Converting a factory JK/JKU hardtop to modular

[jscherb]

Another way it could be done, this way would require a little more canvas design work and sewing, but provides a lot more interior space. The lid could be hinged from the side.

It could also be set up for side entry, so a ladder wouldn't interfere with access to the rear cargo area or with the raising the hatch.

 

[jscherb]

You have in one post described what I have been trying to work out in my head for years. I love my j30 top but I miss the modularity of a normal hardtop

About the modularity - if you made this out of two hardtops, you'd have a set of side panels with factory windows for daily driving, but you could swap in cargo hatch sides for camping expeditions...

You'd have all the benefits of the modular top and could configure it for camping expeditions or however you wanted it for daily driving.

 

[JDaPP]

Jscherb, I have no where near the talents you do in as many areas, so one of the ideas I have thought about was doing just as you have but then adding a RTT (one of the fiberglass hardshells, one is only 8" height) on top. Idea is someone has already figured out the hinges, tent, and mattress for me and would in theory make the project go faster. What challenges do you see for this? I had already thought about the need to make sure RTT was attached/supporters by rollbars and that I am cutting into a hardtop + rtt. What would be the best way to bond rtt to hardtop? Would I need to reinforce the rtt floor/ what would be the best way for that? By the way I apologize in advance if my wife calls cursing your name

 

[jscherb]

Jscherb, I have no where near the talents you do in as many areas, so one of the ideas I have thought about was doing just as you have but then adding a RTT (one of the fiberglass hardshells, one is only 8" height) on top. Idea is someone has already figured out the hinges, tent, and mattress for me and would in theory make the project go faster. What challenges do you see for this? I had already thought about the need to make sure RTT was attached/supporters by rollbars and that I am cutting into a hardtop + rtt. What would be the best way to bond rtt to hardtop? Would I need to reinforce the rtt floor/ what would be the best way for that? By the way I apologize in advance if my wife calls cursing your name

The fiberglass hard shell RTTs are designed to be mounted on roof rack bars so the floors are made strong enough to handle that mounting; I wouldn't think you'd need to do any reinforcement or strengthening of the unit itself.

If I were planning to mount one of these on a factory hardtop, the first thing I'd do is research roof racks for factory hardtops. I'm not talking about the Exocage racks like the Gobi, I mean things like the Surco Safari Rack, the Rhino Rack Vortex Bar Roof Rack and the Smittybilt Defender, among others. I'd see if any of these have both the dynamic and static weight capacity to support the unoccupied tent while driving and the occupied tent when camped. (I'm just listing a few of the ones I'm aware of, I have no idea if they have the weight capacity).

If none of them had the capacity, I'd look at the Teraflex Nebo rack, which comes with brackets to tie it to the roll bars and has a static load rating of 850 lbs.

If you didn't like any of them, or found them too expensive, you could pick up up a junkyard Cherokee rack (or any other SUV rack you happen to like) and support it to the roll bar with brackets you could make. The photo below shows one of the brackets that support the rear of the Cherokee rack I have on my Safari Cab. You could also take a close look at the brackets that come with the Nebo rack and try to build something like that yourself.

I've often thought of building a clamshell-type RTT from scratch, I could use the upper shell and canvas from my Jeep-tub trailer and make a matching lower half shell, hinge it like a clamshell and mount it to a roof rack, here's a concept drawing I did a few years ago when I was working on the TrailTop project. The appeal of doing this is that I could do any size clamshell I wanted, I find most the commercial clamshells a bit cramped for my 6' 6" size, and it would be less expensive than a commercial one.

The top half of the clamshell and the canvas could be repurposed to make the full clamshell above:

 

[danraposo]

Jeff, I'm convinced you brought me some good luck...

I just got a Craigslist alert for a used khaki soft top in my area, with brand new windows asking $250. The only thing they're missing are the door surrounds and bolts, which is fine because I already have them. So my plan is to try and talk them down a bit, but pick those up so I can put the soft top back on and then I can cut my hard top up to go modular, then eventually pop up camper.

I really like your design, but think a scissor frame would allow for more leg room at the front and also allow you to put the top more centered on the roof when it is open so the back of the tent is more vertical. This would probably be better if camping in inclement weather, and if you put a window at the front allow more air flow as well.


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[jscherb]

Jeff, I'm convinced you brought me some good luck...

I just got a Craigslist alert for a used khaki soft top in my area, with brand new windows asking $250. The only thing they're missing are the door surrounds and bolts, which is fine because I already have them. So my plan is to try and talk them down a bit, but pick those up so I can put the soft top back on and then I can cut my hard top up to go modular, then eventually pop up camper.

I really like your design, but think a scissor frame would allow for more leg room at the front and also allow you to put the top more centered on the roof when it is open so the back of the tent is more vertical. This would probably be better if camping in inclement weather, and if you put a window at the front allow more air flow as well.

I wish you continued good luck with your project!

 

[JDaPP]

I wasn't really envisioning a rack as part of it, I was thinking more like you would bond it to the top, and then remove rtt+top when needed and replace it with normal top. I would be cutting the top like you did in the first picture

Cut the bottom of the rtt and then have a ghetto j30. With that I would have a pop up camper to stand up in, plus the ability to swap in normal top when not needed. The 8" Rtt model I found would mount flush to a jeep roof which would allow me in to my garage + store it very easily in the garage.With any type of rack it would not work.
I could just take j30 off (it isn't really any harder than current jeep tops) I just don't have a place to store. My job requires I move every 3 years so like to have adaptable scenarios

 

[jscherb]

I wasn't really envisioning a rack as part of it, I was thinking more like you would bond it to the top, and then remove rtt+top when needed and replace it with normal top. I would be cutting the top like you did in the first picture

Cut the bottom of the rtt and then have a ghetto j30. With that I would have a pop up camper to stand up in, plus the ability to swap in normal top when not needed. The 8" Rtt model I found would mount flush to a jeep roof which would allow me in to my garage + store it very easily in the garage.With any type of rack it would not work.
I could just take j30 off (it isn't really any harder than current jeep tops) I just don't have a place to store. My job requires I move every 3 years so like to have adaptable scenarios

Oh ok, now I understand. That's what I thought at first, but when you asked about reinforcing the bottom of the RTT I thought you wanted to basically glue the RTT to the roof. That sounded like a strange idea to me, which is why I wrote about roof racks.

Now that I understand, I don't see any complications with what you suggest, except when you now write about being able to stand up in it. I assume that means you're not thinking of putting a sleeping platform on top of the roll bars.

 

[JDaPP]

Sleeping platform would still be part of it, just would need to be removable. I am envisioning something like Dan from the road chose me thread and his j30. Just modular. I wouldn't be modifying my rollbar like he did though (at least not right now).

I realize I am trying to create what I think is the best of all worlds (cake and eat it too) and will have to consider compromises to probably make it work. Reality is more the time factor as I am severely short of it.

 

[jscherb]

Since my Safari Cab hardtop doesn't accept Freedom Panels, today Donny and I tried a prototype skylight panel in his Jeep. He's got a Gobi rack on his Jeep, so it was also to see how the openable skylights would work with the rack (answer: just fine).

In this photo he's reaching up to open the skylight:

A view from the driver's seat.

The prototype is tinted the same as the factory tint on the hardtop windows; Donny and I thought for Florida at least (where Donny lives) a darker tint would be a good idea, as would be a fabric shade of some sort to keep the sun from beating in when it's not wanted. I think for where I am in upstate NY the current tint would be nice, but definitely a darker tint for the hot zones. I'll sew a prototype shade when I get back to my sewing machine.

 

[ihatemybike]

Darker tint isn't the answer. Check this video, jump to about five minutes in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MgzDnooNZk

 

[jscherb]

Coincidentally, as Donny and I were trying out the prototype Freedom Panel Skylight on his Jeep yesterday, UPS was delivering prototype tempered/tinted glass for me to verify (the prototype we put on Donny's Jeep is plexiglass).

There are two different styles in the photo below - the one on flat on the bench has holes in it for the hardware, it's an openable panel. The one standing up is a bit smaller than the other one and has no holes - it's a fixed panel intended to be installed with a glass seal and be non-openable.

 

[Comanche Scott]

This is deceptive, in a good way.
Once installed on the Jeep, looking out from inside, the glass panel is much bigger than it appears looking down from the outside.
Sure hope this one gets picked up by a vendor. :beer:

There is a reflective coating that can be done when the glass is being made, that works really awesome at deflecting UV. I can't remember the name, but was looking at it for when I do the slider windows on the Scout top. Didn't add much to the cost, and was something like 97% effective at blocking U.V. The glass shop highly recommended it, based on their customers who had glass panels made with it.

 

[jscherb]

This is deceptive, in a good way.
Once installed on the Jeep, looking out from inside, the glass panel is much bigger than it appears looking down from the outside.
Sure hope this one gets picked up by a vendor. :beer:

There is a reflective coating that can be done when the glass is being made, that works really awesome at deflecting UV. I can't remember the name, but was looking at it for when I do the slider windows on the Scout top. Didn't add much to the cost, and was something like 97% effective at blocking U.V. The glass shop highly recommended it, based on their customers who had glass panels made with it.

I'm very pleased with the open feeling the skylights give. I think it looks bigger because the roll bar takes up some of the space on the side so the glass appears to fill more of the panel.

There is a company interested in these; I'll leave the question of final tints/coatings to them. I've just got one more detail to get ready for production; the company that's making the hinges for me is having a few challenges with the spring steel, but I expect it'll get sorted out soon. Other than that detail, everything else is ready.

 

[jscherb]

When Donny and I were trying out the skylight Freedom Panel in the Florida sun, we thought maybe a darker tint glass option might be a good idea, and also a removable sun shade. Here's a prototype snap-in sun shade I sewed this morning, something like this might be useful for times when sun streaming through the skylight isn't desired.