Panel-Hardtop Theory

[Matt The Hammer]

'Handle' it or keep it immobile? Because the rear spare weight and the weight of the door itself along with 25+lbs of glass with the raise/lower mechanism and wiper motor are now a giant hunk that will torque like crazy when off-roading, and now you want to insert a piece of brittle glass in there?

Why you gotta kill my dreams with facts that make sense?

What's next? You gonna tell me that I'm not getting drafted this year by the MLB because I'll be 41 and I'm 0-22 in drafts.. so far? That I'm not going to win the lottery this time? Santa? Easter Bunny?

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[The Great Grape Ape]

What's all this about Santa... what have you heard !?!

 

[Billy]

Hyyyyyy Dee Hooooooo!

 

[Matt The Hammer]

God rest my Dad's soul... but man I never saw a man who couldn't care less about cartoons and all crack up harder during that episode of South Park with Mr. Hanky.

Thinking the fold over the top rear glass is for sure. Should be rad.

 

[Vegas_Sirk]

Based on this photos the back section of the top (the part containing the rear glass flip up window) seems to be separate from the rest of the hardtop. Zoom in and look at the cut line above where the rear window ends:

 

[four low]

BARN DOOR ! Can open liftgate glass the "old fashioned way", OR , as a Swing-Out unit !!
Say It's So, Admin !!

 

[MotorMan]

Based on this photos the back section of the top (the part containing the rear glass flip up window) seems to be separate from the rest of the hardtop. Zoom in and look at the cut line above where the rear window ends:

I'll be damned if that rear panel doesn't slide out.

 

[Matt The Hammer]

Not to rain on parade - but not first time Jeep hardtops have had 'seams' running like that:

 

[four low]

AARGH! 80 some days is TOO LONG !
Dying here...

 

[Matt The Hammer]

Enjoy:

It's possible..

 

[MotorMan]

It's not the seams on the roof that I'm concerned about. It's about the the panel not meeting the C pillar. It's camo'd for obvious reasons.

 

[JeepinOutfitters]

The new full length rain gutter makes it hard to tell for sure.

 

[DravenGSX]

I believe the roof panels we're seeing are camo themselves and masking what's really going on here. Something big has changed in the top, and I'm dying to see what it is!

 

[The Great Grape Ape]

It's possible..

Not possible, that's obviously photochopped.
That dude is clearly installing storm windows at his cottage and someone just cut & pasted him next to a Jeep with a Land Rover Defender top.
Look he's even wearing cottage appropriate Sperry Docksiders , he's not Jeeping, he's Winterizing !



BTW, I loved his build thread over the last year+ , that took a lot of time and love, but the results were great and very professional looking, and it was interesting to see his design choices/changes along the way.

 

[Billy]

Hmmmm...

As far as removable quarter windows and rear glass, my thoughts are thus;

The rear glass (with wiper motor et al) will NOT be removable/stowable. It's just too heavy and fragile. Our only hope there is a flip-up-and-over per the patent. However, there are no pads up on top for the glass to rest on and and get tied down to (as of yet). Also, the wiper motor then becomes this @$$ ugly blob on top, and the defrost/heating elements are exposed to branches and other scratchy damage. SO I've lost faith in a flip-up-and-over feature as well. The idea that the entire back section with spoiler, glass, wiper assy, isn't out of the question yet, but highly unlikely. Sorry. Maybe the designers have figured out a way to prop the glass open straight back, horizontally, but that's got it's issues as well. The quarter glass could still be removable, but not likely if the rear glass is not.

To sum up, I think we will get a 3 piece hard top that functions the same as the JK hard top.

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