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OT: Retro Wrangler/Willys Pickup (long)

lookin good

jeff,

looking good.. on the roof panel, looks like it is hanging down/capping the front of the windshield frame almost to the glass gasket.

are you going to have to trim that piece back or were you planning on trying to bend/wrap/shape that part around the bestop header piece?

how much room above the cage padding is there to the top inside of the roof?

Matt
 
donaghy said:
jeff,

looking good.. on the roof panel, looks like it is hanging down/capping the front of the windshield frame almost to the glass gasket.

are you going to have to trim that piece back or were you planning on trying to bend/wrap/shape that part around the bestop header piece?

how much room above the cage padding is there to the top inside of the roof?

Matt
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Matt,

In those pictures the header isn't in it's final place, so the roof comes down a little more than it will when it is completed. The roof covers about half of the paint above the windshield gasket.

I'm not going to trim the front of the roof off, I left it that way because the overhang looks more retro than a smooth surface above the windshield.

The seal is actually made at the header, so the part of the roof that is sticking out over the windshield frame is really only cosmetic, like a visor. Here's a closer shot of the header in the roof panel. The small gap at the front of the header will be sealed with seam sealer, as will the mounting tabs.

I hope to permanently mount it tomorrow, so maybe I can post some better detail shots to show how it seals and how much it overhangs.

As for the room inside, yes, there's plenty of room above the cage padding - probably a little more than 2" at the rear of the roof where it is highest. I plan to put an insulated, fabric covered cardboard headliner in there, that will use up a little of the room but there's still plenty of room because of the profile of the roof.

Jeff

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Well now that I've started modifying parts to make the hardtop, I guess it's time to see if anyone wants any of the parts I won't be using in this project:

- 1 pair "square corner" World Cab doors in very nice condition. These will fit CJ-8 World Cab Overlanders and Postals, CJ-7 World Cabs, and CJ-10 pickups and CJ-10a tugs. All glass in great shape. Key included.

- CJ-7 World Cab side panels with windows. Haven't looked at these in a while but if I recall correctly, there's a crack in one of the windows, happened during shipping from the UK. It's usable as it is but you'd probably want to replace it eventually.

I don't have a price in mind, so if you're interested please make an offer. I'd rather not have to ship these so if you'd be able to pick them up so much the better...

Jeff

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I got the windshield header permanently mounted in the top panel today.

The first photo shows the profile of the top vs. the windshield rubber. They match perfectly (perspective makes it appear to narrow in the distance in the photo but it is perfect side to side).

Next shows the inside view. Nothing is primed/painted yet so it looks crappy, but you can see how nicely the header integrates with the top panel and the top of the windshield. When it is completed there will be a headliner that comes to just above the clamps. I decided to use the Bestop bolt clamps instead of the latch clamps because there's some adjustment if necessary.

Bottom left shows how much the top overhangs in the front, maybe 1/2" down and 3/4" out. And bottom right shows the line above the door. The back of the top panel will come up slighty more when the top is complete, my wood block/cardboard prop is a little low.

I think getting the header and windshield attachment right is the riskiest part of adaptating the World Cab to a TJ. I think I'll declare success and move on to the next step: cutting the roof panel shorter.

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That really looks good Jeff. the functionallity will be great I think.

What are you going to do with the gap at the side panels? Extend side panels, extend top, or something different. Is the top pieces going to come apart or will it be a solid 1 piece top?

Truck
 
Truck said:
That really looks good Jeff. the functionallity will be great I think.

What are you going to do with the gap at the side panels? Extend side panels, extend top, or something different. Is the top pieces going to come apart or will it be a solid 1 piece top?

Truck
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Thanks Truck. I'll bring the drip rail down so it is straight all the way around the top. Then I'll fill the resulting gap with sheet metal as necessary between the drip rail and the roof.

Haven't decided if I will make the whole top one piece or if I'll still have it come apart. Depends on how I decide to do the door corner fillers I guess, if I do them like I did on my Scrambler World Cab then it will still come apart because they're bolted in place. I like the idea of welding everything really solid though, so that's why I haven't decided yet.
 
very nice Jeff, great use of front connectors, I have something akin to that in my scrambler but without the necessary adjustability you have, I need to find some of those latches.

one thought/question, do the very wide 'b' pillars cause any issue with blind spots? You could put in a long skinny window behind the door, not sure if it's worth it or not but might be cool.

Also, regarding the jerry cans, seems like every willys flat fender pick up has a set beind the rear tires bolted to teh bed, not original but they all seemed to grow them. might be an interesting exercise to see what they look like there

continues to amaze me jeff, color me officially........agog!
 
trust said:
very nice Jeff, great use of front connectors, I have something akin to that in my scrambler but without the necessary adjustability you have, I need to find some of those latches.

one thought/question, do the very wide 'b' pillars cause any issue with blind spots? You could put in a long skinny window behind the door, not sure if it's worth it or not but might be cool.

Also, regarding the jerry cans, seems like every willys flat fender pick up has a set beind the rear tires bolted to teh bed, not original but they all seemed to grow them. might be an interesting exercise to see what they look like there

continues to amaze me jeff, color me officially........agog!
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Dear agog, :)

For a hardtop, I really like the bolt type latches. The flip latches aren't adjustable, and because of the way they work they go tight while you're flipping them and then loosen up a bit in the latched position, so you don't really have the control over the final tightness like you do with the bolt ones. I don't think Bestop sells them separately; I bought the complete header on eBay, I think it was about $20.

I've been driving the pickup with the soft top for quite a while now and it has the same size b-pillars - blind spots don't seem too bad. I did toy with the idea of small side windows while I was doing the design but I couldn't come up with anything that I thought looked right.

And I'm also always wondering about cans on the side. I don't have any so I can't try it but someday if I come across a cheap can and bracket to try maybe I will.
 
Eric, this photo is for you :)

I'll post photos of the cut pieces mocked up on the truck later today...

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Ack, well, I'd already resigned myself to the fact that it was going to happen... just looking forward to seeing it come together in it's new form.

Might want to roll up those sleeves when playing with the grinder ;)
 
cringe..

<shudder> ooo it makes me cringe seeing rare metal like that being cut.. Its almost like sitting watching someone bob an CJ8....... :eek:

ah.. it will all be worth it in the end. header piece is coming together very nicely.. looks like bullet hole in the center of the top.. radio antennea hole?

Matt
 
bigwalton said:
Might want to roll up those sleeves when playing with the grinder ;)
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That's my sacrificial denim welding/grinding shirt. I've got dozen of old denim "logo" shirts like that given to me by many tech vendors over the years. They're perfect for this use. :)
 
donaghy said:
<shudder> ooo it makes me cringe seeing rare metal like that being cut.. Its almost like sitting watching someone bob an CJ8....... :eek:

ah.. it will all be worth it in the end. header piece is coming together very nicely.. looks like bullet hole in the center of the top.. radio antennea hole?

Matt
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Yup, there was an antenna there when I got it. Here's a photo of my top that appeared in a British magazine about 10 years ago, before it was painted maroon and long before I got it. You can see the antenna on the top. I'll be filling that hole.

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Looks great, Jeff. I like your latch attachment for the front. Keep the pics coming!
 
jscherb said:
That's my sacrificial denim welding/grinding shirt. I've got dozen of old denim "logo" shirts like that given to me by many tech vendors over the years. They're perfect for this use. :)
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Worried about your arms/chest/face if the sleeves caught the grinder, not the shirt ;) Seen too many "look what I did" threads on various forums about grinders catching in clothing... nasty business. Made me really paranoid about this when using the grinder.
 
Here's some shots of the parts mocked up on the truck and one shot of the "kit" of parts on the driveway. The roof panels aren't sitting at exactly the right angles, but hey it's hard to get everything to look right with some wedges of cardboard and a few cleco clamps.

Getting the top panel done is pretty straightforward:

1. Weld the drip rail pieces together
2. Finish cut and butt join the top panels
3. Build up the sides and back to fill the gap (flat sheet metal, no curves)
4. Make new rear corner curved pieces and weld them in (not compound curves, so shouldn't be too hard).

After that I need to build a little larger mounting flange on the inside of the top panel to connect the top to the rear wall because the CJ-7 top mounts to the sides differently than the CJ-10 top panel does. And to finish it off, some corner fillers for the door jambs.

None of this is much harder than what I've already done to build my fenders, so it should be within the realm of my limited sheet metal skills :)

But the next step is to strip the maroon paint off, so I'm off to Elmira Auto Paint to get some stripper. Welding starts next week probably.

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Truck said:
I really like this look!!

Truck
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Thanks Truck! It's exactly the look I'm going for, I love the sloping/ribbed roof and the retro look of the whole thing.
 
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