Try going to a glass place. They replace auto glass and should have a fix for it.

 

There is a "cold solder" epoxy that is for this purpose. It's a 2 part epoxy with a high conductive metal content, mix and apply at room temperature.
AutoBody Supply , glass repair places have it.

 

What's also good if that where it's located I can make or answer a call without taking either hand off the wheel.

I don't remember the brand of the mount but I found it at WalMart, it was around $10 and works so well I went back and picked up 2 more for my other Jeeps.

A Google search on "defroster tab repair kit" will turn up a range of options, including the adhesive that Four Low mentioned.

Because my Jeeps are garage kept, I don't often need a rear window defroster so I didn't put one on my barn door, but I put a barn door on a friend's Jeep - he keeps his outside so we put a defroster on his:



Mine's wired for a defroster as well so if I ever decide I need on it's easy to add, but so far I haven't needed it.

Thanks, glad you find it useful and fun .

 

For a long time I've been working on a design I call the "Retro Rhino" - Rhino being a common term for the original Gladiator front clip... I've wanted to do a kit to turn a JK into a modern version of the Rhino FSJ. Originally I was thinking I'd do it in very much the same way as the various Jeep concepts like the Nukizer, J12 and Crew Chief 715; these concepts have a wider front fascia, a hood that was wider at the front, modified fenders that didn't taper in towards the front and new narrower fender flares - almost all of body parts forward of the cowl are custom.

A while back I did a concept image based on parts of Jeep concept images, a JKU photo and some drawing to put a Safari Cab on it...



I haven't had any time to begin work on the project, but this week I did have some time to consider another way of doing it. Instead of modifying all the body parts forward of the cowl, this new idea only requires a new hood and front fascia/grille. The fenders and flares would be stock (or any aftermarket flares that fit the stock fenders), and the new hood, fascia and related parts would bolt in place with no other modifications.

I'll take you through the options. This first illustration shows the original FSJ Rhino front panel and a JK to the same scale. The FSJ front panel is much too wide to go on the JK, it's wider than the JK tub. In the lower left I've scaled the FSJ front end to the same width as the JK, making the panel the same width as the tub at the cowl. In this crude scaling the headlights and "pie plates" are too small, but it shows roughly how much the panel would have to be scaled down.



This next illustration shows a "selectively scaled" front panel; the headlights and pie plates are full size originals from an FSJ, and the center grille is scaled down to fit. This would be a "full front clip" kit - new parts required would be a hood, front panel, grille, flares, and modifications to the factory fenders so they didn't taper in towards the front.



The next illustration shows the a front panel scaled to work with the factory grille width. The headlights and trim rings are original FSJ parts but the pie plates and center grille are new scaled-down parts. This would be a much simpler kit - the hood and front panel/grille would bolt on to a stock JK in place of the factory hood and grille. No other modifications would be required. As such, it would be a fairly practical kit that a home driveway DIY-er could install.



I made a full printout of the last design to see what the JK-factory-width front panel might look like.



The photo above only shows the fascia/grille, there would be a new hood that would have a raised section in the center like the original FSJ hood.

 

As usual, looks like you are about to embark on another awesome project. Just wondering though, what if you could round off the peak on the grill so that A: the original hood could be used, and B: the softer look would be more pleasing to the eye, as the front of the Jeep has a rounder, softer look to it. Also, by ditching the pie plates between the grill and headlites, how about enlarging the grill for better air circ. Just some thoughts. Keep up the GOOD WORK!

 

Great Blend of retro styling cues. Keeping it a simple DIY change adds to the appeal .

 

Thanks. I think eliminating the raised section of the hood, rounding off the grille and eliminating the pie plates would make it just a stock JK with a grille overlay - it wouldn't really recall the looks of the original "Rhino" front end. It certainly could be done the way you suggest, but I don't think it would achieve my goal of looking like a modern version of the FSJ Rhino.

Air flow isn't an issue, my JK has these grille inserts that greatly reduce the air flow and I've had no temperature problems at all. The Rhino grille as I've drawn it should flow more air than my stock JK grille with the inserts.

 

Jeff,
Over the last few years I have read many of your threads on various sites and the innovation and work product is quite impressive. I have a JK8 and I want to build a full length hardtop as in the photoshopped picture below. I have a 2007 4 door hardtop and a 2011-up 2 door hardtop that I bought with the hopes of fabricating a full length hardtop for the JK8. Do you have any design concerns with what I would like to do? I have not figured out how to handle the glass. Ihave considered a slider like you have done or possibly a fixed window with a small vent window at the rear. Any advice you could offer is appreciated. I hope to start cutting tops in a couple weeks.
As you notice in the picture, the JK8 conversion removes the b pillar and that is why I bought a 2 door top so that I would not have to completely fabricate the leading edge of the side panels. Thanks

 

That sounds like an interesting hardtop project, and one that's not too difficult with proper design and planning.

It's hard to cover everything about the project in a single post, but I'll start with some general comments about what I would do if I were doing the project.

First, it'll be a big thing - hard to handle to take on and off. Maybe not technically bigger than a JKU hardtop, but the extra length in the side panels will make it heavier and more awkward to handle, so I would convert it into a modular top. I've documented the modular conversion in detailed steps designed for a DIY-er to be successful with, if you haven't read the thread I highly recommend it, even if you decide not to go modular the thread has a lot of tips you'll need for deailing successfully with SMC (the fiberglass variant that the top is made of). That thread is here: Converting a factory JK/JKU hardtop to modular

In addition to making the top easier to handle, making it modular will enable you to run without the side panels, or with roll-up soft sides, so you can gain some very nice functionality by going modular.



About windows, there are several ways you could go:

- Custom sliders. There are a few companies that do one-off custom slider windows, and for a pair to fit these long sides, you'll probably spend at least $600 for two windows. Those companies won't do windows that match the slight angles of the front and rear verticals of the hardtop window opening, nor can they do a sharp enough radius to match the radius of the opening in the hardtop, so at best they won't look factory.

- Custom-fit safety glass or tempered glass windows held in with window gaskets. Safety glass will generally be a very light green in color, alnmost transparent, but it's a little less expensive than tempered glass, which can be made in various tints.

I used safety glass in the LJ Safari Cab, and I used tinted tempered glass in the JK Safari Cab to match the factory tint. Pictures of noth are below. It's not too hard to find a glass place to do custom cutting of the glass to exactly match your openings.





Doing a single window on each side will result in what I'd consider to be an awkwardly-long looking window, so I'd break it up into two windows, maybe something like one of these ideas:



If you do something like the above, it's not to hard to make a vent window that opens, and not too hard to power it either. I did powered vent windows on the JK Safari Cab and I really like the additional ventilation they provide:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KytfmQV7Lb0 A problem you'll have to solve is that any of the above glass options require a flat mounting surface for the glass; the factory glass mounting surface is curved. You'll have to modify the side panels to provide a flat mounting surface. That's actually not too hard, I can walk you through the steps on how to do that.

I could write a lot more about the details, but what I write will depend on what you decide about what I covered above, so think about the options and see what appeals most to you. I'm happy to provide whatever additional details you need and help you every step of the way. Feel free to ask as many questions as you like, I'll do my best to answer them.

jeff

 

Jeff, Thanks for your response. I did read your thread on the modular top which was very informative. I have been considering something like option one or two that you provided for the exact reason that you mentioned. I have not traced the curvature of the two side panels to see how much they differ of if they will follow the curvature of the body. I was hoping to be able to use the factory glass for the two door and put a vent in the rear with what space is left. If the curvature of the side panel for the 2 door top I should be in pretty good shape. I am not concerned with the weight to remove the top because I have a lift but I do like the idea of the removable sides. The only concern is how sturdy it will be given that the b pillar is removed on the JK8. I will reread your DIY modular top post and order material this weekend.

Is the info on the hinge and operator that you used for the power venting window in one of your posts. Thanks for your guidance!