Barn Door for JK factory hardtops

jscherb

Expedition Leader
That's going to be sweet! Will the dome light luminate the interior of the compartment sufficiently?
Maybe a LED on the lid would be a nice touch.
Thanks!

The dome light on the main roll bar hoop is over the front of the compartment, so it will probably do the job, but an LED inside is a good idea.

I just finished carpeting the components this morning, I'll bolt everything in place after lunch so we'll see how the existing lighting works pretty soon.
 

jscherb

Expedition Leader
Finished up the seat delete compartment kit.

CompartmentDone1_zpseg3zsgrr.jpg


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CompartmentDone3_zps0by2qdzb.jpg


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A view from above:

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In operation:

 

jscherb

Expedition Leader
I didn't realize you were doing a raised lip on the lid. Added for structural integrity?
The compartment is made of inexpensive 1/2" plywood and no matter how well I sealed the parts, it's possible the lid could warp over time so I added a reinforcement around the perimeter of the lid to stiffen it. Probably could have done without it but I think it's a good idea.

I've moved some things into the compartment - a large tool bag, a recovery strap and the big quilted bag is my bicycle carrier.

CompartmentInUse_zps8rid0ilw.jpg
 

jgaz

Adventurer
Project turned out well.
The finished factory look gives you some decent “stealthy” storage which can be good thing these days

Any thoughts on the chances of this kit making it to market? Not looking for a timeline or anything just thoughts
 

jscherb

Expedition Leader
Project turned out well.
The finished factory look gives you some decent “stealthy” storage which can be good thing these days

Any thoughts on the chances of this kit making it to market? Not looking for a timeline or anything just thoughts
I've designed the kit so it wouldn't take too much effort to put it on the market, but whether or not it gets to market isn't really up to me. I'm not in business and I don't sell anything, so if it's to get to market some company or some person is going to have to be interested in marketing it. If a company or person is interested I'd be happy to discuss it with them.

I thought you didn't own a JK? :).
 

jgaz

Adventurer
I've designed the kit so it wouldn't take too much effort to put it on the market, but whether or not it gets to market isn't really up to me. I'm not in business and I don't sell anything, so if it's to get to market some company or some person is going to have to be interested in marketing it. If a company or person is interested I'd be happy to discuss it with them.

I thought you didn't own a JK? :).
I don’t, but my neighbor and nephew both do.
Both are interested and I know I’d be involved in this project. My nephew is 2K miles away!

I‘d be satisfied if someone made your seat delete bracket for a decent price. (The one that incorporates the LH seat belt anchor).
 

jscherb

Expedition Leader
I don’t, but my neighbor and nephew both do.
Both are interested and I know I’d be involved in this project. My nephew is 2K miles away!

I‘d be satisfied if someone made your seat delete bracket for a decent price. (The one that incorporates the LH seat belt anchor).
The seat delete bracket should be able to be manufactured to retail for a fraction price of the one that's currently on the market but if this one never gets to production there's always that one :).
 

userg

New member
Checked my sewing supplies this morning... I've got everything necessary to convert the factory soft top side panels to roll-ups - correct zippers, scraps of JK soft top fabric large enough to make the flaps to cover the zippers; velcro, snaps and webbing for the straps. As soon as I get time I'll modify the panels.

RollUpMaterials_zpsvvvj9ngj.jpg
So with a lot of free time lately I am finally getting the nerve to cut up my soft-top windows to make the sides roll up. I can order the zipper no issue but, I don't have scraps of soft-top material. I know my JKU has the premium twill top in black, that being said where can I buy a similar piece of fabric? Doesn't have to be an exact match when you look up close, but hopefully not a noticeable difference from 5 ft away. What do I search for? Googling "jeep twill top" just returns a bunch of places to buy soft tops which seems extreme since I only need a little bit. Thanks!
 

jscherb

Expedition Leader
So with a lot of free time lately I am finally getting the nerve to cut up my soft-top windows to make the sides roll up. I can order the zipper no issue but, I don't have scraps of soft-top material. I know my JKU has the premium twill top in black, that being said where can I buy a similar piece of fabric? Doesn't have to be an exact match when you look up close, but hopefully not a noticeable difference from 5 ft away. What do I search for? Googling "jeep twill top" just returns a bunch of places to buy soft tops which seems extreme since I only need a little bit. Thanks!
The fabric Jeep uses on the twill top is called Twillfast RPC. manufactured by Haartz: http://www.haartz.com/exteriors/twillfast
 

jscherb

Expedition Leader
Spare mounted trash bag/gear bag and Molle panel

I like the utility of a spare-mounted trash bag but most of the ones on the market are so dang ugly I don't want them on my Jeep. My latest shelter-in-place project: to design and sew one that actually looks good. It's made of soft-top fabric, so it's very UV-resistant (unlike some on the market) and very strong. The fabric came from a used Bestop bikini top that I picked up for $15.

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A closer view (this time on the LJ):

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The bag is separate from the harness that straps to the spare and is held in place with 4 snap clips that can be seen in the photos. Removing the bag reveals a Molle grid made from webbing.

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TrashHopperLJ1_zpslsoafzuz.jpg
 

jscherb

Expedition Leader
I did a quick photo-edit of a couple of the photos to show what the bag might look like in black. I left the leather straps brown.

TrashHopperLJ1Black_zpsh8lr9v7v.jpg


TrashHopperLJ2Black_zpsdzr0y1xd.jpg


Black looks a lot better on the LJ so I'll have to sew a black one for the LJ and use the Spice one on the JKU.
 

skinner23

New member
Painting the plywood parts. I'm doing a textured finish in satin black. All of the outside surfaces will be covered in carpet but on the inside this finish will be visible. With the texture it doesn't look like plywood anymore.

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What type of texture paint did you use?? Been looking for something like that for a similar project. Yours is looking great!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

jscherb

Expedition Leader
What type of texture paint did you use?? Been looking for something like that for a similar project. Yours is looking great!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks. I used Behr Deckover acrylic deck coating from Home Depot. Application with a roller resuls in a nice texture and it cleans up with water. I've used it on a lot of projects over the past few years - when I built the prototype drawer unit and enclosure for Trail Kitchen, I used it with a clear polyurethane top coat and when I did the pop-up camper top for the trailer I used it with no top coat.

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For the floor compartment I used green left over from my military trailer project and topcoated it with satin Rustoleum.
 

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