have even been imagined as of yet.
I have never really needed a tonneau cover personally, since my dog loves to ride in the back, but adding such a thing would be easy as it would simply slide into the tub rails and the new rear rail that is being created.
