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"Not Alaskan" Postal CJ8 Hardtop idea

AIL Storm, made in Israel, very common in the middle east. The only fab you'd likely have to do is repair bullet hole damage :)

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Unless I find a World Cab in the meantime, I'm going to try my hand at this idea and splice together two DJ5 tops and make every effort for the finished product to look just like the Alaskan Postal top with exception of being made with rounded doorjambs. While doing so, I'll document the build so others can follow along with my progress. Please Email me if you know of any good donor vehicles or parts that are available for this project. I'll need all of the metal from the top of the wheelwells up along with the rear door assembly and hinges. On the off chance anyone has World Cab blueprints they can share, it would be of great assistance as well. Thanks in advance!

Wm
 
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jscherb said:
AIL Storm, made in Israel, very common in the middle east. The only fab you'd likely have to do is repair bullet hole damage :)

stormmk1pic1-1.jpg
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They're the same tops as the Australian CJ8 Overlander tops. The vent windows in the rear are good, but you'd need to vent the BIG windows! Thought about hinging them from the top or replacing them with perspex with some sliding vent windows. Just to get a bit more air through the jeep.
 
Here are a couple of other hardtops for inspiration. The tan one is a Korean Korando. The white one is a CJ-8, with a hardtop that looks like it was fabricated to look somewhat like a World Cab. I don't think it is a factory World Cab, the roof slope doesn't seem right, the drip rail doesn't rise up after the b-pillar, plus the b-pillar is too narrow and supports round corner doors. Anyway the large windows reminded me of one of my first drawings for the DJ5 top idea...

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Dirty Dave said:
Okay u have pushed me over the edge, doing this with CJ-7, making panel van versian:evil:
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Dave,
Here's a photo of a factory CJ-7 Panel Van, this photo was taken from an early eighties export brochure:

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The headline of the advertisement was "Jeep CJ-7. The New Wagon and Van."

The Wagon version had side windows.

After spending so much time looking at CJ-8 World Cabs, this CJ-7 World Cab Van looks too short for it's height (too tall for it's length?) to me. I think one made from DJ-5 Postal top parts would look much better.

If you like I can draw a CJ-7 Van made from DJ-5 postal top parts so you can see what it would look like...
Jeff
 
Agreed, the white top definately doesn't look factory as the windows are longer and taller than those on the Overlander which made the B and D pillars narrower.

The Wagon version World Cab looks better but I like the security of the Panel Van version, so, I'll be blocking out my side windows. I drove a pickup with a solid shell on it for years, once you get used to driving with your mirrors the blind spots over your shoulders really aren't a problem.

When building this top I'm going to play around with some internal support ideas to better distribute the weight of a cargo rack. No parking garages for me, my Scrambler's already 6'8 high lol.

I've located a few Postals, but, nothing local so it looks like I'm going on a road trip!

Wm
 
Kahn Strictor said:
Agreed, the white top definately doesn't look factory as the windows are longer and taller than those on the Overlander which made the B and D pillars narrower.

The Wagon version World Cab looks better but I like the security of the Panel Van version, so, I'll be blocking out my side windows. I drove a pickup with a solid shell on it for years, once you get used to driving with your mirrors the blind spots over your shoulders really aren't a problem.

When building this top I'm going to play around with some internal support ideas to better distribute the weight of a cargo rack. No parking garages for me, my Scrambler's already 6'8 high lol.

I've located a few Postals, but, nothing local so it looks like I'm going on a road trip!

Wm
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We'll expect a full detailed build thread!!! Let us know if you need any assistance.
jeff
 
Just noticed on the isreali jeep,

the fuel filler is on the wrong side, the round headlights in the yj grill kinda look cool.
 
Sure. I plan to do the whole thing when I get back to the USA nexxt summer and try to post as goog of thread as u did Jeff, u have giving me so many idea, thank u:wave:
 
I got to looking at the top of my work van today and had an idea. From the looks of it, I see no reason why someone couldn't simply cut a big + out of the middle of it and then reweld the four large sections back together to match the size and shape of a Postal top.....some vans already have the wedge shape in the front. Then, using sheetmetal for the sides and rear corners (or use DJ5 corners) and a DJ5 rear door you have the base of a Postal top. The benefit to this method would be less cutting, less welding, no bending of the top to get the wedge shape, no spicing or window filling on the sides, vans are a lot easier to come by and there's a bunch of usable sheetmetal on them! You could essentially buy a rear DJ5 door off Craigslist and have it shipped to you, then get everything you need for the rest of the top at ANY junkyard.......

Wm
 
Dirty Dave said:
does any one have detaied pics of the lower hald of the door jam on a postal and a dj5
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I'm not sure if this is what you're asking... here's a photo of an attempt to put a DJ5 door in the opening in a TJ tailgate. It's a little hard to tell from the photo, but the door is a little wide for the TJ opening. I know we're not talking about TJ's here, I should still have the a DJ5 door around here so I can measure it if you want me to, the DJ5 door may fit in the CJ opening but I'm not sure.

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BTW the World Cab door closes flush inside the tailgate opening, and the DJ5 door overlaps the outside of the body when it's closed, you can see that in this photo. Also the DJ5 door is about 4-5" shorter than the World Cab door (measured it once but don't remember the difference exactly, could measure again if you need the measurement)

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Here's a CJ7 with a DJ5-based hardtop:

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These photos may also be useful in your design and planning process - a WC door and a DJ door.

WC door is taller, slides gently curve in toward the top, and the back of the door curves forward toward the top (the glass is clightly curved).

DC door is flat and rectangular, no curves in the metal or glass.

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Kahn Strictor said:
I got to looking at the top of my work van today and had an idea. From the looks of it, I see no reason why someone couldn't simply cut a big + out of the middle of it and then reweld the four large sections back together to match the size and shape of a Postal top.....some vans already have the wedge shape in the front. Then, using sheetmetal for the sides and rear corners (or use DJ5 corners) and a DJ5 rear door you have the base of a Postal top. The benefit to this method would be less cutting, less welding, no bending of the top to get the wedge shape, no spicing or window filling on the sides, vans are a lot easier to come by and there's a bunch of usable sheetmetal on them! You could essentially buy a rear DJ5 door off Craigslist and have it shipped to you, then get everything you need for the rest of the top at ANY junkyard.......

Wm
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I did some research on this a while back when I first started this thread. I did some prowling around the Pick n Pull looking for donor parts that might be reconfigured into an ersatz World Cab, and I decided the 80's Suburban roof would be a good candidate - it's long enough and wide enough to give you ample material to work with, and it's got a slope in the front of the roof, and ribs in the back part.

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As for the sides, the 90's Chevy vans seemed like they might be a reasonable match, although then slope in towrds the top center more than the World Cab does, but you could work them over so they stand up straighter, and the dual rear doors could be cut up to make one single WC-style barn door.

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right veiw

That is exacly the angle I wanted to see, and I like the suburn roof idea, easy to come by. Have the donor vehicle already located.
 
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