Converting a factory JK/JKU hardtop to modular

[DCH109]

This is super cool and having a 16 year old son who is leaning towards engineering and learning on AutoCad (free for the school year) Visio is another great tool that I keep forgetting about.
I have used it for large scale network drawing and server rack drawings, never something like this!

Simply incredible.

 

[Robbertseboerbok]

I've been using Microsoft Visio for my drawings for many years. Most people think of it as a business graphics program, but it's far more capable than that. I do all of my design work with it, here are a few examples:

When I was building my LJ-based "Retro Wrangler" pickup, I did all the dimensioning and frame modification design with Visio:

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And here's something much simpler, this is part of an ammo can/battery tray design that goes inside over the rear inner fenders of an LJ, I carry and ammo can on in one on the passenger side and my auxiliary/kitchen battery in one on the driver's side:

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I do lots of concept images using a combination of Visio and Paint Shop Pro, this image was one of the first ones I did when designing the Safari Cab hardtop:

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Funny thing about the image above, back when I did it I was involved in some things with Microsoft and I shared the image with them. They couldn't believe it was done in Visio and asked me to serve on their Visio Customer Advisory Council, which I did for a couple of years.

A few other concepts - this TJ photo was sent to me by someone who was considering buying a TJ Safari Cab from Gr8Tops, in the original image the TJ had a soft top. I replaced the soft top with a Visio-drawn Safari Cab...

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In Visio you can draw shapes using lines and other basic elements like all other drawing programs, but a nice feature of the program is the ability to create palettes of shapes that you can drag and drop onto your drawing. In this screen shot, a palette of Jeep and Safari Cab parts is at left, those shapes can be dragged/dropped onto the drawing to quickly create a drawing of any TJ/YJ/CJ with any Safari Cab configuration. In this image I'm in the process of dragging a half door from the palette to the drawing (the mouse pointer didn't show up in the screen shot but it's over the half door):

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And finally, I've done dozens of illustrations for magazines and since I generally get paid for those illustrations I guess that makes me a semi-professional illustrator. Here's an example, this drawing of locomotives was for a railroad magazine; they're narrow gauge locomotives on the Welsh Highland Railway in Wales:

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I suppose one of these days I'll give up Visio for a 3d CAD program, but Visio is so capable I hesitate to give it up.

Wow amazing thank you very much for the info, we will try it.

 

[Robbertseboerbok]

We looking to do something like the (TJ photo was sent to me by someone who was considering buying a TJ Safari Cab from Gr8Tops )the image you send to me but the roof must open in the front then we can hop into the tent from the front and build the back with little kitchen, very basic. Prefer basic else to heavy and we prefer it that way. Thanks again for the info really appreciate it very much. Will post some pictures ones we started in around 2 months. Funds is always the issue with our salary dudes lol.

 

[jscherb]

We looking to do something like the (TJ photo was sent to me by someone who was considering buying a TJ Safari Cab from Gr8Tops )the image you send to me but the roof must open in the front then we can hop into the tent from the front and build the back with little kitchen, very basic. Prefer basic else to heavy and we prefer it that way. Thanks again for the info really appreciate it very much. Will post some pictures ones we started in around 2 months. Funds is always the issue with our salary dudes lol.

Have you decided how you're going to build it? What materials, for example?

 

[Robbertseboerbok]

Have you decided how you're going to build it? What materials, for example?t

 

[Robbertseboerbok]

Playing with aluminum and fibre glass to see which one suite this project the best. I work a lot with my hands, and my wife do the drawings.

 

[Robbertseboerbok]

 

[Robbertseboerbok]

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This is one of the drawing she did sorry not by scale.

 

[jscherb]

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A good way to accomplish that would be to start with a factory hardtop, cut the roof off just above the windshield attachment and top door jambs and build a new roof to you specs on top of the remaining section of the hardtop. That way you don't have to recreate the sealing surfaces, which require a reasonable degree of precision to work properly, and you can build a raised roof to your specs out of fiberglass.

 

[Robbertseboerbok]

Will see if I can get a 2nd hand one.