Glad my modular conversion instructions were helpful to you!

I'm working on another set of side panels for the modular top in that thread, I'll post the steps there as soon as I finish them up, hopefully later this week.

 

Don't have the slide yet, but in the meantime I'm about to begin testing a dedicated battery for the fridge. The inner fender ammo can mount is a perfect place to carry the battery, right next to the fridge:



I plan to test how much the battery discharges when running the fridge overnight. The battery will be connected to a switched power circuit in the Jeep to charge it whenever the Jeep is running, so I'll also test how long it takes to charge back to full after running the fridge overnight.

The fridge has a built-in battery monitor that can be set to turn it off when the battery falls below a set voltage. This voltage can be set to 10.1v, 11.4v or 11.8v, so I'll experiment with how long the fridge can be run off the battery before it falls to one of those voltages.

The specs for the fridge are that it draws 7a @ 12v and the battery I'll be testing with it has a reserve capacity of 110 minutes. Reserve capacity is defined as the number of minutes the battery can supply 25 amps before it falls below 10.5 volts so if the fridge draws its full 7 amps all the time, that may mean that the battery will get to 10.5 volts after 25/7 * 110 minutes or roughly 7 hours. I assume the fridge cycles on and off once if gets to the temperature it's set for, so probably it doesn't draw 7 amps all the time. If that's true, it'll probably run more than 12 hours before reaching the 10.1v lowest shut-off setting in the fridge. I'll also monitor how long the battery takes to recharge after reaching the fridge's shut-off voltage.

Does anyone know if there are published tests like this anywhere? If so I'd like to read them before starting my tests.

 

The distance from the floor to the bottom of my tray would be 11", at an angle.

 

The way the tray mount is designed, the tray bottom is 13" off the floor. Would some of the tray mount be over the seat well in the floor in your case? If so, how far below the floor would the feet have to adjust to touch the floor in the well?

 

I decided that it's simpler for me to make a tray, so here it is.
I don't really need a vertical foot for support, an "L" bracket through -bolted to the hardtop/ body lip works to support this tray I salvaged. I'll add a Vertical if I decide to carry anything heavy. Note ; if drilling through the drivers side lip, move the wiring harness out of harms way.
The Ammo box carries "Emergency Repair" supplies , and gives Dog Proof storage.
This is a light-duty application, and works for me. Inspired by this thread !

 

Sounds great, I look forward to seeing them.

I would really like to use some soft side roll up or even zip on/off panels on this hard bikini top. Would make it perfect for the unpredictable North TX weather, but don't have the sewing capabilities to make them.

 

As long as it works for you, that's all that matters. Glad I was able to help.

 

Hey, a sewing machine is just another power tool .

I didn't know how to sew two years ago either. I got my mom to give me my dad's old sewing machine (he used it to sew canvas for his boat), she showed me a few basics and then I read a few sewing books and studied the excellent how-to videos at Sailrite.com. Since then I've sewed several sets of roll-up side curtains for my hardtops, a pop-up camper top for my Jeep-tub trailer, numerous household items (did some decorative pillow covers just this afternoon), the prototypes for the Tactical Spare Covers and Molle Bars roll bar sleeves, and lots more.

Heavy-duty sewing machines like mine can be picked up for around $100 on eBay and given how many useful things you can do for your Jeep/offroad/camping hobby (and nice things your significant other will enjoy decorating the house with), it's a great investment.

My sewing machine is my second favorite power tool.

 

What sort of machine would you recommend? I'd heard you need a serger for heavier fabrics, and I couldn't find new equipment under $300. If I knew of an older machine that would do the trick I'd be a lot more likely to try it out.
Thanks!

 

My machine is an early 60's New Home "Double Duty" made by Janome. It was made for home use/light commercial and it has had plenty of sewing power for everything I've done, which includes the projects pictured below. There's one on ebay right now for $149, but I regularly see them for $80-$100. Mine is pictured below, it's a model 532.



Some of the projects I've done with it...

Roll-up soft sides for the LJ Safari:



Soft barn door upper for the JK Safari:



Tactical Spare Cover prototypes in a bunch of colors:



Tilt-up camper canvas:



"Covered Wagon" top for my military trailer:



All of that and more was done on the sewing machine pictured above.