"Safari Cab" modular hardtop project

[Ford Prefect]

I already said this in the other forum, but for the benifit of those here who might be considering colors this is what I plan to do...

Paint the Roof Expedition White with "Hy-Tech Bus Kote #2150" insulating paint, and then I will paint the sides Body Matching tan. (Unless my wife buys me a blue paint job for my birthday!!!)

One of the things that I really enjoy about this top is the fact that the sides are separate from the top, this does of course make the install and storage easier, but it also gives that wonderful line to break up the sides (visually) thus allowing for the paint colors to change.

One thing that keeps going through my mind along with built in lighting, is tie down points. This top will be more or less permanently installed by whoever buys it. Having lashing points or hardend points with threaded inserts places strategically throughout the interior (near the upper corners for example), would be very handy.

Just wondering, NWoods, why do you feel that people would leave this permanently on the jeep? Shoot, I love the fact that it is so easy for one person to install and remove at will! (MY wife can not lift my hard top, so I always have to get a buddy to come help!) With this I can do it all I want on my own


By the way, JEFF, just to clarify, this top is definitely NOT intended to be able to be run with the side walls taken out, and just the top up there like a bikini?

Brian

 

[jscherb]

...By the way, JEFF, just to clarify, this top is definitely NOT intended to be able to be run with the side walls taken out, and just the top up there like a bikini?

Brian

I am not intending for it to be built so that the roof panel can be used without the side panels (or without the center side panels) like a bikini. If it was installed with only the rear corner panels and the window surrounds there would not be enough structure to support the roof. In order to operate this way, special side panels would have to be constructed to add the necessary structure. These side panels could have "big holes" in the sides to more or less give the effect of a "hard bikini", but I don't have plans to make such panels.

 

[Ford Prefect]

Thanks

What do you think of the lights on the roof of the bestop? (Sort of like a built in light bar) I had not thought of something like this, how much would it take away from the overall look, or for that matter would it add, perhaps, to the look?

Personally I think this looks kind of goofy, but if they had it with four of them up there I would really like it, I think.

I know it is not really inline with what the none modified group would like, but... Just your thoughts I guess.

 

[jscherb]

Thanks

What do you think of the lights on the roof of the bestop? (Sort of like a built in light bar) I had not thought of something like this, how much would it take away from the overall look, or for that matter would it add, perhaps, to the look?

Personally I think this looks kind of goofy, but if they had it with four of them up there I would really like it, I think.

I know it is not really inline with what the none modified group would like, but... Just your thoughts I guess.

I hadn't seen those before, wow they are goofy. But funny you should mention this, just this afternoon I was thinking it might be fun to make up a custom light housing in fiberglass to fit the profile of the Safari Cab roof, like the Liberty lights:

 

[Beowulf]

I don't think it should come with lights. If they are there it is hard to remove them, but if they aren't there it is easy to add them.

Plus, I cannot imagine any company putting the lights in there that I would want. It would be too cost prohibitive. Then you are left with trying to remove inferior lights and install the ones you want.

Lastly, it would limit the choices of racks and the length of racks that you could run.

 

[jscherb]

I don't think it should come with lights. If they are there it is hard to remove them, but if they aren't there it is easy to add them.

Plus, I cannot imagine any company putting the lights in there that I would want. It would be too cost prohibitive. Then you are left with trying to remove inferior lights and install the ones you want.

Lastly, it would limit the choices of racks and the length of racks that you could run.

I agree, what I said was

it might be fun to make up a custom light housing in fiberglass to fit the profile of the Safari Cab roof, like the Liberty lights

meaning, "It might be a fun project for me to do"

*not meaning* "I'll do this and include it with every top"

The only reason I do these projects is for my own fun and enjoyment, and I do think a custom light bar in fiberglass might be fun to do.

 

[jscherb]

Here are the colors I think might work as "factory" colors for the Safari Cab. In addition to white, black and primer, I think "khaki" works, this color was offered on hardtops for some of the later years of the TJ/LJ and also on JK's. I've also added "light khaki", which is a Jeep factory body paint color, also offered in the later years. I've also added a few "combination colors" with different roofs.

These drawings don't show the tops installed on Jeeps yet, there's just too many combinations to post. I thought I'd get some feedback on these colors first, then maybe pick some body colors to show them on over the next few days.

What are your thoughts?

Since color reproduction in drawings is often misleading, here's a photo of a late model Jeep with a factory Khaki top and a factory Light Khaki body color.

And just to show how frustrating and misleading color reproduction can be, here's a scan from a 2006 Jeep brochure, Light Khaki is in the center of the top row. I've made the color in the drawing match the photograph fairly closely, but if you follow the color chart from the brochure, Light Khaki should be a little more to the tan side than I've drawn. Anyone with a Light Khaki Jeep want to comment on this? Give me some guidance and I'll correct the drawings if necessary.

 

[Root Moose]

Paint samples... practically impossible to do over the internet.

I really think you are running down the wrong path offering these painted. Even black isn't black if it has been outside a while (think 10 year old TJ).

Do like the racing parts places do... bare gel coat, primered - that's it. Let the owner deal with the rest.

 

[cyclic]

I'd do the entire thing in white gell coat. Its easy to paint custom colors over with just a light sanding but is just fine as a finish coat. Not to mention white tops are the best color to resist heat build-up.

 

[Backwoods Rambler]

I disagree somewhat. I think it should be offered in White, Black (or charcoal), Tan & "ready to paint"; but that's it. I believe those colors compliment most factory jeep colors enough to satisfy most customers.

I would put a black (or charcoal) top on my Jeep, but I would not buy one if it was just primed and I was tasked with getting it painted.

I think that due to it's size & complexity (windows, brackets, seals, etc..) this product needs to offered in a fully finished variation. Customer's who want it to be matched by a paint shop can buy the primed version and save a few hundred dollars. A painted version can have the cap painted white by a customer much easier & cheaper than having to get the whole thing painted.

 

[ryanhewitt]

x2 above

I agree with the previous post. Offer a finished and non-finished product. Back in post 111 you asked about roof rack dimensions. I've got a Garvin on my TJ, let me know what you want.

 

[jscherb]

I agree with the previous post. Offer a finished and non-finished product. Back in post 111 you asked about roof rack dimensions. I've got a Garvin on my TJ, let me know what you want.

About the roof rack dimensions... the person who posted that question was wondering if there would be enough clearance under one of those body-mounted rack systems to fit the Safari Cab roof, so I guess I would need to know how high above the tub rail and windshield the bottom of those racks are - then I could compare that to the height of the Safari Cab.

 

[jscherb]

I've been working on the inner mold master for the rear door upper. In the process I've mocked up how the components would lay out on the outside of the door. I've been using a spare CJ tailgate for dimensions and testing in the workshop; it has the same dimensions as the TJ and YJ tailgates.

The vent in the center would only be installed for pre-2003 Jeeps, since 2003 and later already have vents in the tailgate. You might not need the vent for CJ's because they often aren't airtight and don't need vents .

This wiper arm is made up of an arm modified from an Isuzu Trooper (I reversed the blade shaft to have the bend go the other way), and a YJ blade. We'll have to source an appropriate blade if the wiper is to be offered as an option.

In the upper left corner, just off the door, I've placed a YJ windshield washer nozzle. This isn't the right choice because it doesn't have the adjustment range necessary to hit the right spot on the window, but it shows where the nozzle would be placed. I'll have to find an appropriate nozzle, looks like a trip to the Pick-n-Pull this week .

I stuck the door hinge there just to see how it would look; it won't be necessary on the finished hardtop, but could be added if additional rigidity for the barn door assembly was needed. Obviously it wouldn't be there if the the rear door was installed in a liftgate configuration. And speaking of that, you may be able to see how the upper overlaps the tailgate, if the rear door was installed as a liftgate, there would need to be an external handle to latch the liftgate, just like on a CJ liftgate.

 

[ryanhewitt]

Incoming rack clearance measurements

I went out and measured the rack distances. I took 6 measurements, 3 per side. The front is at the bottom of the windshield frame, just inside of the hinge. The rear front is the top of the tub, just behind the door. The rear rear is just in front of the actual rear corner seam. All measurements were to the bottom of the rack, and they are follows:

Front Driver = 24 & 1/2"
Front Pass. = 24 & 1/2"

Rear Front Driver = 31 & 7/16"
Rear Rear Driver = 31 & 1/2"

Rear Front Pass. = 31 & 3/8"
Rear Rear Pass. = 31 & 7/16"

I know that all measurements are not equal, and the rack's bent, but that's because it gets used. If you need any clarification, or anything else let me know. Thanks.

 

[jscherb]

I went out and measured the rack distances. I took 6 measurements, 3 per side. The front is at the bottom of the windshield frame, just inside of the hinge. The rear front is the top of the tub, just behind the door. The rear rear is just in front of the actual rear corner seam. All measurements were to the bottom of the rack, and they are follows:

Front Driver = 24 & 1/2"
Front Pass. = 24 & 1/2"

Rear Front Driver = 31 & 7/16"
Rear Rear Driver = 31 & 1/2"

Rear Front Pass. = 31 & 3/8"
Rear Rear Pass. = 31 & 7/16"

I know that all measurements are not equal, and the rack's bent, but that's because it gets used. If you need any clarification, or anything else let me know. Thanks.

Thanks for taking the trouble to do the measurements. I checked against my LJ and the Safari Cab roof height, and I can confirm that the Safari Cab roof is too tall to fit under this rack. The front is fine, but because the roof rises to about 2 1/2" higher than the factory hardtop roof at the back of the doors, it's too tall.