- Thread starter
- #501
I'm not sure I followed that. Can you sketch it out?
Builds Blender, My LX450/FZJ80 + FJ45esk + GM + Land Rover crazy concoction (4 Viewers)
- Thread starter Mieser
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I'm not sure I followed that. Can you sketch it out?
jim land
SILVER Star
i vote for #3
2fpower
SILVER Star
#3. Looks more visually appealing to me.
When you are sitting in the car, I think you would be able to put your arm on the door without hitting the inclinded section.
Also, better ability to see your front tire sight line.
When you are sitting in the car, I think you would be able to put your arm on the door without hitting the inclinded section.
Also, better ability to see your front tire sight line.
Option three.
Sorry not able to sketch it on my Ipad.
What I mean is you can use the space below the window but still in the upper part of the door to hold the window mechanism. When you open the window the mechanism extents in to the lower door. When you attach the window rails to the upper part and tighten them to the lower part when it is mounted, the door plus window will be solid like a one piece door. When you only use the lower part the opening can be covered by a top piece.
Hope this makes sence.
- Thread starter
- #506
Tonight I decided on the door design and moved forward....
This version ended up being the best option for a few window based items. With this shape of the window, with the long bottom flat, I can have dual way slider. That slider will be able to open about 9" on either the front or the back of the window, or a combination.
The flat on the door is PLENTY long for my arm.
Now to model up this 2pc door split idea and then turn the templates into aluminum!
This version ended up being the best option for a few window based items. With this shape of the window, with the long bottom flat, I can have dual way slider. That slider will be able to open about 9" on either the front or the back of the window, or a combination.
The flat on the door is PLENTY long for my arm.
Now to model up this 2pc door split idea and then turn the templates into aluminum!
- Thread starter
- #507
The #LX45 2pc door mockup is done. Hopefully my sheet of aluminum is ready tomorrow so I can turn this into metal! Overall I am very happy with how the concept turned out so far. I will be bonding the upper door sheets together with 3M panel bond adhesive along with clamping them with the window frame. Hopefully I can flush mount some tapered head fasteners into the door skin and hide the upper ones behind a detail panel. I will be using some neat cast aluminum knobs I fount on mcmaster to clamp the upper in place. Don't worry, I also have a neat plan for an armrest/handle that will work with or without the upper door.....
mudgudgeon
Resident galah
Edit : never mind, I should have kept reading. you came to the same conclusion.
Looks cool. Really interested to see how the final version looks.
2fpower
SILVER Star
I assume you are building this like standard door for more regidity, two panels separated by about 1 1/2 or so?
Under that assumption, is your mount part just going to be that inner skin?
continuing under that assumption, I put door pockets into the lower door and really like them to hold stuff. In looking at your plan, you could do that still, and even cut an opening in the upper attachment to get to that opening.
Only picture I could find. I made them out of stainless, knowing that I could not paint them fully; however, aluminum would be that much nicer.
k
Under that assumption, is your mount part just going to be that inner skin?
continuing under that assumption, I put door pockets into the lower door and really like them to hold stuff. In looking at your plan, you could do that still, and even cut an opening in the upper attachment to get to that opening.
Only picture I could find. I made them out of stainless, knowing that I could not paint them fully; however, aluminum would be that much nicer.
k
- Thread starter
- #510
I think we have similar ideas, just a different way to get there.
No, the door will be thin to save space. I pinched the door openings so they are parallel to each other. The tub is now only about 56" wide. I need to preserve all the interior space I can.
I am making the doors out of 3/16 thick aluminum. The upper portion will be 2 thicknesses of material ( for a total of 3/8" thick ) around the window frame section to help stiffen that up and make the outside surface flush. I will also be adding a trim piece to the outside to add the fj40-esk 'bump' to the door to break up the surface a bit and add a body line through the door. I am going to add a folded 90 degree bracket that is held in place by the upper door retention knobs ( with holes instead of slots like the upper door. That bracket will be flush with the top edge of the door. It will make the top of the door wider where you arm will want to rest. I will also cut out a handle slot in that for closing the door or holding it from flying open. Thinking about it. I should add a strap on the lower hinge area to keep it from folding too far out. I may also rework the internal door release knob mechanism to be more forward near the handle.
I do plan on adding a large elastic net to the lower section of the door. This will be a good place to store a hat/jacket/gloves/rain gear that needs to come on/off through the day when on the trail.
- Thread starter
- #511
Good day....
One more view of the mock up door system from outside. I don't open up the big door too often this time of year because 'winter'. It was really nice to be able to get more than a few feet away....
I had to open the door to bring in some nice fresh sheets of aluminum! This is 3/16 thick 5052-H32 that I will be building the doors out of.
I took the mock up door apart to use for templates. This sure made things easy. Don't forget to account for the saw kerf during the layout. I wanted to cut the upper and lower door in one piece and THEN seperate them. That way the cut would match up well top to bottom.
I have been looking for a better way to make LONG cuts in thicker aluminum sheet for a bit now. After much google-fu and Youtube this is where I stopped. While they aren't cheap, these blades work AMAZING! I was able to use a section of thick aluminum angle as a fence for the saw. This blade is specifically for aluminum according to the package. It cuts this 3/16" plate like BUTTER. This is what I used where ever possible. This method is so much cleaner and faster than anything else I have done.
This is how I handled inside corners. I pilot drilled the corner with a small drill bit. I would run the big saw as close as possible. I then used a small body saw to finish the cut. All it takes is a little file work to clean up at the end.
Here is the roughed in lower door. I will still be adding some details, but the hinges hinge and the latch latches.
Upper door resting in its future home.
Seam between the upper and lower.....not too bad for just a guy in his garage I don't think.
I also got the inner 'tongue' panel mostly cut out.
Next I need to cut the window hole in the top and tongue panel. Those two parts will be glued together with some 3M Panel Bond once finished ( which is still in the mail....ugh). I also need to build the arm rest bracket that will also have the interior door handle and perhaps a forward mounted door latch release. Still a decent bit of detail stuff....
One more view of the mock up door system from outside. I don't open up the big door too often this time of year because 'winter'. It was really nice to be able to get more than a few feet away....
I had to open the door to bring in some nice fresh sheets of aluminum! This is 3/16 thick 5052-H32 that I will be building the doors out of.
I took the mock up door apart to use for templates. This sure made things easy. Don't forget to account for the saw kerf during the layout. I wanted to cut the upper and lower door in one piece and THEN seperate them. That way the cut would match up well top to bottom.
I have been looking for a better way to make LONG cuts in thicker aluminum sheet for a bit now. After much google-fu and Youtube this is where I stopped. While they aren't cheap, these blades work AMAZING! I was able to use a section of thick aluminum angle as a fence for the saw. This blade is specifically for aluminum according to the package. It cuts this 3/16" plate like BUTTER. This is what I used where ever possible. This method is so much cleaner and faster than anything else I have done.
This is how I handled inside corners. I pilot drilled the corner with a small drill bit. I would run the big saw as close as possible. I then used a small body saw to finish the cut. All it takes is a little file work to clean up at the end.
Here is the roughed in lower door. I will still be adding some details, but the hinges hinge and the latch latches.
Upper door resting in its future home.
Seam between the upper and lower.....not too bad for just a guy in his garage I don't think.
I also got the inner 'tongue' panel mostly cut out.
Next I need to cut the window hole in the top and tongue panel. Those two parts will be glued together with some 3M Panel Bond once finished ( which is still in the mail....ugh). I also need to build the arm rest bracket that will also have the interior door handle and perhaps a forward mounted door latch release. Still a decent bit of detail stuff....
Very impressive.
- Thread starter
- #513
Mostly just repeats tonight...
Passenger side door panels are all cut out.
I also made the passenger side versions of the door hinges.
Shop tip....
I tried these Dewalt Impact-ready drill-tap-countersink bits for the first time tonight. I did the 6mm threads for the TJ mirror mounting hardware in the hinges. These things work fantastic. They are designed to be used with a 1/4" impact driver ONLY. You don't want to use them in a powerful drill. They use the impact action to break and clear the chips away. I have to do a LOT of small tapped holes in the bed frame for the side panels. My hope is that these things really speed up the process.
Passenger side door panels are all cut out.
I also made the passenger side versions of the door hinges.
Shop tip....
I tried these Dewalt Impact-ready drill-tap-countersink bits for the first time tonight. I did the 6mm threads for the TJ mirror mounting hardware in the hinges. These things work fantastic. They are designed to be used with a 1/4" impact driver ONLY. You don't want to use them in a powerful drill. They use the impact action to break and clear the chips away. I have to do a LOT of small tapped holes in the bed frame for the side panels. My hope is that these things really speed up the process.
mudgudgeon
Resident galah
A little cutting wax on the saw blade before each cut helps them cut a little cleaner too. They also cut a little nicer, and quieter, and pepper you with less s*** if you have a saw that runs at lower RPM than your typical wood saw
I have a set of those impact tapping drills.
They make me nervous, but work well.
The design limits the max material thickness. The drdrilling tip needs to pass clear through the material before the tap reaches the face. Too thick, they either chew out the new thread, or snap the tip
I have a set of those impact tapping drills.
They make me nervous, but work well.
The design limits the max material thickness. The drdrilling tip needs to pass clear through the material before the tap reaches the face. Too thick, they either chew out the new thread, or snap the tip
mudgudgeon
Resident galah
Will you have some sort of arm rest to go on the lower half door?
- Thread starter
- #516
Yes, that is in the plan. Stay tuned.
S4Cruiser
SILVER Star
Shop tip....
I tried these Dewalt Impact-ready drill-tap-countersink bits for the first time tonight. I did the 6mm threads for the TJ mirror mounting hardware in the hinges. These things work fantastic. They are designed to be used with a 1/4" impact driver ONLY. You don't want to use them in a powerful drill. They use the impact action to break and clear the chips away. I have to do a LOT of small tapped holes in the bed frame for the side panels. My hope is that these things really speed up the process.
These look super fxxxing cool!
- Thread starter
- #518
Tonight's tangent....
I've been wondering about what to do for a shifter for a long time now. I had a crazy idea the other day to combine a few different projects. I need to have the tap-shift and tow/haul buttons for my 6L80E transmission. I went back and forth on that for months.
I figured, why not start with what the factory used so that all the switches work well with the factory BCM module.
This is what I ended up with. I used a factory column shift cane for my floor shifter. It looks a little funny, but kind of reminds me of an old granny 4-spd shifter. The ergonomics worked out way better than I could have hoped for. The tap shift buttons fall into a location where it works well for more than one natural hand position. The shift 'knob' feels good. The tow/haul button doesn't look like it will get hit accidentally too often.
If I can pull off the wiring correctly, I think the buttons even light up?
I also stared hanging the passenger side door.
For those people who are unlucky enough to have to hang FJ40 door hinges on the body side, this is the miracle tool. A small cone made out of a cheap trashy pen ( or two ) can be jammed in the mounting bolt holds to help get things aligned while you cuss and swear to get the bolts behind the glove box started.
I've been wondering about what to do for a shifter for a long time now. I had a crazy idea the other day to combine a few different projects. I need to have the tap-shift and tow/haul buttons for my 6L80E transmission. I went back and forth on that for months.
I figured, why not start with what the factory used so that all the switches work well with the factory BCM module.
This is what I ended up with. I used a factory column shift cane for my floor shifter. It looks a little funny, but kind of reminds me of an old granny 4-spd shifter. The ergonomics worked out way better than I could have hoped for. The tap shift buttons fall into a location where it works well for more than one natural hand position. The shift 'knob' feels good. The tow/haul button doesn't look like it will get hit accidentally too often.
If I can pull off the wiring correctly, I think the buttons even light up?
I also stared hanging the passenger side door.
For those people who are unlucky enough to have to hang FJ40 door hinges on the body side, this is the miracle tool. A small cone made out of a cheap trashy pen ( or two ) can be jammed in the mounting bolt holds to help get things aligned while you cuss and swear to get the bolts behind the glove box started.
That shifter is nuts, but I like it a lot 
- Thread starter
- #520
Seems like this is taking forever but....
I worked on cutting out the window holes in the outside window panels tonight. Last night I installed the door latch and made the strike plate for the passenger side.
Overall the plan is coming together....slowly. I am still waiting on my panel adhesive so I can bond the upper panel to inner tongue panel. That needs to happen before I can transfer the tab/pin locations to the main lower door panel.
It was really nice to be able to sit in it and look out the window. Overall the visibility seems really good, even though I will lose about 1/2-3/4 of an inch for the window frame.
I worked on cutting out the window holes in the outside window panels tonight. Last night I installed the door latch and made the strike plate for the passenger side.
Overall the plan is coming together....slowly. I am still waiting on my panel adhesive so I can bond the upper panel to inner tongue panel. That needs to happen before I can transfer the tab/pin locations to the main lower door panel.
It was really nice to be able to sit in it and look out the window. Overall the visibility seems really good, even though I will lose about 1/2-3/4 of an inch for the window frame.