New World Cabs?

[jscherb]

I'm thinking maybe a 4 degree forward slant on the rear wall rather than pure vertical.

 

[DC CJ8]

Yes!!!!

 

[PetesCj-8]

Sounds like an easy project for you!! The flatter roof line with the second incarnation of the rack gets my vote.

Sure, if your idea of fun is:

- several weeks of exacting woodworking to build the mold masters, followed by

- several weeks of filling, smoothing and finishing to get the masters perfect, followed by

- several weeks of messy fiberglass work to make the molds, followed by

- maybe a week of work to correct minor imperfections in the molds, followed by

- a week or more of molding the first set of parts, followed by

- several weeks of finishing, paint prep and painting the first hardtop to come out of the mold,

and finally getting to see it all done so I can decide if all the effort was worthwhile.

Yup, sounds like fun to me!! (Actually, it does, I'm not being sarcastic)

 

[jscherb]

Here's the sloped forward rear wall versions on some Jeeps. I've left the tops gray since that's how the models have been done lately, also the module lines show in these drawings and they wouldn't show on the final tops.

 

[donaghy]

slant on the back

my .02 on the slight slant on the back of the tops.

I don't know if its just my biased opinion on the GR8TOPS half cabs, but it somehow just doesn't look balanced or looks a little strange with a slant forward on either version of the halfcabs. additionalliy, on the TJ's you are really going to want as much recline room as possible on the TJ seats. Even with that slight slant forward on the halfcab you may be loosing 1-2 clicks on the recline of the seat. I would think you will be wanting as much in cab room for the seats on the halfcabs. The only reference reallly for the halfcabs is the CJ10 top and a CJ8 half top. Both of which I believe have a pretty straight up and down. (90 degree to the bedrails).

for the full length tops (TJ or LJ). I think the inward slant looks good. The more I looked at the pictures, on the full tops, I'm starting to think it would look better with that slight slant forward to match the inward slants on the sides of the top.

my vote would be slight slant forward on the full or TJ ones, and no slant on the halfcabs.

just my .02

 

[mrachal]

I like the flat version best.
I cannot wait to see a full size finished product on a LJ.
You do good work.
Mike

 

[jscherb]

...The only reference reallly for the halfcabs is the CJ10 top and a CJ8 half top. Both of which I believe have a pretty straight up and down. (90 degree to the bedrails). ...

I measured the CJ-10 cab back wall on the Retro today. The rear wall slants forward 1" at the top. Not sure about the CJ-8 half-cab, I don't have one to measure.

Also measured the CJ-8 World Cab. That one slants in 4" at the top of the rear wall.

4 degrees is a 2" slant.

my vote would be slight slant forward on the full or TJ ones, and no slant on the halfcabs.

Can be done, just more unique modules to make

 

[ag4ever]

I alway liked the looks of the g-wagen, and the rear is angled frward on it. The angled rear looks off on the half cab though.

Also the rear door goes to the top of the roof line solving the problem of height loading gear if it has a taller roof line. I am not sure of the width of the G-Wagon door so I don't know if it would fit a Jeep.

 

[bigwalton]

Agreed on the slant looking good on the full tops but out of place on the half tops. However, I don't feel like the difference on the full cab is enough to do a separate back panel just for it. I still like the vertical wall versions.

 

[Randyzzz]

2 big thumbs up on the full top slant back panel. The bigger windows look much better, too!

 

[Ford Prefect]

Jeff you never cease to amaze! Brilliant work, as always.

I think that I am in somewhat a minority here, but I personally prefer the formerly named X-cab, Safari cab, or stepped up top. I think that aesthetically it is just better that way. Furthermore I still like the extra room. Someone above mentioned a very sound argument for the lower top, resultant of the lack of gain by doing the step-up roof line. Personally I think that if you are going to put on that hard top, there is a fair chance that you would build a new roll cage for the jeep that would fit the top you are putting on.

I realize that you mentioned wanting to be able to maintain the stock soft top, so that would kill the new cage idea, but as many people prefer to tie in a stronger than factory roll bar I do not think the stepped up roof would be seen as a detriment to their space. Also, if you were able to sell this design to, say, Best top, I feel confident that you could also sell them a soft top version of the plans, so that one could have a World cab soft top look. (which I think would be REALLY cool!)

Just my two bits.

Great work, thanks again, such a fine read.

Brian

 

[Ford Prefect]

Comparison of all three with taller windows.

I went back and looked at these again. I think that the Llanero top looks a little out of place, but I kind of like it. The first top looks great on the model, and the step top, perhaps my favorite from the drawings, looks a little too blunt in the step up, I wonder if there would be any way to soften that, or am I being overly critical again, and this would not be as blatant in full size as it is to scale?

Heck Jeff, if I had the chance, I would pick up which ever one comes available. I really think that ALL the tops are a VAST improvement over the DC tops.

By the by, on the half cab top, I personally think that the straight up and down rear end looks better than the slant. Seems like it would just be simpler on the eyes, if that makes sense. The slant makes the cab look really crowded near the roof line. (Hey, I am 6'5, and I like to feel like I have room up there.)

By the way, on that line, wll the half cab require you to push the seat forward at all? To rephrase, I personally (obviously) slide the seat as far back as it will go, and then I lean it back a touch as well, this gives me more leg room. SO the concern I have had with the half cab idea is that I would no longer have that extra space that I so covet.

Thanks for your thoughts and your very kind responses to our questions. It really warms my heart to feel like someone out there fabricating something I may someday be able to buy, actually cares what I think. Wish more manufacturers would do that. Heck, I wish politicians would do that! haha

Brian

edit: I just realized that you did soften the top a bit in a different picture, yes, it looks really great that way!

 

[jscherb]

Ok, for all of you that like the vertical wall on the pickup, here's the Retro Wrangler. I've drawn lines to illustrate the slant of that cab - it's got a 2.5 degree slant forward. Since the rear wall of the Retro hardtop was derived from a CJ-10a top, the factory CJ-10a top also has a 2.5 degree slant forward. And BTW, look at any of the modern pickups on the road today, they've got more than a 4 degree slant forward.

So I adjusted the drawings to have a 2.5 degree slant just like the Retro. I really believe that with no slant at all, things will look odd, since no other vehicle on the road has a vertical rear wall (except the Land Rover Defender ).

As for seating, I'm 6' 6" and I'm perfectly comfortable in the Retro cab. The seat goes all the way back, and reclines a few notches. The Retro cab is the same length as the extended Safari cab. The non-extended cab is really intended for CJ's and YJ's, and it is the same size as the CJ-8 factory half-cab even though I've shown it here on a TJ.

These drawings match the angle of the Retro cab:

 

[jscherb]

Just for the sake of illustration, and I'm not saying these angles would look good on a Jeep, but here are some other pickups:

 

[bigwalton]

For me, the very different bed/rear cab wall proportions and the fact that the rear line of the cab on the pickups carries on down (since the cab is separate from the bed) are what make the difference.

 

[Ford Prefect]

I was thinking the precice same thing.

The extra lines make a big difference. I think that the retro looks good, but then I have to question the possibility that again you have the bed back there giving it better lines.

Looking at the drawing of the TJ with the 2.5 slat it looks good, but I am reminded to seeing soft top half cabs that almost look like a negative angle. I KNOW that on my CJ when I put on the wind jammer I get a bit of a negative angle. I just like that look. Do you think you could do a negative angle at all? I realize that this would suddenly negate the possibility of using it as the rear end for the full top, unless you went negative on there as well. (which I have seen on a popular pickup topper, and that sells well enough.)

Well, great stuff. I certainly like the 2.5 over the 4. slope.

Brian

 

[jscherb]

BTW, how the modular half-cab could deal with the roll bar:

 

[jscherb]

Looking at the drawing of the TJ with the 2.5 slat it looks good, but I am reminded to seeing soft top half cabs that almost look like a negative angle. I KNOW that on my CJ when I put on the wind jammer I get a bit of a negative angle. I just like that look. Do you think you could do a negative angle at all? I realize that this would suddenly negate the possibility of using it as the rear end for the full top, unless you went negative on there as well. (which I have seen on a popular pickup topper, and that sells well enough.)

Definitely won't do a negative slant.

I will do something between 2.5 and 4.0 degrees.

 

[Randyzzz]

Well, for the half top the 2* slant looks better, but I like the 4* on the full top.

 

[jscherb]

Just for illustration purposes... I wouldn't do this big of an angle, but both the FJ40 full top and the FJ45 pickup cab have a 7 degree slant forward.