Factory weatherstrip won't work properly with a barn door, I wrote about that here: https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...ry#post4216252

If you need factory style liftgate weatherstrip, places like Quadratec sell OEM weatherstrip (expensive) and they also have aftermarket weatherstrip for the later model wide hatches. The company that does the aftermarket weatherstrip just produced weatherstrip for the early model narrow hatches, and it's literally on its way from China right now so it should be available in a few months.

And if you really need to weatherstrip a barn door, check out the post I linked to .

 

Having completed all of the details of the roof assembly, it's now hanging from the garage door rails. When it's time to install it, I'll just drive the Jeep under the roof and let it down.



A "right side up" picture of the inside of the roof :



What's left to do: I'm waiting on the glass company to finish up the side window glass. Once that's ready and I get it installed, the Safari Cab can go on the Jeep.

The trailer is in the same bay as the roof because now I need the bay the trailer was in to work on the factory modular hardtop project.

 

That trailer should inspire me to get cracking on my 416 . Hate to cut it for a tailgate, but Practicality Rules.
2 dr Modular ! Yes ! Thank you !

 

I fit and installed all the necessary window gaskets this morning. When the glass arrives I'll insert the glass in the gaskets and install the lock strips to seal everything up.



Also put the "Safari" decals on the side panels.



That's all I can do on this project until the glass is ready. I'll check with the glass place and see what the E.T.A. is.

 

And speaking of glass...

This morning I heard from the RV window company that'll be manufacturing the slider windows for the factory hardtop retrofit kit. Today's email included the final pricing for manufacturing the windows, and the price is almost 20% better than I had estimated it would be.

I'm still waiting on manufacturing pricing for the retrofit kit to install the windows in the factory hardtop; the company that will be making them has finished their engineering from my prototype, so I'm just waiting on their pricing people. When that price comes I'll probably have them make a few retrofit kits for testing, and once that's done the company that I did the project for can place the orders for the first production run and decide on the final retail pricing for the kit.

 

Thanks!

 

The factory hardtop modular conversion is almost done, here's a shot of the now-modular parts being test fit back together. I've got a few more tasks to do before it's complete (like touching up the paint at the module joints), it should be done in a couple of days.

 

The whole reason I have the factory 2dr hardtop here is as a reference for developing the window retrofit kit for it, so today I experimented with a rough prototype cargo hatch - this is about the largest rectangular hatch that can fit in the late model 2dr factory hardtop window opening without cutting the hardtop. The hatch is just setting in the opening, It's still got to be mounted in a retrofit kit to secure it in the opening. I'll make up a retrofit kit for testing later this week if I get the time.





I'll be finishing up the modular hardtop conversion tomorrow, so photos of that soon.

 

Can't Wait ! Dogs are following this with great anticipation as well.

 

I finished the factory modular hardtop conversion today but didn't get a chance to bolt it together and take pictures, except for this one picture of the completed parts ready for assembly.



You can see some of the bolt flanges I added to the roof and the rear panel, the flanges on the side panels don't really show in this photo.

I'll get it assembled and photographed tomorrow.


Update on the JK Safari Cab: Yesterday I heard from the glass place - the glass for the JK Safari Cab is cut and was sent out yesterday morning to be tempered. They say it'll come back either Monday or Thursday next week.