Rear window?

[Dirty Harry]

Anyone ever tried to shoehorn the RI front window into the rear roll cage opening on a newer Max IV? I was just mulling over ways to build a semi-permanent hard cab and get away from the canvas stuff. I've got a line on a durable section of HDPE for the roof that I plan to make removable via a lightwieght sub-frame that would utilize the stock RI roll cage fitment mounts for attachment. I figured that the RI windshield is probably the simplest way for the front window, since anything in plastics will either scratch up too easily or to get an acrylic that is truly scratch-proof would wind up consting as much as the glass unit from RI. For the rear, I considered a home-made job with double-wall plexiglass/lexan for added sound insulation, but it'd be a pain to fab and I'm not even sure it's the route I want for the back. I haven't taken measurments yet, but if the rear of the RI cage has the same dimensions as the front then the RI windshield could be used for either opening, with perhaps a bit of shortening for the back. Ideally, I'd like a rigid enclosure, similar to the old Chariot on "Lost In Space" but something I could conceivably unbolt & disconnect as a single unit from the RI roll cage and remove with a shop hoist or some such for warm weather riding. Even better, just be able to remove the "doors" so the top front & rear offered some protection for occupants. Just thinking out loud at this point...

[6X6]

Sounds like a jeep fan, going from soft top to a hard top, removable doors. A friend has a Max IV and from how I see it I don't see why not. You're mounting to the back of the rear seat? The only issue I can see is taking the engine hatch off, it may kinda hang up on the bottom edge of the windshield. Post up pictures, from what I hear you do a lot of this type of stuff (custom) and it's always cool to see anything modified with a personal touch

[Dirty Harry]

I was considering cutting the backside (cab-facing section) of the engine cover and putting in a full piano hinge along the back top edge to allow access like a tradtiional car trunk for minor engine tinkering such as fluid checks, while still retaining the ability the remove the whole cover when total access is required for extended engine/tranny work, or removal. I'm trying to work out a way to shim in a sub-wall between the rear seat that would extend down to the floor with cut-outs for the actuator levers, rods & chains. If I do I'll be covering the engine-facing side with a sheet of dynamat to keep heat out of the cab area, as well as providing extra sound-deadening properties. If the hard top cab happens, I'll be installing one of the slick junkyard find windshield wiper options like others here have done. I'd like to work this so that the hard top & rear window are always on, providing sun protection and keeping majority of heat & noise out of the cab area for maximum passenger enjoyment.

[countrycummins99]

my max came with the top off a golf cart it works well if you put sound deadning on the under side

[6X6]

Just a thought but instead of a piano hinge, if you support the hatch with a strip of flat stock, but then use a couple standard hinges of appropriate size, drill out the pins and use the appropriate size pin clips, you could completely remove the cover in seconds. And a quick bead of weld around where the pin goes to give a "Stop" from the clip just sliding off, so it clips on/off as it should....

[Dirty Harry]

The hitch pin clip had crossed my mind; like the hood on my old man's drag race car. Pull 2 pins and the hood went up. Cheaper, lighter and more reliable than the heavy stock cable-actuated spring lever latch. I am just tossing around ideas at this point. I may go with one of these, or another entirely, as these projects often seem to take on a life of their own during the build process.

I know I'll be relocating the battery into the engine compartment, next to the tub wall, with an angle iron frame that'll clamp onto/into the engine mounting tray. That'll allow me to convert the entire area under the rear seat into a decent-sized storage compartment for odds & ends I'll need out on the trails (tow strap and come-along... tree guard, dead-man & pulley for front winch, hatchet or short axe, Glock entrenching shovel, flares & strobes for emergencies, collapsible paddles for water crossing... and whatever else I can cram in there.)

[6X6]

Yea, projects definitely can get out of control, thats how some of the best projects get done
I'm not sure if you misunderstood what I was thinking or not, I was thinking of a way to remove the hood completely for serious work, no piano hinge, just a couple standard hinges with the clips replacing the pin, so they work normal until clip is removed, then hatch is completely removable.
(I actually figured the stock rubber clasps would be best to hold it down simply cause they will absorb shock and let the hatch give a little with big bumps.