sentinal02
02-05-2005, 01:55 AM
Hey guys. Been tossing around the idea of making my own Half hardtop for the rainy/snowy season around here. Basically i want to cut down a full sized top and modify it for a removable rear panel so i can run it like a bikini top on the days where it's going to be nice for a while, but rain later, or whatever. the TJ's have the door surrounds to help seal out the elements in this kind of situation, but so far i have yet to see the ideas for the YJs. so here's what i've come up with so far.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/sentinal02/Misc%20Jeep%20Pics/Halfhardtop.jpg
basically i'm going to cut the hardtop (right now i'm probably going to get one from a CJ that the guy said i could have for 25 bucks. waiting on warmer weather to drive down topless and take a look and hopefully take it back with me) just behind the main hoop of the stock roll bar. mainly because i don't want to have to remove the bar everytime i put the top on and because i couldn't figure out a way to sit the top in front of it without seriously cutting into the forward cab area. this will give me about a foot of top between the door cutout and the new back edge of the top. should be plenty of material to support the top. the side window will need to come out obviously, but I was already planning on creating a hoop to attach to the new edge for strength purposes so that won't be hard to fiberglass over.
the rear panel will be a two piece design sort of like the chevy Avalanche. this will make it easier to remove and store than if it was one big piece. i'm also toying with the idea of making it a soft panel and using a windjammer modified to snap to the added framework. simpler to remove, but i'm not sure yet. i'd really like this thing to be totally weather tight so i can run it even in the winter. but getting back to the hard rear panel, the upper half will hold the rear window. just a simple rectangle piece of autoglass fitted to a frame so i don't have to pay an arm and a leg for a custom piece. i figure put it in a frame so i can easily change it if it breaks and if it works i might try and make a sliding version of it like the rear window in a pickup. if it's in a frame i can just make a new frame for the slider. the hard part will be getting the area around the roll bar angles to match up and seal. that's the other reason for the two piece design. the panel will be wider than the width of the roll bar (it has to in order for the body of the top to slide along the rails to mate to the windshield) so it will have to be fished into place one side, then the other. trying to do this with a big panel would make the whole top harder to install which defeats the purpose.
that about covers everything i've thought of so far. so what do you guys think? I'm looking for design ideas, tweaks, etc. any ideas on what material i should use for the panel/framework? was thinking fiberglass but i've never worked in it before. i can do almost anything in wood, and do have a welder (though have little practice with it yet). i was thinking an angle iron lip on both the framework and the panels so i have strong framework to screw the panels to. either weld nuts to the inside surface of the framework or tap the metal directly so i don't need someone holding a wrench when taking it off or putting it on. a few latches like the kind on a tool box would help hold the panels in place while installing/removing them and would give me some security from anyone just unscrewing the panels to break in (not that i'm all that worried about that.) so let's hear the ideas!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/sentinal02/Misc%20Jeep%20Pics/Halfhardtop.jpg
basically i'm going to cut the hardtop (right now i'm probably going to get one from a CJ that the guy said i could have for 25 bucks. waiting on warmer weather to drive down topless and take a look and hopefully take it back with me) just behind the main hoop of the stock roll bar. mainly because i don't want to have to remove the bar everytime i put the top on and because i couldn't figure out a way to sit the top in front of it without seriously cutting into the forward cab area. this will give me about a foot of top between the door cutout and the new back edge of the top. should be plenty of material to support the top. the side window will need to come out obviously, but I was already planning on creating a hoop to attach to the new edge for strength purposes so that won't be hard to fiberglass over.
the rear panel will be a two piece design sort of like the chevy Avalanche. this will make it easier to remove and store than if it was one big piece. i'm also toying with the idea of making it a soft panel and using a windjammer modified to snap to the added framework. simpler to remove, but i'm not sure yet. i'd really like this thing to be totally weather tight so i can run it even in the winter. but getting back to the hard rear panel, the upper half will hold the rear window. just a simple rectangle piece of autoglass fitted to a frame so i don't have to pay an arm and a leg for a custom piece. i figure put it in a frame so i can easily change it if it breaks and if it works i might try and make a sliding version of it like the rear window in a pickup. if it's in a frame i can just make a new frame for the slider. the hard part will be getting the area around the roll bar angles to match up and seal. that's the other reason for the two piece design. the panel will be wider than the width of the roll bar (it has to in order for the body of the top to slide along the rails to mate to the windshield) so it will have to be fished into place one side, then the other. trying to do this with a big panel would make the whole top harder to install which defeats the purpose.
that about covers everything i've thought of so far. so what do you guys think? I'm looking for design ideas, tweaks, etc. any ideas on what material i should use for the panel/framework? was thinking fiberglass but i've never worked in it before. i can do almost anything in wood, and do have a welder (though have little practice with it yet). i was thinking an angle iron lip on both the framework and the panels so i have strong framework to screw the panels to. either weld nuts to the inside surface of the framework or tap the metal directly so i don't need someone holding a wrench when taking it off or putting it on. a few latches like the kind on a tool box would help hold the panels in place while installing/removing them and would give me some security from anyone just unscrewing the panels to break in (not that i'm all that worried about that.) so let's hear the ideas!