Converting a factory JK/JKU hardtop to modular

[Sixty8broncosport]

Thanks Jeff,

I definitely didn't mean to highjack this thread. Just hoped to get some insight from those on here who have done a custom top, especially the style you designed, which is what I am aiming for.

I moved my question over to a Classic Broncos thread that already existed: https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/classic-bronco.196947/#post-2513679

 

[jscherb]

Now that I've got a 2 door in the fleet, I am finally able to test the modular hardtop on a Jeep.

Looking at the back seat skylights:

And the tilt-up skylights in the Freedom Panels:

I've got two sets of side panels for this top. One set has factory fixed glass, the other set I use to test new window ideas. Right now the passenger side has a slider window installed:

And the driver side has a tilt-out window:

A drove the Jeep on a few errands today over our potholed local roads and the modular top didn't behave badly or make any noise.

 

[jscherb]

No brackets are required, but you will need to drill access holes in the inner skin of the rear panel for the bolts.

This photo shows where I've bolted the Safari Cab rear panel to the tub, the same location can be used for the modular conversion.

The Safari Cab rear panel doesn't have an inside skin, so the flange to bolt to the tub is exposed. Since the factory hardtop has an inside skin, you'll need to cut access holes in the inside skin for the bolts. There is a tub flange in there, you just need access holes to get the bolts in. The red lines show where you might cut access holes:

Does this answer your question?

Back when I originally converted this top to modular, someone asked how the rear panel would attach to the tub, and I gave the answer above. Because I didn't have a Jeep to put the top on at the time, I didn't make the mounting holes in the back panel, so I drew on a photo showing where they would go.

When I installed the top the other day I finally made those holes, so to add to the documentation of this project, here's a photo. I cut the holes with a hole saw and then used a cutting wheel in my air die grinder to square off the bottom. Once that was done I set the rear panel in place and located where the holes should go. I drilled holes in the bottom of the panel, and matching holes in the top of the tub.

The panel is secured with a bolt through the hole (and through a matching hole I drilled in the top of the tub, and channel nuts under the tub rail.

 

[jscherb]

The modular hardtop with half doors.

Even though May is only about 3 days away, it's very cold here and there are snow flurries, so I quickly added the fiberglass hard shell uppers with slider windows...

 

[Zeep]

Too much frame, not enough window, on those half door sliders.
Just my 2 cents!

 

[jscherb]

Too much frame, not enough window, on those half door sliders.
Just my 2 cents!

You can blame Jeep. Since there are no hard uppers for factory half doors on the market even 10 years after the JK was introduced, I designed a kit to upgrade the factory uppers to fiberglass. The kit consists of a fiberglass outer shell that gets bonded to the factory inner shell, and a slider window that fits in the fiberglass outer shell. Here's what the kit looks like (rear):

It's the largest window that can fit in the factory inner shell, and it's an affordable RV-style window, not something custom that would cost a fortune and probably leak anyway.

The window is part of the slider window kit I designed for Retrofit Offroad that replaces the vinyl window in factory uppers with a slider; that kit retains the canvas outer shell of the upper and it's very popular, hundreds have been sold by Retrofit Offroad: http://www.retrofitoffroad.com/product-category/jeep-wrangler-jk-half-door-glass-sliders/

If Jeep made their uppers with more room for windows I would have made the windows larger.

I converted a complete set of 4 factory uppers to hard shells with sliders.

Since this kit is the only way to have hard uppers with sliders that fit factory JK half doors, I'm happy to have them.

 

[jscherb]

Back when I first built the modular top I didn't have a 2-door to install it on so there was a detail I left unfinished - a method of securing the roof panel to the roll bar so the hardtop can be run without sides. With the sides installed and the roof bolted to the side, the roof is secured by the sides, but with the sides out the front of the roof has nothing to secure it to the Jeep. I wrote about the issue here: https://www.expeditionportal.com/fo...hardtop-to-modular.160775/page-3#post-2124564

Today I install nutserts in the top of the main hoop of the roll bar for this purpose. On the left in the photo below is the passenger side with a spacer and bolt installed; on the right is the driver's side showing the nutsert and hole in the hardtop.

The nutserts accept 5/16 bolts, and the grey thing between the hardtop and the roll bar is a spacer that's the same height as the rubber bumper that's part of the factory top.

Spent some time on potholed roads and at speed on the highway today testing with the sides off and it's solid, no rattles or movement of the roof.

And with sides...

 

[Jurfie]

Man, that is one feature I really wish was available...or I had the skills available to reproduce myself! Really great job. ?

"Whether you think you can do something or you think you can't, you are right" - Henry Ford

I know, I know...?

 

[jscherb]

I've started working on the roll-up soft sides for the 2dr modular hardtop, although it's a background project because I've got so many other things going on. The components of the soft side package includes:

- The roll-up side panels

- "Zipper strips" that get secured to the hardtop that the roll-up sides attach to.

- Retainers which use the same bolt holes that are used to attach the hard side panels; these secure the zipper strips to the hardtop.

- B-pillars, or in other words door surrounds for the back of the doors. These are needed to secure the front of the soft sides to when they're rolled down.

- A storage bag for the windows and a storage bag for the zipper strips, retainers and b-pillars.

I described the design and showed many of the details earlier in this thread when I first converted the hardtop, but until now I haven't done the soft sides. This is the same design I sewed some years ago for my LJ, and I also used the same design a few months ago when I sewed soft sides for my JKU. The LJ version has years of use on the road and trail and they're weathertight, quiet and easy to use. The JKU version is too, but I don't have too many miles on them yet.

Here's what the JKU version looks like when it's rolled down:

And rolled up. You can see the b-pillar behind the rear door (actually when installed on a JKU it's a c-pillar ). The front and rear vertical and top horizontal zipper strips are in place, and the side itself is rolled up and secured with straps with snaps, similar to the ones for the rear window on the factory soft top. The front and rear zipper strips are folded back against the inside edge of the hardtop and held there with velcro so they don't flap in the wind while driving.

I made the b-pillars back when I converted the hardtop to modular and today I made the retainers for the zipper strips. For the LJ I made the retainers from aluminum and for the JKU I made them from plastic. The plastic worked out fine so that's what I made these from, Here's a view of them, they're held to the hardtop using the same bolt holes that would be used to secure the hard side. When I sew the zipper strips, they'll go between the bolt flange on the hardtop and the retainer.

Next I'll sew the zipper strips, but may not get time to do them after Bantam Jeep Fest.

 

[jscherb]

Work in progress on the sewing room floor. The blanks for all of the parts for the roll-up soft sides have been cut from the fabric from an old soft top. Ready to begin sewing as soon as I get some time.

This is what I started with, an old TJ soft top I picked up on Craigslist for about $25.

Every time I see an old soft top on Craigslist for a good price I pick it up, they're worth far more as fabric for custom projects than they typically sell for on CL. I cut up the TJ top to save the usable fabric; there's fabric more than needed to make the soft sides. I put the fabric in the washing machine to clean it up, it's still wrinkled from washing but it'll smooth out just fine.

 

[jscherb]

I've started work on the soft sides yesterday. Didn't have too much time but did get the top zipper strip done for the driver's side. I'm travelling today but should have time to finish the rest of the zipper strips on Friday.

The plan is for me to turn over the Jeep to Robert in 10 days, so I've got to get these done soon.

 

[jscherb]

This morning I sewed the remaining the zipper strips to secure the roll-up soft sides to the hardtop.

Tomorrow I'll sew the side panels.

 

[jscherb]

Got a little more done this afternoon - started on the sides and finished the top zipper and Velcro.

The next step is to sew the plastic tub retainer strip along the bottom of the side panel and then the front and back zippers.

 

[jscherb]

Sewing of the basic soft side panels is done. What's left to do is to add the windows and the straps/snaps to hold the sides in the rolled up position.

Temporarily rolled up, they'll fall down soon because I haven't done the straps yet.

They're very tight, which is how I want them, so I'll let the fabric relax a day before I sew the windows in place.

 

[jscherb]

Planning to install the windows tomorrow, I did a quick drawing to see what a window will look like.