I absolutely love this thread I am very eager to see the end result. I am curious how the rear barn door will mount and im sorry if I missed it. The mock up that I saw looks like a contraption to stabilize and support it but seems kind of bulky. Will it be easily removed when necessary? Is it possible to have it mount like the upper soft windows of half doors and slide into the lower door itself? And if we ever need a test jeep I will stand in line with everyone else.

 

Thank you.

The basic barn door mounting is very simple but the photos you're referring to is a modular accessory mounting system that my friend Tom designed; he wanted something extra for his Jeep so we've been testing his design on his barn door. It's a really nice system, but if you don't need the modular storage inside then it's more than you need.

On the LJ version of the Safari Cab I used a simple stake system. I plan to use something like that on my first prototype JK Safari Cab. Here's the LJ version:



When Gr8Tops brought my LJ Safari Cab to production, they modified my basic stake system to this:


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Both use the same stake concept, but Gr8Tops has a bracket bolted to the inside of the tailgate that clamps the stakes in place vs. my LJ which has rivnuts in the tailgate and no bracket. If the JK barn door and/or JK Safari Cab gets into production, whatever company decides to bring it to market can decide on the exact method they want to use. The Gr8Tops version is slightly easier to DIY install because you don't have to deal with rivnuts, but it does require the extra bracket which my basic design doesn't.

I don't plan to do stakes that slide inside the tailgate because that would require more extensive mods to the tailgate and I want to keep the install simple enough for a DIYer.

Both the Gr8Tops version and my version make it quick and easy to take the barn door off.

Virginia might be close enough to do testing if the testing is based on my prototypes molded/assembled at my house, but I don't know where it might be if a company signs up for this and wants to test out of their location.

 

Project update:

For the past two months I haven't gotten too much done on the JK Safari Cab and related projects, I've been distracted designing and building a few JK hardware accessory projects (side-mount jerry/Rotopax carriers and a tailgate reinforcement + HD/large spare carrier), and also a large sewing project - making a canvas "covered wagon" style cargo top for my military replica trailer.

With those projects out of the way I've gotten back to work on the Safari Cab - the only major part left to mold before I can start assembling everything on the JK is the main roof panel, so I'm working on the mold for that now. It'll probably take me 2 weeks to make the mold master (the pattern for the mold), and then another few days to make the mold, so hopefully I'll have the first roof panel out of the mold by the end of June. I'll post photos along the way.

I have been working all along on the window projects I've got underway - the JK half door sliders windows and the hardtop window retrofit project. The RV window company is hoping to finish the prototype half door slider units up in the next week, so I'll post photos of those as I'm able to. I've also continued the conversation with them about retrofitting sliders or other style RV windows in the factory JK hardtop, and I've made up a few retrofit kits for installing windows on the curved surface of the factory hardtop.

 

Thanks for the update! I will be one of the first customers for the retro fit sliders for the hard top.

 

I can't say if they'll become a product for sale - I don't sell anything, I just design this stuff as a hobby. But there is a company that has expressed interest in selling the hardtop slider kits, and the RV window company I've been working with on the half door sliders is interested in manufacturing the hardtop retrofit sliders, so we'll have to see what happens.

I'm wondering which model should be supported first - there are 4 window sizes necessary to support all of the different JK hardtops - there's the JKU and the 2dr, and for each of those there are early and late model window sizes. I'm guessing if a company is going to pick this up they'd be wanting to start with one size, and if that one is successful, then offer the other sizes. But which one to start with (and why that one)?

 

Just a back of the napkin look from Wikipedia numbers so take it for what it is.

I'd say unlimited JKs have been more popular and the later years have a larger addressable market.

 

One could also argue that HALF of those JKU's are owned by soccer moms and are grocery getters only. (Who don't know what a mod is.) I don't have any wikipedia figures but I don't think that's a stretch.

 

That's possibly true but half of the Late model JKU market is still almost as large as the 2door market anyway. So it would be a safe bet to start there.

If you dig into assumptions, you could argue that these are production numbers and the older models could have less vehicles on the road now due to accidents and what not.

 

Late model 2 door. I really don't see the need for them in a JKU the back windows already comes down and their are no passengers seating behind that. The main reason is for the 2 door, so the passengers can enjoy the great out doors and not feel like there in a cave back there.

 

I agree, late model 2dr ; on the 2drs, the slider itself can be one size , largest possible ; make the adapter 2 sizes, early and late , or trim flange on earlier opening more to accept larger size. I need to measure an earlier hardtop to actually know glass difference.