Land Rover ideas for Jeeps

[ZONE ZERO]

So I found most of this on amazon and adapted it to my factory hard top when I had it.
‘this is the rack https://a.co/d/56YG7kd hope the link works, if not this is the listing name.

FURYENGRAVER Rear Window Storage Molle Panel Flank Kit Rear Window Protective Decoration for Jeep Wrangler 2018-2022 JL 4 Doors​

i had to drill 2 holes at the top through the brackets to bolt it to the hard top.
‘the bottom brackets are ment to lock under the lip of The hard top.
I had to grind the part that hooks under the lip off and drill 2 more holes .

I then through bolted it to the top with a 3/16th piece of aluminum flat stock on the inside of the top, to give it something more than the hard top to hold on to.

the jerry can holder was from a guy in the UK I found on eBay it’s for a land rover defender military maintenance truck but it worked perfectly.
‘I used this set up for camping for one season no rattles or problems at all with it.
you could not fit a second holder or can on one rack the door would not open and I think the weight would be to much.

 

[ZONE ZERO]

Im preparing this new set to mount to the current hard top. In one of the pictures I circled part of the tab you have to cut off and grind flush, the green tape indicates where to drill its double walled so I drill the outer hole larger to get a socket in then the inner hole the size of the bolt I’m using. The NATO can holder doesn’t need to be drilled the existing holes line up with holes in the rack.

the next pictures are a storage box with a flip down table and a removable table that can be used on the ground this things a bit heavy at 43 lbs empty.
Considering a plastic American jerry can full of water is around 45 lbs, I know the top and aluminum supports can handle the weight.

I’ve run into 2 problems with the SMITTY BUILT safari top .
the side windows are not the same as the factory jk windows so I can’t just drill strait through the top it will be too close to the glass . I might remove the glass and add a fiberglass or aluminum insert, but at that point I might as well design a flip up with an internal box.

I plan to make these work I just need to work out a spacer and brackets that will clear the window gasket and not vibrate and shatter the glass.

Im trying to work out how to use the aircraft channel to make both sides removable.

any opinion of running the aircraft channel vertical over the glass with a spacer plate to keep a gap?
im open to ideas.

Im somewhat terrible at writing these things up . Hope it helps some with storage issue in their JKU

 

[jscherb]

I can't imagine why steps on the windshield hinges would be useful, except possibly for climbing fully up on the roof rack. This product was featured in recent issues of Land Rover Monthly and Land Rover Life:



The magazine says they're handy for setting up your roof top tent, but I've never felt a need for more than a door hinge step, and that on the lower door hinge (and in flip flops) in this photo from a Death Valley expedition:



In case anyone is interested, here's a closer look at the hinge steps that I use (they're on Retrofit Offroad's Jeep in this photo). In this photo the steps are stowed, they swing down for use:



And as for climbing up on the rack, I step on the rear bumper, then step on the top of the spare and then up on the rack, no extra steps necessary. In this photo I'm getting a better view of the Jeeps further back on the trail at Easter Jeep Safari trying to catch up:



If there was a real use for Windshield steps, they would be easy to implement on any Wrangler except the JL/Gladiator; the earlier models have exposed bolts on the windshield hinges but they're hidden on the JL/JT. I guess I'd call these windshield steps a Land Rover Idea that isn't really useful for Jeeps (at least for me).

 

[jscherb]

Why is it that there are no racks on Jeeps that overhang the windshield? I think they can be very useful, providing more space for storage especially when you're carrying a roof top tent. A few Land Rover examples:





A few years back I built an extension for my rack; on the LJ it overhangs the windshield a bit and the extra storage is very useful. It bolts to the front of the other rack basket and is supported in the front by the drip rails. It's optional and can be removed if only the main rack is needed.



Also, because of the downward curvature of the front of the roof, it provides a good place to mount a slide-out solar panel. The main rack, the extension and the slide-out solar panel can be used on both my LJ and my JKU, here's a photo of everything on my JKU with the solar deployed. Because the JKU is longer than the LJ, the rack extension doesn't extend over the windshield...



I always wonder why there aren't any over-the-windshield racks available in the Jeep world.b

 

[shays4me]

Why is it that there are no racks on Jeeps that overhang the windshield?

My immediate thought is payload. My jeep
Is already overloaded without the extra space to stack more on it.

 

[jscherb]

My immediate thought is payload. My jeep
Is already overloaded without the extra space to stack more on it.

Wouldn't the same reasoning apply to the Land Rovers as well?

 

[LRNAD90]

Wouldn't the same reasoning apply to the Land Rovers as well?

Payload is a Land Rover strong suit. A '95 NAS D90 has a 2,400+ lb payload capacity, a 2 door JL has what, a 1,000 lb capacity, 4 door even less? And that is significantly increased from the JK if I understand correctly?

 

[jscherb]

I find the extra space very useful when I have the RTT on top. In this LJ photo I've got a plastic bin mounted on the rack extension and I store lightweight items in the box.



The plastic box worked out very well, so I got a larger but still lightweight aluminum box that's just about the full width of the rack.



A great place to store large and often bulky items that would take up a lot of space inside the Jeep.

Lately I've been using the extension to carry building supplies as I'm working on various construction projects in my new/200-year-old house. The full length of the rack is just over 8', which makes it easy to carry plywood or even 16' lengths of wood. I don't have a photo of that use, I'll have to remember to take a photo next time I have a wood load up there.

Today I'm moving a large rug to the new house, I could do it on a shorter rack but the fact that the rug is slightly shorter than the rack means I can tie it down without the ends of the rug flapping on the roof at highway speed.

 

[Dan Grec]

Wouldn't the same reasoning apply to the Land Rovers as well?

In round numbers, the Payload on a Defender 110 is double that of a 4 door Jeep, and the payload on a Defender 130 is double that of a Gladiator.
Also a lot of people will tell you those payloads on the Defenders were defined by the military, so the vehicles were designed to operate at that weight for their entire life, vs the Wrangler/Gladiator which feel severely under powered and under sprung when at GVWR.

-Dan

 

[jscherb]

In round numbers, the Payload on a Defender 110 is double that of a 4 door Jeep, and the payload on a Defender 130 is double that of a Gladiator.
Also a lot of people will tell you those payloads on the Defenders were defined by the military, so the vehicles were designed to operate at that weight for their entire life, vs the Wrangler/Gladiator which feel severely under powered and under sprung when at GVWR.

-Dan

Dan,
I don't disagree, but my use of the extra space is more about space management than extra payload. When in expedition mode, I like to keep lesser-used/lighter things in the box on the roof than cluttering up the too-small cabin.

About being under-sprung, I definitely agree with that but I'm very satisfied with the air bag assist I have in the rear springs. 30psi in the air bags stiffens up the stock springs quite a bit when there's a heavy load on board.

And after driving <200hp LJ's for years with similar rtt + kitchen expedition loads, the 280 or so hp in the JKU never disappoints me .

 

[jscherb]

A recent issue of Land Rover Monthly has an article about this Defender that's been all over - Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. One thing I found interesting that could also be useful on expedition Jeeps is this external storage box. It mounts to the side of the hardtop and appears to be about 6" deep.





The box looks custom built; it wouldn't be hard to build something like this to fit a Wrangler. Could even build it from plywood and shoot it with bedliner for a finish.

 

[jscherb]

I suppose this truly is a Land Rover Idea for a Jeep - it's a billed as "The World's First Sport Utility Kit Car" and is basically a Defender, but you can build it starting with the components from your JKU: https://shop.blackbridgemotors.com/. You can buy everything from just the frame all the way up to a kit with a body tub and other sheet metal.



You can use the components (and possibly the VIN?) from your JKU:

...this chassis is designed to accommodate all OEM or aftermarket JK chassis, steering, and suspension components, providing endless customization possibilities...

It's crazy expensive though.

 

[ZONE ZERO]

I suppose this truly is a Land Rover Idea for a Jeep - it's a billed as "The World's First Sport Utility Kit Car" and is basically a Defender, but you can build it starting with the components from your JKU: https://shop.blackbridgemotors.com/. You can buy everything from just the frame all the way up to a kit with a body tub and other sheet metal.

View attachment 855325

You can use the components (and possibly the VIN?) from your JKU:



It's crazy expensive though.

A company called https://www.hardbody4x4.com/bravo.html
makes a kit too but it’s a lot more involved. But you could do a series or a defender