I'm working on prepping the Safari Cab panels for paint, and the work is going well so sometime next week I expect to start painting. The exterior color will be Spice. The inside of the roof panel will have a dark gray headliner, and anyplace that's still visible inside the roof will be sprayed with black Raptor bedliner - there's not much, mostly just around the Alpine windows.

I've considered three choices for the inside of the side panels and rear panel - black Raptor, Spice, or white-tinted Raptor. I'm planning to go with white Raptor, except for the inside of the barn door, which will be white base coat/matte clear.

This is an interior shot I took during a test-fitting of the parts. The inside of the parts is currently raw fiberglass, but that'll be taken care of very soon.

 

You mentioned "early Testers " for the RetroFit window kit - is there someone at the RV window company hopefuls can contact ?
Beautiful work, as always.

 

Actually you want to be in touch with the Jeep accessories company. The window company will be doing the manufacturing of the window, there's a hardware manufacturer that will be making the retrofit kits, and the Jeep accessories company will be packaging everything together as a kit.

If you PM me your contact info, I'll pass it along to the Jeep accessories company.

 

Thank you, will do.

 

Your profile says you have a 2012 JKU but the PM says a 2dr. ?

The first kit that's being done is the late model JKU kit - I'm meeting witb both the RV window company and the hardware company on Tuesday to turn over the prototypes to them to begin the production process. If you want it for a 2dr it'll be a little bit, that'll be next.

In fact I've just this morning arranged to acquire this late model 2dr top, when I pick it up I'll begin work on the retrofit kit and windows/hatches for it.



And since I don't have a 2 door JK, I don't need this top except to make the window kit, so I'll probably cut it apart and turn it into a modular top just for fun. I posted about that idea a while back: https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/jk-s...5/#post4183577

 

My JKU was replaced by 2Dr, back to Basics .
That 2 dr hardtop is Perfect for the Modular approach. I'm looking !!

 

The Retro Rhino... I like it!

 

I'm thinking it will be my next big project after I finish the JK Safari Cab.

I start the design phase for most of my big projects a very long time before I begin construction. For about as long as I've been working on the JK Safari Cab I've been doing design work in the background on a project I call the "Retro Rhino" - a retro-style FSJ/Gladiator front end kit for the JK. (For those who haven't heard the term before, "Rhino" is a common term used to describe the center-grille style front for full size Jeeps). Here's a mockup of all the parts I've got so far. What you're looking at is an original Gladiator hood and grille panel complete with grille, headlights/trim and "pie plates", a JK fender, and a JK cowl panel. There's a JK hood standing off to the side as well.





While it may look like the parts are somewhat compatible, the FSJ hood and grille panel are both at least a foot too wide, so both of those will have to be scaled down quite a bit. The hood is actually pretty close in length to what's needed for the JK; the JK fenders will be modified so that the front edge slants forward instead of back, like this M715 FSJ fender:



The grille panel and grill itself will need to be scaled down, something like this:



It's a long-term background design project and I don't have any specific date for when I'll start work on it or when it will be done.

 

I'm in Elkhart Indiana today and tomorrow, turning over the final prototype retrofit kit and slider frame to begin the production process, as well as having meetings on a few other projects/products I've got in the works. Since Elkhart is the "Detroit of the RV industry", it's a great place for Jeep projects - there are lots of manufacturers here with capabilities that are perfect for Jeep products, and also if you know where to go and who to ask, it's a great place to source components for building one-offs and prototypes. For example, today I picked up a cargo hatch that's the perfect size for the late model 2dr JK hardtop window opening. It's a hatch intended for a generator compartment, so it's got a grille on part of it, but I can replace the panel with a solid panel and hey, beggars can't be choosers, and it is the perfect size, so I'll use it to prototype the cargo hatch version of the 2dr retrofit kit.



They had a bunch of these on hand but I only grabbed one because that's all I'll need to do the prototype work, but I may go back tomorrow and grab a few more.

 

I love it! ... I don't comment much on here, but I enjoy seeing what your up. Always thinking outside the box. Great work sir!