Converting a factory JK/JKU hardtop to modular

[jscherb]

...I know you have mentioned a good book about how to fiberglass in the past but I can't find that thread. I would appreciate it if you could post it again. Thanks in advance.

The best book I've found is this one: https://www.amazon.com/Fiberglass-O...F8&qid=1541551472&sr=8-1&keywords=forbes+aird

But it's worth a visit to your local library... my library has several books on fiberglass from the 60's and 70's and they're still very relevant, everything in the books applies to what you might do in your home garage. I've got a collection of older books I've bought at library book sales and used book shops and they're all useful.

 

[wrbrd]

Would you consider a trade for a cut 2 door jk tub you could have to prototype on?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[jscherb]

Would you consider a trade for a cut 2 door jk tub you could have to prototype on?

I'm not sure what you want from me, can you be more specific? And what does the tub look like, can you post pictures?

 

[Lim@]

Hi all/jscherb. Great thread, been going over it for the last couple of days and some of the fibreglass work is top notch!

I'm from Australia and looking to do a chop of a jku to what we call a Ute. Basically convert it to a 2 door with a aluminum tray (flatbed) at the back and aluminum canopy on top. They aim is to have a good overlander with a square base for storage and tent on top.

Similar to a jk8 but not continuing the style side. Probably more like a bruiser supercab but without extending the chassis.

Excuse my very bad Microsoft paint skills but you get the idea.

My question is on the fibreglass hard top. I'm looking to cut it down so it will finish 300mm after the b pillar.

I know it may look fairly square but by your previous posts I know it isn't.

So I want to chop the hardtop to meet with the b pillar, then have it come down straight away to the height of the bottom of the rear window (which I will also fibreglass up and make look like your barn door with the sliding window, but will be fixed closed).

If I get a 2 door hard top will that meet with the b pillar on a jku and seal? Then I can just chop the very back section out and join it in? Or will it make it no easier than starting with a jku hard top?

I saw you mention mbrp did something similar but I can't really find and information on the internet.

Hopefully that made sense. Thanks

 

[jscherb]

Hi all/jscherb...

If I get a 2 door hard top will that meet with the b pillar on a jku and seal? Then I can just chop the very back section out and join it in? Or will it make it no easier than starting with a jku hard top?

I saw you mention mbrp did something similar but I can't really find and information on the internet.

There is no body b-pillar on a 2dr so a 2dr hardtop seals at the back of the doors. Because a JKU has body b-pillars, the back of the door openings on a 2dr hardtop will be too far forward to seal to the back of a JKU b-pillar. If you're removing the b-pillars from the JKU body, the 2dr hardtop dimensions will be correct to seal the back of the doors on a JKU. I don't think there is any advantage to your project to starting with a 2dr hardtop, and if you leave the body b-pillars on the JKU body it will be more work to modify a 2dr hardtop to fit than it will to start with a 4dr hardtop.

If you plan to reuse the rear wall of the hardtop, you will need to widen it - the JK and JKU bodies are narrower at the rear than they are right behind the front doors, so the rear panel of the hardtop is narrower than needed to span the width of the body just behind the doors. Also, the rear wall is curved (bowed towards the rear at the center), so it's not ideal for doing a trayback ute - you might be better off doing a custom rear wall for the hardtop that's straight across the back instead of the factory hardtop that's curved.

I may have a photo of a rear panel that's been widened so it can be moved forward to create a pickup/ute cab, I'll see if I can find it.

Before you cut into whatever hardtop you're going to use, I recommend doing a very thorough job at designing what your end result will be and exactly what mods you need to make to the top so you don't have any surprises during construction.

 

[cj454]

Did the pictures get removed from this posting? They are not showing for me. Just wondering.
I am going to try this with a local firm and wanted to be sure they had all they needed.

 

[jscherb]

Did the pictures get removed from this posting? They are not showing for me. Just wondering.
I am going to try this with a local firm and wanted to be sure they had all they needed.

The photos are still there and I can see them. Not sure why you're having a problem.

 

[cj454]

The photos are still there and I can see them. Not sure why you're having a problem.

thank you Jeff. just a glitch on my site. working today.

 

[jscherb]

thank you Jeff. just a glitch on my site. working today.

If you do a conversion, please post photos here.

 

[Sixty8broncosport]

I just joined the site looking for solutions to a new top for my 68 Bronco. I love the design that Jeff did and wish there was a similar option for Broncos. Please let me know all of your thoughts on my idea and if you think there is a better way to approach this project.

Ideally I would like the top from metal, since I am better with welding than with fiberglass, at least I do it more often. I created a fiberglass front fairing for my old Suzuki Bandit to update it to the new Bandit style fairing, but that was probably 15 years ago. The other reason I would like to do metal is so it can support my weight. I have a Gobi full length rack on my 4runner that is rated to support more than double my weight and thought, why not build the capability into my roof. I would also like to have the front section be removable like the Jeep Freedom top, but am hesitant to do this out of metal, when engineering to keep the area sealed and water tight has already been done. On to my plan:

1. Purchase a used (and hopefully cheap) freedom top (with or with out the removable panel sections, since they can be purchased separately).
2. Purchase the roof section from a Land Rover Defender 90 or 110 with the built-in Alpine windows.
3. Cut the flange from the freedom top and mate it to the Land Rover top so I would then have the benefit of the Alpine windows and removable driver/passenger top sections.
4. Cut to length/width and join to FJ40 sides which I would also cut to fit my Bronco (build a flange to bolt the two together like Jeff's design so the top is modular)
5. Probably use the rear doors from an FJ40 as well, mating them to my narrowed tailaget, since the side panels will be narrowing the rear opening.

To save from the many questions I might get:
- Why don't you just get a FJ40?: I built an 70 FJ40 on a 72 chassis back in the late 90's into the early 2000's, but had to sell it when I blew a rod through the engine on the Golden Gate Bridge during my daily commute.
- This time around I wanted to build something different, so I researched and liked the Bronco, which I bought in 2009 and built up since then.
- Why don't you just buy a Jeep?: I have too much invested in my Bronco and like the idea that my Bronco is gaining value (have not put into more than it is worth so far). I just wish there was as big of an aftermarket for parts like Jeeps. The aftermarket for Broncos is for factory style parts not mods.

- I honestly don't have the time or a garage to do this in, so would be storing everything in a shed on my property and pulling it out to work on it in the East Coast Winter (currently in Northern Virginia until my contract is up in 3 years), so if you all know anyone in the Northern Virginia area or on the East Coast that could do the work, I would appreciate any advice on my build plan or recommendation for an individual/shop that can do the work.

Thank you all in advance.
Brian

* Hope I'll survive in here unscathed since this mod has been used on Jeeps only.

 

[jscherb]

I just joined the site looking for solutions to a new top for my 68 Bronco. I love the design that Jeff did and wish there was a similar option for Broncos. Please let me know all of your thoughts on my idea and if you think there is a better way to approach this project.

Ideally I would like the top from metal, since I am better with welding than with fiberglass, at least I do it more often. I created a fiberglass front fairing for my old Suzuki Bandit to update it to the new Bandit style fairing, but that was probably 15 years ago. The other reason I would like to do metal is so it can support my weight. I have a Gobi full length rack on my 4runner that is rated to support more than double my weight and thought, why not build the capability into my roof. I would also like to have the front section be removable like the Jeep Freedom top, but am hesitant to do this out of metal, when engineering to keep the area sealed and water tight has already been done. On to my plan:

1. Purchase a used (and hopefully cheap) freedom top (with or with out the removable panel sections, since they can be purchased separately).
2. Purchase the roof section from a Land Rover Defender 90 or 110 with the built-in Alpine windows.
3. Cut the flange from the freedom top and mate it to the Land Rover top so I would then have the benefit of the Alpine windows and removable driver/passenger top sections.
4. Cut to length/width and join to FJ40 sides which I would also cut to fit my Bronco (build a flange to bolt the two together like Jeff's design so the top is modular)
5. Probably use the rear doors from an FJ40 as well, mating them to my narrowed tailaget, since the side panels will be narrowing the rear opening.

To save from the many questions I might get:
- Why don't you just get a FJ40?: I built an 70 FJ40 on a 72 chassis back in the late 90's into the early 2000's, but had to sell it when I blew a rod through the engine on the Golden Gate Bridge during my daily commute.
- This time around I wanted to build something different, so I researched and liked the Bronco, which I bought in 2009 and built up since then.
- Why don't you just buy a Jeep?: I have too much invested in my Bronco and like the idea that my Bronco is gaining value (have not put into more than it is worth so far). I just wish there was as big of an aftermarket for parts like Jeeps. The aftermarket for Broncos is for factory style parts not mods.

- I honestly don't have the time or a garage to do this in, so would be storing everything in a shed on my property and pulling it out to work on it in the East Coast Winter (currently in Northern Virginia until my contract is up in 3 years), so if you all know anyone in the Northern Virginia area or on the East Coast that could do the work, I would appreciate any advice on my build plan or recommendation for an individual/shop that can do the work.

Thank you all in advance.
Brian

* Hope I'll survive in here unscathed since this mod has been used on Jeeps only.

Before you start buying parts and cutting sheet metal, I'd strongly recommend doing two things:

1. Measure *everything* and make a plan for exactly how you'll modify the parts to make them all work together. Some things to take a close look at:

• Do the FJ side panels need to be made taller or shortened to fit the Bronco windows?
• Do the FJ side panels need to be made longer or shorter to fit the Bronco? If they need to be shortened does that affect the length of the windows?
• The FJ side panels have a large radius at the rear corners where they sit on the tub (larger than a Jeep CJ/YJ/TJ tub radius). The rear corners of the Bronco are square. How will you make the curved FJ corners fit the square corner of the tub?
• How far off are the combined widths of the FJ sides and the FJ ambulance doors? What will need to be widened/narrowed to fit the Bronco? Are the ambulance doors wider or narrower than the Bronco tailgate?
• How wide is the Defender roof compared to the Bronco tub? How long is it compared to the Bronco? (BTW good luck sourcing a Defender roof in the USA).
• What will be required to mate the Defender roof to the Bronco windshield?
• The FJ sides are radiused at the top where they meet the roof, and the Defender roof has square corners. How will you mate them?

That list should server as a starter for you to figure out how much work the project will be. I'll guess every panel will need to be modified in both length and width/height, plus the problem of the curved FJ side panel corners and the square Bronco and Defender corners..

2. Once you've got a preliminary idea about how everything will fit together once modified, and assuming the amount of work involved hasn't changed your mind about the project, fire up your drawing program (or convince a friend with a drawing program to do it) and do a concept drawing showing what the result will look like. I do drawings for all of my projects and sometimes they show that the end result won't be what I hope.

Good luck.
jeff

 

[Sixty8broncosport]

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for your reply. I know this is quite an endeavor, but I feel like mating the different tops together will work within my skill set, since I wouldn't even know where to start in building a mold that would meet my needs. I would assume balsa wood sheets, but feel the windows would be tricky with my skill set.

• If the FJ side panels need to be shortened, there is some room to cut, so it just depends how much. And of course adding material is much more straightforward.
• Same with the length. I would just need to use custom glass if the windows do not meet another window size.
• As far as the curve, I thought that was going to be the one that got me, since for some reason in my blindness to do the project, I did not notice that very obvious fact, but since the FJ side panels radius is an overall 90 degrees and there should be plenty of bed rail, I think I can get them to work.
• The more that I think about it, I'm more worried about changing the look from the rear too much, so would prefer the more squared look of the Defender, but there parts, even used are still insanely expensive compared to FJ parts. There is actually one set in New York that look like they are in decent shape, but it would be hard for me to spend over $1300 to completely cut into it all (though that is better than buying the aftermarket parts, which are $1300 per side panel).
• I then can use the rear door from the Defender, which can be found for as low as 159 euros, with free shipping, plus VAT if they charge it.

Any other thoughts of a different route to take to achieve the look and utility on your Safari top would be greatly appreciated.

And anyone else who has thoughts of a direction I can go to scavenge from other vehicles to create a more robust roof section, with removable side panels and driver/passenger roof panels, I would appreciate the advice.

Thanks,
Brian

 

[jscherb]

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for your reply. I know this is quite an endeavor, but I feel like mating the different tops together will work within my skill set, since I wouldn't even know where to start in building a mold that would meet my needs. I would assume balsa wood sheets, but feel the windows would be tricky with my skill set.

• If the FJ side panels need to be shortened, there is so room to cut, so it just depends how much. And of course adding material is much more straightforward.
• Same with the length. I would just need to use custom glass if the windows do not meet another window size.
• As far as the curve, I thought that was going to be the one that got me, since for some reason in my blindness to do the project, I did not notice that very obvious fact, but since the FJ side panels radius an overall 90 degrees and there should be plenty of bed rail, I think I can get them to work.
• The more that I think about it, I'm more worried about changing the look from the rear too much, so would prefer the more squared look of the Defender, but there parts, even used are still insanely expensive compared top FJ parts. There actually one decent set in New York that look like they are in decent shape, but it would be hard for me to spend over $1300 to completely cut into it all (though that is better than buying the aftermarket parts, which are $1300 per side panel).
• I then can use the rear door from the Defender, which can be found for as low as 159 euros, with free shipping, plus VAT if they charge it.

Any other thoughts of a different route to take to achieve the look and utility on your Safari top would be greatly appreciated.

And anyone else who has thoughts of a direction I can go to scavange from other vehicles to create a more robust roof section, with removable side panels and driver/passenger roof panels, I would appreciate the advice.

Thanks,
Brian

Brian,
The best advice I can give you is what I wrote in my post above - without doing a thorough job of measuring and design you're at high risk of an end result that looks like a hack job. Take your time figuring out exactly what parts will work best and exactly how you will modify them to work in your application. And find a way to do some concept drawings, often what you see in your mind's eye isn't what the result will be and accurate drawings help a great deal in getting things right. I can't remember how many people have asked me for advice on a complicated project only to grab some parts, start cutting and abandon the project part way through because they didn't have a detailed design and plan to guide them to success.

For all of my major projects I spend more time in design and planning than I do in construction - what I do is figure out all of the design details before starting work, then the work becomes almost a formality of following the plan. It works for me anyway.
jeff

 

[Sixty8broncosport]

Brian,
The best advice I can give you is what I wrote in my post above - without doing a thorough job of measuring and design you're at high risk of an end result that looks like a hack job. Take your time figuring out exactly what parts will work best and exactly how you will modify them to work in your application. And find a way to do some concept drawings, often what you see in your mind's eye isn't what the result will be and accurate drawings help a great deal in getting things right. I can't remember how many people have asked me for advice on a complicated project only to grab some parts, start cutting and abandon the project part way through because they didn't have a detailed design and plan to guide them to success.

For all of my major projects I spend more time in design and planning than I do in construction - what I do is figure out all of the design details before starting work, then the work becomes almost a formality of following the plan. It works for me anyway.
jeff

Thanks for the sound advice. I've been searching for Land Rover hard top dimensions for the last hour or so and sent a couple emails to aftermarket manufacturers. We will see how my project progresses. When I have more time, I'll sit down and piece the Bronco and Land Rover hard tops together and see how they look together.

- Brian

 

[jscherb]

Thanks for the sound advice. I've been searching for Land Rover hard top dimensions for the last hour or so and sent a couple emails to aftermarket manufacturers. We will see how my project progresses. When I have more time, I'll sit down and piece the Bronco and Land Rover hard tops together and see how they look together.

- Brian

Brian,
I have a few images I can post that may help you, but we're getting very off-topic for this thread so if you start a new thread on your project I will post them there. If you start a new thread let me know where it is so I can post the images there.
jeff