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New World Cabs?

Polarfire said:
Um, details? Does it involve a Jeep in anyway? :)
Click to expand...

Yes, it involves several generations of Jeeps ... I call the project the CJ Grille Conversion Kit for the TJ/LJ Wrangler. It's a custom CJ hood/CJ fender set that enables you to install a factory CJ grille on a TJ; the custom parts blend the lines and curves of the TJ tub and cowl into the CJ grille to result in a factory look, backdating the Wrangler with the CJ's classic styling. It's designed to be a bolt-on conversion that requires no hacking on the Wrangler.

This is what my workshop looked like at the start of the project...

Workshop1-1.jpg
 
Bad Karma said:
I know you dont have a Scrambler... Just curious how long you would need one for to make a top? :)
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Only a few days actually... the side panels and roof are exactly 9" longer than the LJ version, the rear panels and barn door upper would be the same (assuming a Wrangler tailgate), there's a different (but simpler) windshield header piece for the CJ/YJ (which I've already got), and minor changes to the door surrounds from the TJ/LJ version, but all of the parts could be molded and trimmed before the Scrambler was on hand. The Scrambler would only be needed long enough for exact fitment of the windshield header in the roof panel and the minor tweaks on the door surrounds. When the Scrambler arrived, the top would be installed first thing and work would be to mount the windshield header in the right position and get the door surround tweaks made.

So probably just a weekend, maybe a long weekend to be sure. The Scrambler would be drivable with the top on at the end of the weekend, although the top would probably just be in gel coat or maybe primer instead of having a nice finish on it.
 
Well, if you ever want to do a Scrambler world cab, I will volunteer mine. I am 5ish hours away from you.
As long as I could get one. (I would pay for it, of course)

and I TOTALLY LOVE the CJ/TJ conversion!!!
 
Here's a TJ-based, CJ-styled nearly all fiberglass pickup concept that uses parts from all of my big fiberglass projects so far - the Safari Half Cab hardtop, the trailer kit tub, and the CJ Grille Conversion Kit for the TJ/LJ. The truck is basically the same size/wheelbase as the AEV Brute, but the bed is about 6" longer.

Rustler1-1.jpg


The TJ frame would be lengthened to a 118" wheelbase (24" stretch from a TJ, 14" from an LJ), but the wheelbase could be longer if you wanted less rear overhang. Since the stretch is the same as the Brute kit stretch, it would be possible to use the Brute frame stretch kit to lengthen the frame, but it's just as easy (and way less expensive) to use a few sections of straight frame rail cut from a junkyard frame.

The rear of the tub is also fiberglass, using a solid end panel from the trailer tub kit with one small mod. A little sheet metal work would be required behind the door openings to join the fiberglass end panel to the tub, but it's pretty straightforward work.

The trailer tub kit for the bed is unmodified; I've used composite Timbertech "deck wood" as the bed floor, the same as I used for the Retro Wrangler bed floor. The spare well in the front of the bed is made from a modified trailer tub kit inner fender.

The tub is the correct length to accept the Safari Half Cab, the Gr8Tops XTop half cab, or the Brute half cab.

And the front end "sheet metal" consists of a factory CJ grille and the CJ Grille Conversion kit hood, cowl panel and fenders. Naturally this truck could be built retaining the factory TJ grille and front sheet metal, but since I'm currently working on the CJ Grille Conversion parts, I had to include that in the concept :).

This drawing shows the how much of the original metal is kept vs. how much is new fiberglass:

Rustler2-1.jpg


Why the name Rustler?

Two reasons:

1. A Rustler could be what a Wrangler (another name for a cowboy) that turns Renegade (CJ Renegade grille/hood) does :).

2. Because most of this truck is fiberglass, it would be a great conversion to do on a Jeep that's getting rusty ;).
 
I just found this thread. Add me to the list if you ever create a Scrambler version of your Safari top. I'd take both the hard and soft sides. I like the barn door approach but I constantly sit on the tail-gate (no tire carrier) so a standard lift window would work great as well.

This is just awesome...
York3.jpg
 
I just got back from a trip to Colorado, I was off-pavement for about 250 miles over five days, plus the about 4000 miles on pavement en route from upstate NY to Colorado and back.

- Crossing a creek just off the Marshall Pass road, I am heading for the alleged town site of Chester, which I never did find.

ChesterStream-1.jpg


- Posed at Tincup pass. I took the Tincup Pass trail out of the St. Elmo ghost town, this shot was taken at the summit at 12,154 feet elevation.

TincupPass2-1.jpg


- Crossing water at Mirror Lake. Coming down out of Tincup Pass, the trail passes Mirror Lake and crosses this stream (approx elev 11,000) just before arriving at the town of Tincup.

MirrorLake-1.jpg


- At 12,300 elev., above Cumberland Pass. I got there the hard way over the old Cumberland Pass trail rather than taking the dirt road from Tincup. The trail is very steep, narrow and almost entirely loose rock but well worth it because of the many mine ruins it passes. Then it breaks out above the tree line for this "top of the world" view.

CumberlandPass-1.jpg


- On the descent from Cumberland Pass, I took the Alpine Tunnel Road to the tunnel entrance. This shot was taken along the Palisades, and doesn't do justice to the drop to the valley below... other than the dropoff it's a pretty tame road and an amazing engineering feat.

AlpinePalisades-1.jpg


Descending from the Carson ghost town, taking a steep short cut rather than the easy trail...

CarsonDescent-1.jpg



The trip was a great test for a number of features of the Safari Cab...

I left the hardtop hard side panels at home, and ran the soft sides the entire trip. I couldn't be more pleased with the soft side curtains - they were very quiet at 75mph on the highway, and so convenient and easy to roll up for access and open air driving. The hard roof keeps the strong mountain sun off the interior, but the full open sides let the mountain air in.

I had about 150 lbs. on the roof the entire trip (rack, spare, farm jack). No rattling or movement of the roof either on the highways or the rough trails, it's extremely solid thanks to the roof-rack/roll-bar tie-in brackets.
 
Very cool, I love the look. When can I get one for my Scrambler??
 
Very nice, Jeff. Sounds like a great trip!
 
Wish I had known you would be here... I would have ventured over Tin Cup with you I'm about 30 min from there. would have been nice to meet you.
 
Do you have a map of your route? I would love to drive it once my Scrambler is finished! I haven't been to Tin Cup for years!
 
Polarfire said:
Do you have a map of your route? I would love to drive it once my Scrambler is finished! I haven't been to Tin Cup for years!
Click to expand...

Since all of the trails I did, including the Tincup Pass Trail, are officially forest service roads or county roads, they're actually in my GPS already. But I did download some free topographical maps of the area so I could add scenic waypoints to the trails using the Garmin BaseCamp software, such as abandoned mines, etc. That way I didn't miss any scenic highlights.

The roads/trails I did during the week, all of which were in the GPS:

- Boreas Pass Road
- Weston Pass Road
- Marshall Pass Railway Grade Road
- Marshall Pass to Sargents Road
- Old Monarch Pass Road
- Tincup Pass Trail
- Cumberland Pass Trail
- Alpine Tunnel Road
- Cinnamon Pass Trail
- Carson Ghost Town Trail
- Animas Forks - Silverton Road
- Ophir Pass Trail
- Alta Ghost Town Trail

Plus some deviations off the main trails/roads to explore additional ghost town and mine sites.

I planned each day's trails so I could end the day on pavement and in a hotel.

It was a great week.
 
There should be a "trip" thread here on CJ-8 for info like this... I'd love to see it so that you could plan 'getaways' ahead of time... Just my :twocents:
 
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