New World Cabs?

[jscherb]

Just wanted to add a strange thought/idea to the mix. What if you could incorporate a mech. to raise the top off the trailer body virtically creating in essance a pop up camper...? It could be soft sided and maybe affixed between the two units and removable? That would basically give one a truly off road capable tag along rv when out fitted. And if it were all modular we...ahem, people...could buy components as funds came available...just a thought.

Not sure I'm smart enough to design and build one of those, and I'm also not sure why it would be useful - would you want to stand up in it? I was using the old teardrop style trailers as a size comparison for my design, they don't pop up and they're great for just pulling in and sleeping. This would be a "trail teardrop" so to speak, same approximate space, but capable of handling rougher terrain.

 

[timothy]

Jeff,
Your talents/skills are IMHO nothing short of amazing. You are a one man AEV. I like the overhead console idea and tried to install a Tuffy one but was too long for my half cab with a roll cage inside. I like both the Safari camper trailer and Longbed Pickup Safari camper. They are both very cool looking. I wonder if it would be too much to have both?

Tim

 

[jscherb]

Jeff,
Your talents/skills are IMHO nothing short of amazing. You are a one man AEV. I like the overhead console idea and tried to install a Tuffy one but was too long for my half cab with a roll cage inside. I like both the Safari camper trailer and Longbed Pickup Safari camper. They are both very cool looking. I wonder if it would be too much to have both?

Tim

Aw shucks, thanks, I'm just a guy with too much time on his hands and no special talent, I just try really hard and spend whatever time it takes.

Hey, I built the Retro Wrangler and then I built the Safari Cab, and now I'm building the trailer and that adds up to three, so of course you can have two! (I did sell the Gaucho though, that would have been one too many!)

 

[jscherb]

An idea I'm toying with... swing up/removable side panels. This is just a mockup, right now it's hinged on the upper mounting bolts of the side panel, and the gas props are simulated with narrow pieces of wood:

It would be pretty straightforward to have hinges at the top of the panel similar to the Jeep's door hinges that allowed the panel to lift off completely. I'd probably use lockable paddle handle latches on the bottom, similar to those used on pickup truck toolboxes.

 

[Major Jack]

I like it. I saw a truck recently that had this option on his canopy and with barn doors in the back. It looked really easy to get into.

I wish my Postal top had this option.

 

[Randyzzz]

Jeff, your mind must go a mile a minute. That's a cool option...would be great when camping! Weatherstrip sealing would probably take some engineering...

 

[jscherb]

Jeff, your mind must go a mile a minute. That's a cool option...would be great when camping! Weatherstrip sealing would probably take some engineering...

Randy,
Thanks. Yes, the modular design of the Safari Cab keeps inspiring me to come up with new features and options...

Weatherstrip wouldn't be a problem - instead of the mounting flanges that are currently on the ends of the side panels, the edges would be made like a door - think of how the Jeep doors seal against the door jamb on the body. Same concept here, pretty straightforward.

 

[jscherb]

I'm working on finishing up the Hard Bikini configuration. In these photos you can see the pre-production bikini stanchions which support the rear of the roof. There will also be roll-up side curtains to enclose the hard bikini configuration, I'm working on the hardware now so the Jeep can go off to the canvas shop to have those made up.

BTW the stanchions are laser-cut, so it's easy to put designs other than the 4 holes in them, here are some ideas:

 

[OGRES]

BTW the stanchions are laser-cut, so it's easy to put designs other than the 4 holes in them, here are some ideas:

[/QUOTE]


Great ideas all around.

But seriously, Clemson? Clemson...really? Who would ever want one of those?

Signed a second generation Georgia Tech grad.

 

[jscherb]

BTW the stanchions are laser-cut, so it's easy to put designs other than the 4 holes in them, here are some ideas:

Great ideas all around.

But seriously, Clemson? Clemson...really? Who would ever want one of those?

Signed a second generation Georgia Tech grad. [/QUOTE]

When I was drawing the designs, I googled "college logos" or something like that and the paw was on the first page of the image results. I thought it would make a nice cutout. The way these would be manufactured, it would be cost-efficient to do runs as short as 10 pieces, and they're fairly inexpensive per piece, so it's conceivable that there could be lots of different graphic designs offered.

 

[OGRES]

It really is a great idea. Anything with a college logo is jumped on down here in the south...

 

[scrambler228]

question on making change to cj8 half top

first off i want to tell you how cool your work on these tops are,,,,,, once i started reading and looking at what you have done i had to read thru the complete build,,,,,,,my questions are i have been building my cj8 scrambler for over 10 years and i love what i have done but the way i have it now,,,, see photos leaves me wanting to have a little more water protection when we take it out camping,,,,,, we pull it behind out motorhome,,,,, we love the open look and i have made a lot of the parts just to fit the scrambler,,,,,, the sport bars and the whole frame work is removeable,,,,, it all connects to the windsheild and the roll bar,,,,,,i have a factory half hard top but when i have it on we just feel too closed in,,,,,, what i want to do is to figure a way to add the fiberglass half hard top to the jeep but be able to get the look and open feel we have now,,,,,, remember the t tops on the old firebirds,,,,,,,, well that is what i want to do ....... cut t tops into each side of the half top so i can open up the top when it is nice out but also be able to close it up if i need to to keep most of the rain water out,,,,,, i dont care if a little gets in as the t tops leaked,,,,,,, all the sport bars i made could be redone to fit inside like yours need and go thru a cut out in the back side of the oem hard top,,,,,, but i need help on the cutting out of the t tops and the way to reconnect them....... i way i see the top is the middle section of the oem top would run over the overhead unit i now have in the jeep the connect to the windshield if you have any ideas on this sure would help me thanks take a look the the photos of my scrambler maybe the photos will give you a better idea of what i would like to do

 

[jscherb]

first off i want to tell you how cool your work on these tops are,,,,,, once i started reading and looking at what you have done i had to read thru the complete build,,,,,,,my questions are i have been building my cj8 scrambler for over 10 years and i love what i have done but the way i have it now,,,, see photos leaves me wanting to have a little more water protection when we take it out camping,,,,,, we pull it behind out motorhome,,,,, we love the open look and i have made a lot of the parts just to fit the scrambler,,,,,, the sport bars and the whole frame work is removeable,,,,, it all connects to the windsheild and the roll bar,,,,,,i have a factory half hard top but when i have it on we just feel too closed in,,,,,, what i want to do is to figure a way to add the fiberglass half hard top to the jeep but be able to get the look and open feel we have now,,,,,, remember the t tops on the old firebirds,,,,,,,, well that is what i want to do ....... cut t tops into each side of the half top so i can open up the top when it is nice out but also be able to close it up if i need to to keep most of the rain water out,,,,,, i dont care if a little gets in as the t tops leaked,,,,,,, all the sport bars i made could be redone to fit inside like yours need and go thru a cut out in the back side of the oem hard top,,,,,, but i need help on the cutting out of the t tops and the way to reconnect them....... i way i see the top is the middle section of the oem top would run over the overhead unit i now have in the jeep the connect to the windshield if you have any ideas on this sure would help me thanks take a look the the photos of my scrambler maybe the photos will give you a better idea of what i would like to do

I'm not sure what to advise you about cutting up a factory Scrambler half cab, but I did design the Safari Half Cab to be installed without removing/cutting roll bars. This first set of photos is from when I was doing the prototype of the roll-bar pass-through feature, and shows how the roll bars pass through the top of the rear wall of the half cab.

For a TJ, for example, the half cab installs in pieces around the factory roll bars as shown below:

Of course the Scrambler roll bar is different than the TJ roll bar, but the same concept could work - the door surrounds and rear wall would go on, and then the roof would go on top of the surrounds and rear wall. If you had bars running from the Scrambler roll bar up to the windshield, it's likely the rear wall could be installed under those bars, and then the roof installed on top, so the half cab could be removed/installed without removing or cutting the bars. Probably some customization of the rear wall of the half cab would have to take place to accommodate pass-throughs for custom bars/cages, but it should be possible.

Cutting up a factory half cab to do this would be quite a challenge. It's a double-walled design, so you have to cut and piece the outer and inner skins, and there are no "natural cut lines" in it, so you'd be doing a lot of fiberglass work to create the necessary bolt flanges for everything to go back together. The best thing I can probably recommend for "open air" in a factory Scrambler half cab would be to install the biggest sunroof possible.

 

[scrambler228]

cj8 half top

thanks for getting back to me,,,,,yes i have thought about the sun roof or maybe even two of them if i could find right size to position each over seat area,,,,,but still does not really give me the feel i want,,,,,,,,,I did not really know how the oem factory top was made so that does play into what i end up doing on this project idea,,,,,,,,,also i did not plan on cutting the top flat part completly off of the oem unit,,,,,,, rather just cutting two t top sections out of each side and leaving the center section intact that runs over the bars holding the cb radios etc,,,,,,, now for the unit ,,,, i planed on making a support coming up from the floor to hold it instead of it going though the back of the half top and connecting to the roll bar as it does now,,,,,,,,the side padded sport bars on the outside would be remade to be like yours and fit below and inside of the oem top,,,,,,,i would just cut holes in the back of the oem top just large enough for each bar to pass thru and the padding then on each side should cover up the hole fine,,,,,,,,my problem is on the cutting out of the t top and a way to hold the t top sections that will be removeable ,,,,,, i was thinking of making a metal leadge that would extend about a inch or so past the cut out so the t tops when put back on would have something to sit on,,,,,,,then some sort of snaps or clips or plate on the windshield to hold the front of the t tops with a rubber like is used around the factory doors to somewhat seal the tops when they are put back on,,,,,,,does any of this sound right to you,,,,,,,question do you know if the top section on the factory half top is also made from two pcs of fiberglass or is it solid........and if it is made from two pcs could they be filled with spary in foam ,,,,, just me thinking as i really want to figure a way to make this work thanks for any ideas

 

[scrambler228]

photo of jeep for t tops

hi here are a few more photos to help see what i am wanting to do thanks

 

[jscherb]

thanks for getting back to me,,,,,yes i have thought about the sun roof or maybe even two of them if i could find right size to position each over seat area,,,,,but still does not really give me the feel i want,,,,,,,,,I did not really know how the oem factory top was made so that does play into what i end up doing on this project idea,,,,,,,,,also i did not plan on cutting the top flat part completly off of the oem unit,,,,,,, rather just cutting two t top sections out of each side and leaving the center section intact that runs over the bars holding the cb radios etc,,,,,,, now for the unit ,,,, i planed on making a support coming up from the floor to hold it instead of it going though the back of the half top and connecting to the roll bar as it does now,,,,,,,,the side padded sport bars on the outside would be remade to be like yours and fit below and inside of the oem top,,,,,,,i would just cut holes in the back of the oem top just large enough for each bar to pass thru and the padding then on each side should cover up the hole fine,,,,,,,,my problem is on the cutting out of the t top and a way to hold the t top sections that will be removeable ,,,,,, i was thinking of making a metal leadge that would extend about a inch or so past the cut out so the t tops when put back on would have something to sit on,,,,,,,then some sort of snaps or clips or plate on the windshield to hold the front of the t tops with a rubber like is used around the factory doors to somewhat seal the tops when they are put back on,,,,,,,does any of this sound right to you,,,,,,,question do you know if the top section on the factory half top is also made from two pcs of fiberglass or is it solid........and if it is made from two pcs could they be filled with spary in foam ,,,,, just me thinking as i really want to figure a way to make this work thanks for any ideas

Yes the top of the factory half top is double-walled. Just making a ledge for a "t-top" to sit on will result in a waterfall when it rains. I recommend you study what the auto manufacturers have done to solve this problem, check out the "Freedom Top" on the JK Wranglers and see how they seal their panels. Look at the old Firebirds, etc. and see how they weatherstrip their panels. If your project is to be a success I suggest lots of research.

 

[jscherb]

Here's a photo/drawing showing how the roll-up side curtains might look when they're rolled down, followed by the same photo with them rolled up. I've followed the design of the hard side panels and windows pretty closely and copied it into the canvas design.

Yesterday I finished making all the necessary retainer hardware and the tailgate bar for these side curtains, so everything's ready for the canvas shop to sew up the prototype. Just have to finalized some details with them and hopefully will be able to set a date to deliver the Jeep to the canvas engineers very soon.

 

[bigwalton]

I WANT!!!

That's exactly what I always planned to do with the World Cab.

Maybe I'll have to get some one-off side curtains and hardware made and do this on the Postal (unless there's a Scrambler version coming ) so I can have the LJ and Postal sitting next to each other with these same setups.

 

[jscherb]

I WANT!!!

That's exactly what I always planned to do with the World Cab.

Maybe I'll have to get some one-off side curtains and hardware made and do this on the Postal (unless there's a Scrambler version coming ) so I can have the LJ and Postal sitting next to each other with these same setups.

Well it's up to "the company" as to whether or not there will be a Scrambler version of the Safari Cab. I would guess that if they hear enough demand for a Scrambler version, then they might produce them. The tops are designed to work in both full- and half-cab versions on the Scrambler, so it's mostly a matter of demand.

 

[scrambler228]

scrambler flip top idea

Hi I did as you said and I see what you mean on the t top idea,,, would take a lot to do it right,,,,,,now i think i have found a little different idea to give me the same thing without cutting up my half hard top,,,,,,,, your fiberglass corner units that are molded for the scrambler and the hardware to make a flip top ,,,,, then just a plastic type rear window that can also be rolled up will give me the open feel and look when it is nice out and then still be able to closed up the cab area to help keep a lot of the rain out,,,,, i also allready have one of the besttop covers that if it was going to get real bad weather could be put over the whole area to protect it even more..........now would you be willing to mold me a set of the corners,,,,,, nothing fancey,,, just something that i can use so my full doors and the half steel doors with the matching soft tops will fit against,,,, found what i saw on the photos of your unit coming around the back,,, these would work great and give me anough area to make a snap on or quick release system to hold on the roll down rear panel window,,,, what do you think of this idea,,,,,,, i can get you any sizes and info from my scrambler if you would need it to make these for me and of course i am open from you for any changes to this idea,,,,, take a look at the photos to show my idea on this thank again