Barn Door for Factory JK hardtop
07-07-2014, 03:59 PM
#1
JK Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Barn Door for Factory JK hardtop
Some of you that frequent the other forums may have seen JScherb and his amazing Safari Cab Hardtop that he created for his LJ.
He decided to start working on a barn door for the JK factory top as the first step in creating a complete Safari Cab for the JKU. I live close enough to Jeff that he let me see and help with the process of fabricating the molds and ultimately making a barn door for my Jeep that we finished this weekend.
Now that the barn door is complete I am working through a custom mounting system and a 3rd brake pod as the wiper will interfere with the factory 3rd brake light. I would like to get feedback from people into the design and functionality of both.
Hopefully Jeff will chime in after his trip and may post updates in this thread. Here's some pics of the door after we completed bonding and trimming this weekend.
He decided to start working on a barn door for the JK factory top as the first step in creating a complete Safari Cab for the JKU. I live close enough to Jeff that he let me see and help with the process of fabricating the molds and ultimately making a barn door for my Jeep that we finished this weekend.
Now that the barn door is complete I am working through a custom mounting system and a 3rd brake pod as the wiper will interfere with the factory 3rd brake light. I would like to get feedback from people into the design and functionality of both.
Hopefully Jeff will chime in after his trip and may post updates in this thread. Here's some pics of the door after we completed bonding and trimming this weekend.
Last edited by Milkman; 07-07-2014 at 04:07 PM.
07-07-2014, 04:12 PM
#3
JK Enthusiast
Thread Starter
I've been interested in the tailgate storage and tables for the trips and camping we do. Now that the JK Barn Door is a reality (thanks Jeff!) I thought this would be a great opportunity to incorporate the supports into a total system.
For clarity I've nicknamed it ModuluS (Modular Storage and Support System) and the basics are a 25" x 12" tall unit that mounts to the rear tailgate via holes drilled through the tailgate in the pattern of the tire carrier. Below is different variations and options you could purchase from a basic to advanced system.
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The basic system above incorporates the upper barn door supports and gives you storage spots approximately 1" deep. The slots around the outside would allow accessories to be mounted to the face and I could envision and am looking for easy to mount bungies so the pockets could be loaded with items.
Using the basic system and attaching the ModuluS table assembly gives you a fold down trail table and Molle storage as well as additional slots for items like quickfists as you can see with the axe mounted above.
With the table folded down you should have plenty of worksurface and you can see accessories mounted in the pockets. A first Aid kit could be velcroed into the left pocket and a flashlight and utility knife is inside a foam insert that could be installed.
With the table installed and folded up you can see that the overall thickness is just a bit thicker than the bulge in the tailgate so it will not take up much cargo room.
I have some different Molle pouches ordered and will plan on making the deluxe version for testing. The system as designed is made entirely of aluminum for weight savings. Calculations were run to show deflection of the upright posts and they should be well within the limits for it to function correctly.
So....after the long explanation what do you think and what additional options would people be interested in seeing?
For clarity I've nicknamed it ModuluS (Modular Storage and Support System) and the basics are a 25" x 12" tall unit that mounts to the rear tailgate via holes drilled through the tailgate in the pattern of the tire carrier. Below is different variations and options you could purchase from a basic to advanced system.
[TABLE="class: ncode_imageresizer_warning, width: 640"]
[TR]
[TD="class: td1, width: 20"][/TD]
[TD="class: td2"][/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
The basic system above incorporates the upper barn door supports and gives you storage spots approximately 1" deep. The slots around the outside would allow accessories to be mounted to the face and I could envision and am looking for easy to mount bungies so the pockets could be loaded with items.
Using the basic system and attaching the ModuluS table assembly gives you a fold down trail table and Molle storage as well as additional slots for items like quickfists as you can see with the axe mounted above.
With the table folded down you should have plenty of worksurface and you can see accessories mounted in the pockets. A first Aid kit could be velcroed into the left pocket and a flashlight and utility knife is inside a foam insert that could be installed.
With the table installed and folded up you can see that the overall thickness is just a bit thicker than the bulge in the tailgate so it will not take up much cargo room.
I have some different Molle pouches ordered and will plan on making the deluxe version for testing. The system as designed is made entirely of aluminum for weight savings. Calculations were run to show deflection of the upright posts and they should be well within the limits for it to function correctly.
So....after the long explanation what do you think and what additional options would people be interested in seeing?
Last edited by Milkman; 07-07-2014 at 04:19 PM.
07-07-2014, 06:32 PM
#6
JK Enthusiast
Thread Starter
If anyone is interested in the story of how it was made here is the build thread. The JK is the most difficult Jeep to build for since there are no flat surfaces like the old Jeeps. The barn door was made to two curves and had to compensate for the rear hardtop angle. As you can see it matches all the curves and looks factory.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/foru...ctory-hardtops
http://www.expeditionportal.com/foru...ctory-hardtops
