Convertible XJ project

[IslanderXJ]

New stuff, rear hatch problem almost solved, half doors on the way, tire carrier becomes one with rear hatch, so far thats it....
Rear hatch, purple is tubing reinforcement & green is tire carrier bracket, locks and hinges

red lines are visible cuts on outside and yellow is moving stuff around

what it will look like when finished without tire carrier mounted yet

general idea for tire carrier so I can open the top half of the hatch up withour swinging out the bottom(like TJ)

using wrangler door paddles/locks for bottom door, and relocating original lock to top hatch (will work the same as before), using two heavy duty stainless steel door hinges for bottom door so they wont sag under weight, will be major reinforcing to frame around both taillights for locks and hinges

will have half doors done in next month or so, not sure when hatch will be done, before summer, thats for sure, might be throwing in a sunroof just for shits and giggles cause I found one for cheap that I can make fit at a junkyard

-Jackson

 

[IslanderXJ]

Oh yeah, i forgot to mention that I found out that the "ratical tops" thing i mentioned before will work, I just need to get some extra pieces, to go along the sides and by the rear quarter window. Probably not going to buy it, will just stop one of the dealers who have it in stock and steal ideas, and buy the seal for the front of the roof over the windshield....

let you know how it went when i get to it...


-Jackson

 

[Ndru]

Off topic but what kind of bumper is that on the white XJ? I like it

 

[Wil Badger]

Rigid

 

[JLane99XJ]

=

i guess i may take some advanced fabrication skils to build that POS from an XJ but its still GAY

i can't believe this thread of artsi-fartsi ms-paint drawings and babbling is still going,, uggh i feel nautious..

grab a SAW_ZALL and cut!! and quit chattin about how Totally Awesome it'll be one day..

 

[ChicksDigWagons]

i can't believe this thread of artsi-fartsi ms-paint drawings and babbling is still going,, uggh i feel nautious..

grab a SAW_ZALL and cut!! and quit chattin about how Totally Awesome it'll be one day..

I'll be cutting mine soon...removable top 2-door. Expect a thread in a couple weeks time.

 

[IslanderXJ]

i can't believe this thread of artsi-fartsi ms-paint drawings and babbling is still going,, uggh i feel nautious..

They're plans and ideas, peanut brain. I hope when you puke you choke on it.

grab a SAW_ZALL and cut!! and quit chattin about how Totally Awesome it'll be one day..

Its F@#$ing raining like hell outside, and this is my DD, I need that roof, and I like my interior.

But I did just pick up a full set of doors from Rawbrown a few days ago on my way back from spring break, will start on the half doors and hatch/door/tire carrier thing in a few days, hopefully it will stop raining so I can work outside.
-Jackson

 

[hackjob]

Sounds like a good idea to me. And to all the cry babies....If you dont like the show, change the chanel!

 

[waubm]

how are you going to seal the windows on the doors?

 

[IslanderXJ]

how are you going to seal the windows on the doors?

Which doors?

The half doors?
No windows, they're "half doors".

Rear hatch?
Window still in frame dont need to seal.

Rear quarter window?
Will have a "frame" around the bottom of the window with a generic rubber seal, it will drop into a groove ( just a piece of square tubing with the top removed, think U shaped) that is sunk into the body/bed rail (if you consider the cargo are without a roof a bed)


get it? probably not that barely made sense to me, lol

If your asking something else, just keep asking eventually I will figure out what your talking about.
-Jackson

 

[ChicksDigWagons]

how are you going to seal the windows on the doors?

My plan is to source a second set of doors, one to run without the top and another to run with the top. This sounds a lot easier than trying to convert the windows to frameless and have them seal well. The rest of the joints should seal just fine with some standard rubber weatherstripping, nothing fancy.

 

[IslanderXJ]

I have two sets, aint touching one except for the door hinges. And going to keep the window frame left over from the half doors, trim them down a bit and make them into soft top window frames (just about an inch of frame left, just enough to put a wrangler style soft window in) and keep the mirrors on them.

My plan is to source a second set of doors, one to run without the top and another to run with the top. This sounds a lot easier than trying to convert the windows to frameless and have them seal well. The rest of the joints should seal just fine with some standard rubber weatherstripping, nothing fancy.

The rear quarter isn't frame less, if thats what you talking about, just goin to cut the body back there right at the lateral body cresae about 2 inches below the window, and I need that to seal thats what i ment.

 

[partsbill]

I like the idea of the convertible as well.. I already have a homebuilt Cheromanche and once I finish my current conversion and sell my boat, a 2-door Cherokee for the conversion. Hopefully pic it up sometime...late summer.

 

[Captain Ron]

They're plans and ideas, peanut brain. I hope when you puke you choke on it....

Ya know, maybe you outta just stick to hanging in Avalon, easy to be above it all there.

I'd be happy to play the Natalie Wood challenge with you, but then again, Ardis may have you picked off the bottom by "C" row.

If you don't have the facilities, and the wherewithall to back up your plans, you are just another school puke with out the means. Seen a ton of them thru the years.

Nice idea, but you better expect the doubters if you can't come thru with something... ANYTHING... this is advanced fab after all, and I expect at least some kind of burning flesh.

--ron

 

[IslanderXJ]

Ya know, maybe you outta just stick to hanging in Avalon, easy to be above it all there.

Yeah, it is, glad i grew up there...

I'd be happy to play the Natalie Wood challenge with you, but then again, Ardis may have you picked off the bottom by "C" row.

Ha ha, I never played that, just respond with beer and/or baywatch...

If you don't have the facilities, and the wherewithall to back up your plans, you are just another school puke with out the means. Seen a ton of them thru the years.

Nice idea, but you better expect the doubters if you can't come thru with something... ANYTHING... this is advanced fab after all, and I expect at least some kind of burning flesh.

--ron

I wouldn't have posted up all these plans if I didn't intend to actually complete them within a reasonable amount of time. Defintly not just another school puke, I'm working slowly but surely on the half doors and rear hatch/gate thing.
Dont have any pictures as of yet though...
About the burning flesh....
While cutting out some brackets with a plasma cutter to reinforce my rock sliders I was wearing some shaded glasses, I reached down and picked up the leftover plate with my plain leather gloved hand, not insulated, just a work glove. It hurt after I realized the glove was smoking, I didn't even feel it untill I saw it. I took off the glasses to look at the wound, and the metal was still red hot under floresent lights!!

So while I'm here, UPDATE:
Installing my "reinforced" rock sliders
rear half doors in progress
front half doors taped off,
/\ and all glass/mechanisms removed
rear hatch taped off.
/\ decided to toss bottom half of fiberglass hatch and fab one out of sheetmetal and tube.
/Should be done with all of that by the end of the school year\
-Jackson

 

[Captain Ron]

Cool.

This thread is worthless without pics.

--ron

 

[Loose_Nuts_Enterprises]

How about something like this???

It's one of the guys from Rocky Mountain Extreme. It's a Toyota Truck short bed tonneau cover. He had to trim it a little bit to fit over the edge, but that's it.


-Dan

 

[Wil Badger]

i can't say i have seen that on RME before or rolling around in the area.

 

[Ben97XJ]

I wonder how waterproof that is?

 

[IcedXJ]

How about something like this???

It's one of the guys from Rocky Mountain Extreme. It's a Toyota Truck short bed tonneau cover. He had to trim it a little bit to fit over the edge, but that's it.


-Dan

damn that looks nice...I always wanted more sunlight in my XJ on nice days...