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New World Cab Style Tops? - Any fabricators out there

Would a "knock-off" custom "World Cab Style" top be something you would buy?

  • Yes - I don't care what it costs they are cool as hell!

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    14
  • Poll closed .

Alamo CJ8

Alamo CJ8
City
Atlanta
State
GA
I have been wanting a World Cab Style Safari Top for my Scrambler for years but they are either way too expensive or gone before I even get a shot at one. Has anyone ever considered making one? Maybe I have been watching way too much Motor Trend TV but it seems there are people out there with skills if they had one as an example or even a Scrambler for measurements that it could be made and possibly even improved upon by allowing the use of the factory drivers and passenger hard doors (round vs. square on top). Throwing it out there to see if anyone has considered this, done it, are a fabricator that is thinking "I could do that". I know I would be interested in buying one and would even be open to lending my Scrambler for the fitting / fabricating.
 

ag4ever

Average Nut
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The owner of this forum makes them for the LJs.

Safari Tops

I think that would give you an idea on how much a production top would cost if there was a decent demand for one. Unfortunately, there were only 27,xxx scramblers made worldwide. Even less still in existence. Even less with owners that want a full top. And even less that want that full top to be a safari style. This means you are in one-off territory, I doubt demand would be more than a dozen, if that many. And the cost would have to be well over the LJ's top cost to recoup the mold investment.

You can certainly make one yourself, just look up Jeff Scherb "jscherb" and you will find the fine work he has done on multiple jeep models. Not necessarily easy, but where there is a will, there is a way.

The cheapest option is to find a postal or world cab and modify it.
 

Alamo CJ8

Alamo CJ8
City
Atlanta
State
GA
I agree with your assessment and while I admire the hell out of Jeff Scherb I don't have those skills. I wonder how hard it would be for a professional to modify a Land Rover top to fit the Scrambler? That could be cool.
 

ag4ever

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I wonder how hard it would be for a professional to modify a Land Rover top to fit the Scrambler? That could be cool.

Might be pricey as they are aluminum. Also, if the widths are not close it would mean reworking the barn door which would be pricey. Much cheaper to just make a one-off fiberglass or to modify a world cab.

None of the options will be under $2,000, even if doing the work yourself and considering the labor as free (heck, my postal top was over half that budget and is just a starting point). I doubt any option would be under $5,000, especially if paying for the work to be done. :twocents:
 

bigwalton

Alaskan Postal nutjob
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IMO you're $20-30k+ because you're going to get the "if I have to do this" price if anyone would even quote it. Metal because there's no chance anyone's going to do a fiberglass mold for this production amount.

GR8TOPS doesn't even have enough people willing to pay for a normal fiberglass Scrambler hard top to do a new mold for that after using up theirs (the reason they had to take their full top off the market). The demand simply isn't there. You're asking about a considerably more expensive/complex top.

In metal, you want something that doesn't exist built from scratch as brand new work, finished quality, ready to paint. Look at what people are reporting on fixing up an existing Scrambler tub at restoration shops. That's for working with an existing steel body that just needs repair work. You're talking about basically creating most of a vehicle's body from scratch.
 

Kim Dawson

CJ-8 Member
Member
City
Molalla
State
Or
The owner of this forum makes them for the LJs.

Safari Tops



You can certainly make one yourself, just look up Jeff Scherb "jscherb" and you will find the fine work he has done on multiple jeep models. Not necessarily easy, but where there is a will, there is a way.

The cheapest option is to find a postal or world cab and modify it.


I agree with finding a postal top and add windows. Jeff Scherb could probably tell you where to find appropriate windows.
 

jscherb

CJ-8 Member
City
Elmira
State
NY
You could always buy an LJ Safari Cab from Gr8Tops and with a little fiberglass work it could be lengthened to Scrambler length. Could end up looking something like this...

DieselJeepSafari_zpsxq9fs9cy.jpg
 

OGRES

Ramblin' Wreck
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Suwanee
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You could always buy an LJ Safari Cab from Gr8Tops and with a little fiberglass work it could be lengthened to Scrambler length. Could end up looking something like this...

DieselJeepSafari_zpsxq9fs9cy.jpg

YOU ABSOLUTELY CANNOT TEASE US LIKE THIS!
 

jscherb

CJ-8 Member
City
Elmira
State
NY
YOU ABSOLUTELY CANNOT TEASE US LIKE THIS!
When I was designing the Safari Cab for my LJ, I envisioned three versions - LJ, TJ and Scrambler and I did a lot of concept images of all three versions and made accomodations in my molds for making all three versions. Gr8Tops licensed the design and for some years now has been making the LJ and TJ versions. I'm sure there isn't enough demand out there for Gr8Tops to produce a Scrambler version.

I always thought someday I might own another Scrambler (or lengthen my LJ to Scrambler length) and I'd make a Scrambler version of the top, but so far I've been involved in too many other projects to even think about that.
 

bigwalton

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You could always buy an LJ Safari Cab from Gr8Tops and with a little fiberglass work it could be lengthened to Scrambler length. Could end up looking something like this...

DieselJeepSafari_zpsxq9fs9cy.jpg

Scherb back doing his Scherby rendering awesomeness :headbang: :rotfl:
 

tower210

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
City
Olathe
State
KS
You could always buy an LJ Safari Cab from Gr8Tops and with a little fiberglass work it could be lengthened to Scrambler length. Could end up looking something like this...

DieselJeepSafari_zpsxq9fs9cy.jpg

Is the only logistical problem here really xx" in length?
 

jscherb

CJ-8 Member
City
Elmira
State
NY
Is the only logistical problem here really xx" in length?
There are 3 differences.

1. Length.

2. Windshield header. The top of the CJ windshield is a different shape than the top of the TJ/LJ windshield. The CJ shape is simpler so it wouldn't be very complicated to adapt the Gr8Tops roof to the CJ windshield.

3. Door jambs. The shape of the tops of the TJ and CJ doors are slightly different and the shape of the door jamb at the back of the door/top of the door body/bottom of the window hoop is slightly different. Usually no change is required and the CJ door will seal adequately to the TJ jamb in spite of the differences.
 

jscherb

CJ-8 Member
City
Elmira
State
NY
I drew this concept back when I was doing the design of the Safari Cab and designing the details that needed to be different to fit it to the Scrambler, it shows what a Safari Cab would look like on the Scrambler I owned just before starting the Safari Cab project.

SafariScrambler.jpg


A few photos of the LJ Safari Cab, the concept image above looks pretty much like this...

LJ-8Final8_zps223cbcf7.jpg


LJ-8Final2_zpsfbe98979.jpg
 

bigwalton

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The CJ shape is simpler so it wouldn't be very complicated to adapt the Gr8Tops roof to the CJ windshield

I would offer that “wouldn’t be very complicated” for someone with your experience with fiberglass, fabrication and the top in general is very different from anyone else. ;)

When you take into account the price
of the Safari Cab new and start adding in the cost for anyone other than yourself to do the fab and finish work... :eek:

Oh, and you forgot #4: the rear door upper/tailgate.

Then on the market size, we have a thread going right now with people who don't want to pay for a BDco soft top over a Bestop. That pretty much sums up everything you need to know.
 

jscherb

CJ-8 Member
City
Elmira
State
NY
I would offer that “wouldn’t be very complicated” for someone with your experience with fiberglass, fabrication and the top in general is very different from anyone else. ;)

When you take into account the price
of the Safari Cab new and start adding in the cost for anyone other than yourself to do the fab and finish work... :eek:

Oh, and you forgot #4: the rear door upper/tailgate.

Then on the market size, we have a thread going right now with people who don't want to pay for a BDco soft top over a Bestop. That pretty much sums up everything you need to know.
I didn't mention the rear door upper/tailgate because no real fabrication is required - the Safari Cab upper door can either be hinged to the hardtop to open separately from the CJ drop-down tailgate, or the CJ tailgate could be swapped out for a side-swing TJ tailgate.

Agreed it wouldn't be inexpensive. But even if Gr8Tops decided to offer a Safari Cab for the Scrambler it would probably have to cost at least as much or more than their LJ Safari Cab does and that's not inexpensive either.

Probably any way you look at it, a Scrambler Safari Cab would be too expensive for all but a few few Scrambler owners.
 

bigwalton

Alaskan Postal nutjob
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I didn't mention the rear door upper/tailgate because no real fabrication is required - the Safari Cab upper door can either be hinged to the hardtop to open separately from the CJ drop-down tailgate, or the CJ tailgate could be swapped out for a side-swing TJ tailgate.

All of this just adds non-trivial cost with working the hinges into the roof and adding gas struts/mounts or swapping tailgates (and then you’re into paint matching).

...even if Gr8Tops decided to offer a Safari Cab for the Scrambler it would probably have to cost at least as much or more than their LJ Safari Cab does.

It’s all additional development work for things that don’t exist and a tiny market, it would have to be significantly more :shrug:
 

jscherb

CJ-8 Member
City
Elmira
State
NY
It’s all additional development work for things that don’t exist and a tiny market, it would have to be significantly more :shrug:
Yes, I'm sure you're correct.

I guess the only way a Scrambler Safari Cab will ever exist is if I ever get another Scrambler or if I lengthen my LJ to Scrambler length and build one myself. I've actually got almost all of the parts here assemble a Scrambler Safari Cab, only a little more fiberglass work would be required to complete one. I'll keep the parts until someday when I have a project like that to put them on.
 
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