How would you outfit this custom LJ?

[jscherb]

And here's a simulation of what this side panel would look like with the soft window snapped in place:

 

[97tjguzzy]

the only thing i notice is that in your pictures of the trailer you have a large rear overhang similar to or greater than a scrambler but you talk about using LJ/TJ tubs. This will require you to move the wheelwell forward nearly a foot or your trailer will be extremely front bias.

just some observation.

 

[jscherb]

the only thing i notice is that in your pictures of the trailer you have a large rear overhang similar to or greater than a scrambler but you talk about using LJ/TJ tubs. This will require you to move the wheelwell forward nearly a foot or your trailer will be extremely front bias.

just some observation.

yes, that's right - the wheel opening would have to be moved

 

[Backwoods Rambler]

The pics of the open side are cool.

I think you mentioned it earlier, but I would at least make the window frame corners rounded, if not also change the front angle to match the the door frame angle. It just looks too much like an after-thought (and nowhere near the good looking as your other work thus far) as it is, which as I recall, is why you don't like the stock TJ top...

 

[jscherb]

The pics of the open side are cool.

I think you mentioned it earlier, but I would at least make the window frame corners rounded, if not also change the front angle to match the the door frame angle. It just looks too much like an after-thought (and nowhere near the good looking as your other work thus far) as it is, which as I recall, is why you don't like the stock TJ top...

Thanks. I made this window opening rectangular as an experiment just to see what a rectangular opening would look like and to see how open the back of the Jeep feels with a large opening. The openness part of the experiment is a success, according to my chief tester/wife .

Making a different mold insert with more rounded corners and angling the front of the window back to match the door angle is a trivial exercise... the mold insert for this one took me maybe 20 minutes to make.

That's one of the benefits of this top being modular - I can make experimental parts very easily and inexpensively - this side panel cost me maybe $25 in materials to make.

I probably won't pursue this soft window side panel experiment any further because I plan to run the fixed window side panels on my Jeep. Just wanted to experiment with it to see what it might be like. I think it is a viable option for the top, perhaps with a different shape as you suggest, but having the choice of easily running no windows, snap-in soft windows or clamp-in framed glass windows in the same hardtop would probably interest some people.

BTW tomorrow I have another experimental configuration to show you...

 

[jscherb]

Here are some photos from this morning of the Safari Cab configured as a hard bikini. In some photos I've got the doors on along with the door surrounds, an in others I've left the doors/surrounds off.

In the case where the surrounds are left off, the top is secured to the connector bars with brackets that mount in the same location as the factory surrounds. These brackets bolt to the underside of the drip rail.

 

[Piet]

How do you find the wind buffeting when the rear window is in place?
I know that when I run my soft top with no sides.. I also remove the rear window, 'cause it beats the tar out of the rear window at highway speed.

 

[jscherb]

How do you find the wind buffeting when the rear window is in place?
I know that when I run my soft top with no sides.. I also remove the rear window, 'cause it beats the tar out of the rear window at highway speed.

I've only made one of the soft window side panels so far to test, so I can't say if there's a buffeting effect at this point.

 

[LUISJG]

great job,,,i just got a mint condition lj, i like the half cab,real cool.
the other cabs are real cool also.

 

[jscherb]

great job,,,i just got a mint condition lj, i like the half cab,real cool.
the other cabs are real cool also.

Thanks! I've been working on the details of the half cab - one feature of the design is called "roll bar pass-through" - because the top is modular, the half cab can be installed without any changes to the factory roll bar. All the half cabs on the market require that the rear bars be removed or cut and spliced, but on my design, the bars stay in place.

I've been working on the half cab rear corners, here's what the corners with the roll bar pass-through look like on the Jeep.

There's about 4.5" between the front of the corner and the back of the surround, that would be filled with a short side panel. For the CJ (Scrambler-length) half cab, these two parts bolt directly together, but for the 61" TJ/LJ cab there's a side panel.

Installation of the side panels is very easy, they go under the roll bar at an angle and tip up to vertical, then the sealing cap is put in place on top of the roll bar. The roof would go on next.

And here's a very rough 3-d concept, I've filled in the missing pieces to complete the top:

 

[trust]

Actually Jeff I was thinking of a camper shell type deal for the scrambler with the factory half cab, and I do like the alpine roof line with the windows up top. would that be doable with the existing molds?

 

[jeepdreamer]

Camper shell...

Actually Jeff I was thinking of a camper shell type deal for the scrambler with the factory half cab, and I do like the alpine roof line with the windows up top. would that be doable with the existing molds?

Trust... Using a camper shell in conjunction with a halfcab? That may be hard to pull off since the shell would be covering very little area. There would likely be water intrusion issues that may be hard to remedy. Just MHO...if anyone can figure it out though its JS. :sombrero:

 

[Black Dog]

Actually Jeff I was thinking of a camper shell type deal for the scrambler with the factory half cab, and I do like the alpine roof line with the windows up top. would that be doable with the existing molds?

What you could do is the regular safari cab and then fashion some sort of extended area to come out the back and make a tent section to close it off from the elements. What I'm picturing is the tents that you can get for a pickup with a topper.

 

[jscherb]

Actually Jeff I was thinking of a camper shell type deal for the scrambler with the factory half cab, and I do like the alpine roof line with the windows up top. would that be doable with the existing molds?

Terry,
That's an interesting idea, I hadn't thought of that before. Yes, the current molds could certainly be used to build a pickup cap, for the Scrambler a new front panel would probably be required that would fit in front of the roll bar but behind the half-cab. It wouldn't be too hard to build that additional piece.

I haven't built a mold for the Alpine roof yet, so using the existing molds would use the basic Safari Cab roof, but that roof is already taller than the factory half cab, so perhaps that would be tall enough without going to an Alpine roof roof design.

The real question is whether a cap made out of Safari Cab parts would look "right" as a pickup cap along with the factory Scrambler half-cab... I'll have to do some design drawings on that. Might be it would look best with a Safari Cab half cab because the lines would match better.

I'll do a few concept drawings and post them later today...

 

[jscherb]

Trust... Using a camper shell in conjunction with a halfcab? That may be hard to pull off since the shell would be covering very little area. There would likely be water intrusion issues that may be hard to remedy. Just MHO...if anyone can figure it out though its JS. :sombrero:

I don't think it would be too hard to deal with preventing leaks, I've got a couple of ideas about how that would be done.