Opinions on Aluminum Trail Doors

[freedom_in_4low]

ok, so @Apparition and @DuncLJ and anybody else using JCR doors, what's the difference between Bestop Element upper doors vs OEM upper doors? I picked up some OEM style uppers for a reasonable price a while back when I was planning on factory lowers but I'm leaning toward the JCR and would rather not buy another set of uppers unless I have to. If it's as simple as drilling a hole for a different pin location, I can handle that, but I don't want to get into something that involves fabricating and welding on new brackets being that they're aluminum.

 

[Apparition]

ok, so @Apparition and @DuncLJ and anybody else using JCR doors, what's the difference between Bestop Element upper doors vs OEM upper doors? I picked up some OEM style uppers for a reasonable price a while back when I was planning on factory lowers but I'm leaning toward the JCR and would rather not buy another set of uppers unless I have to. If it's as simple as drilling a hole for a different pin location, I can handle that, but I don't want to get into something that involves fabricating and welding on new brackets being that they're aluminum.

I can’t answer that. I’d say call JCR and ask them.

 

[freedom_in_4low]

I can’t answer that. I’d say call JCR and ask them.

Thanks for responding...I actually answered my own question combing through ebay listing photos for used uppers. Stumbled across a set of open-box bestop element uppers with good photos, and bought them immediately because they were $125 below retail. I've gathered that the OEM upper door pins have a kink in them and the bestop element doors go straight-ish down into the lower door, so the OEM uppers pins probably land entirely inboard of the JCR's door body and would be difficult for me to change (which probably explains why UCF puts a $130 premium on brackets for OEM uppers for their doors). I'm just within the return window for my OEM-style uppers so I'll be able to get refunded for those and only be like, $115 over what I expected to spend on this.

Went ahead and pulled the trigger on the JCR doors, too (since the Element uppers kinda commit me anyway). Now just gotta decide whether to rattle can them black or make my first legit foray into auto painting and spray them to match.

 

[1904-06LJR]

Spray to match. Check out all the pictures of TJ/LJ's with matching half doors and they look pretty awesome. Just to let you know, I ordered my JCR half doors on May 3, they just told me they will ship end of next week (by June 5th) so be patient. Was it 'rona? I dunno...I've heard several complaints regarding turnaround. Hopefully they have caught up by now. End of the day: beefy stuff, made in USA, customer service for me has always been great and aesthetically they have some of the best stuff out there. No complaints there and I hope you get yours sooner than 5 weeks.

 

[DuncLJ]

Spray to match. Check out all the pictures of TJ/LJ's with matching half doors and they look pretty awesome. Just to let you know, I ordered my JCR half doors on May 3, they just told me they will ship end of next week (by June 5th) so be patient. Was it 'rona? I dunno...I've heard several complaints regarding turnaround. Hopefully they have caught up by now. End of the day: beefy stuff, made in USA, customer service for me has always been great and aesthetically they have some of the best stuff out there. No complaints there and I hope you get yours sooner than 5 weeks.

5 weeks sounds about right. I ordered mine on April 26; they shipped just yesterday. Tracking says I should have them on Tuesday, Jun 2nd.

 

[freedom_in_4low]

Spray to match. Check out all the pictures of TJ/LJ's with matching half doors and they look pretty awesome. Just to let you know, I ordered my JCR half doors on May 3, they just told me they will ship end of next week (by June 5th) so be patient. Was it 'rona? I dunno...I've heard several complaints regarding turnaround. Hopefully they have caught up by now. End of the day: beefy stuff, made in USA, customer service for me has always been great and aesthetically they have some of the best stuff out there. No complaints there and I hope you get yours sooner than 5 weeks.

I do agree on how much better matching doors look...it's more a matter of having the time to learn how and to do it.

And that's exactly why I ordered now...I'd heard some longer lead times and I wanted to make sure I got to enjoy them for most of the summer and some wheeling trips I have planned throughout July, August, September.

And this week is a great example of why I wanted doors that accepted uppers that I could keep in the back:

 

[Tldelaney]

Thanks for responding...I actually answered my own question combing through ebay listing photos for used uppers. Stumbled across a set of open-box bestop element uppers with good photos, and bought them immediately because they were $125 below retail. I've gathered that the OEM upper door pins have a kink in them and the bestop element doors go straight-ish down into the lower door, so the OEM uppers pins probably land entirely inboard of the JCR's door body and would be difficult for me to change (which probably explains why UCF puts a $130 premium on brackets for OEM uppers for their doors). I'm just within the return window for my OEM-style uppers so I'll be able to get refunded for those and only be like, $115 over what I expected to spend on this.

Went ahead and pulled the trigger on the JCR doors, too (since the Element uppers kinda commit me anyway). Now just gotta decide whether to rattle can them black or make my first legit foray into auto painting and spray them to match.

It looks like the UCF upper door attachment bracket is pretty universal. If you want, you could always pick up the bracket set from UCF for $132. IMO, I like the look of the OEM style and know for some people who have the Dark Khaki soft top or hard top, would prefer OEM to have matching uppers from Sierra Offroad.

Edit: The only trouble I see is fitting the front attachment bracket to the OEM hinge.

https://undercoverfab.com/trail-doo...pper-attachment-brackets-for-trail-doors.html
https://www.jeeptopsdirect.com/sier...d-door-skins-clear-windows-sold-in-pairs.html

 

[freedom_in_4low]

It looks like the UCF upper door attachment bracket is pretty universal. If you want, you could always pick up the bracket set from UCF for $132. IMO, I like the look of the OEM style and know for some people who have the Dark Khaki soft top or hard top, would prefer OEM to have matching uppers from Sierra Offroad.

Edit: The only trouble I see is fitting the front attachment bracket to the OEM hinge.

https://undercoverfab.com/trail-doo...pper-attachment-brackets-for-trail-doors.html
https://www.jeeptopsdirect.com/sier...d-door-skins-clear-windows-sold-in-pairs.html

Not needed for me given my stroke of luck with the returnable OEM uppers and the open box element uppers, but that might be the most cost effective option for someone who's really set on JCR doors and has OEM uppers they're stuck with.

 

[Tldelaney]

Not needed for me given my stroke of luck with the returnable OEM uppers and the open box element uppers, but that might be the most cost effective option for someone who's really set on JCR doors and has OEM uppers they're stuck with.

Yeah, its not cheap either way if your starting from scratch haha. Door, Attachment bracket, Upper frames and skins. guhhh

 

[freedom_in_4low]

Yeah, its not cheap either way if your starting from scratch haha. Door, Attachment bracket, Upper frames and skins. guhhh

You're telling me...

Aluminum trail doors are clearly something where the price is dictated by how expensive OEM half doors are. I could have had lowers all-in for $200 if I'd had the time and the patience to get some drawn up and sent through the factory I work for (custom and semi-custom industrial refrigeration equipment which structurally is almost entirely sheet steel and aluminum). But, I live 700 miles away from it so the logistics of bribing a drafter with a 12 pack, babysitting the door bodies through production so they don't get thrown in a corner and lost, and taking them home in my truck to install latches and hinges are harder than it was when I worked on-site.

 

[dogbreath650]

I run hardtop November-April and a Trektop NX May-October, with windows on only for highway trips with the family.

Right now, I take my full doors off and back on dozens of times per season because Colorado mornings can be a little chilly even in June, and if I drive a couple hours on the interstate they control the wind well enough even if the back windows are off. But then that sometimes means I choose between drive hours to a trail and being stuck with my full doors, or getting there hypothermic and fatigued from the wind beating and being stuck without them if a surprise storm rolls in.

If I had half doors, I would run them and probably keep them on for all of soft top season. I would get an extra passenger mirror so both passenger doors would have one and I could ditch the windshield hinge mount that's too far forward for the passenger side mirror to be useful. I'd carry upper doors (preferably sliders) under the back half of the top to throw on for the road trips or if I happened to get caught out in one of Colorado's almost daily summer afternoon rainstorms.

Since they wouldn't just be an on/off trail door, I still lean toward finding a factory pair so I have the luxury of a factory inner door panel and whatever noise reduction it offers.

Now just to find a pair in Forest Green Pearl for a reasonable amount of money that isn't just listed online as being "green".

FWIW, I just picked up a pair of factory black half doors for my white Jeep. $75 in paint, color matched in a rattle can, and the doors are now white. First time I tried something like this so not perfect but pretty good. Good color match, now I need to get out and get them some pin striping and rock dings so they look like the rest of my rig...

 

[DuncLJ]

*UPDATE*

So it took 6 weeks, but I finally got the JCR trail doors I ordered. It took me a couple of days to prep, paint, assemble and install them.

I'm pretty impressed with them so far. The fit was excellent, they don't rattle, and they look great.

They arrived with no dings or dents, but the surface was pretty rough. They looked like they had been sanded with an orbital sander with a 50 grit pad.

All latches, hinges, and hardware were good quality.

Sanded, primed and painted them with the factory color; also drilled the upper hinge to accept a factory mirror.
They are really lightweight, and very easy to get on and off. Like I said, pretty impressed so far.

 

[freedom_in_4low]

man, I hope I hit an upslope of them getting caught up and mine don't take 6 weeks.

I ordered on 5/28 and the order submission page had some text making it clear that raw metal parts ship in 15 days and powdercoating adds another 15-20, so I was hoping for a 3 week ship, maybe 4 weeks to deliver.

 

[dogbreath650]

You did a good job, paint looks nice...

 

[Fouledplugs]

*UPDATE*

So it took 6 weeks, but I finally got the JCR trail doors I ordered. It took me a couple of days to prep, paint, assemble and install them.

I'm pretty impressed with them so far. The fit was excellent, they don't rattle, and they look great.

They arrived with no dings or dents, but the surface was pretty rough. They looked like they had been sanded with an orbital sander with a 50 grit pad.

View attachment 168848

All latches, hinges, and hardware were good quality.

View attachment 168850

Sanded, primed and painted them with the factory color; also drilled the upper hinge to accept a factory mirror.
They are really lightweight, and very easy to get on and off. Like I said, pretty impressed so far.

View attachment 168851
View attachment 168852
View attachment 168853

Looks great. Any interior door shots?

 

[DuncLJ]

Looks great. Any interior door shots?

A lot more detail about the install is on my build thread.
Here's a couple interior pics. Inner panel was painted gray to match the interior.

 

[freedom_in_4low]

A lot more detail about the install is on my build thread.
Here's a couple interior pics. Inner panel was painted gray to match the interior.

View attachment 168966
View attachment 168967

Did your doors come with that little bracket for the door limit strap or did you come up with that?

Also, do your latches hold the door tight or is there some play? I got mine painted and installed over the weekend and there is enough play that I think they're going to rattle if I don't do something like add a bushing to the striker or some weatherstrip to the door so it closes tightly.

 

[DuncLJ]

Did your doors come with that little bracket for the door limit strap or did you come up with that?

Also, do your latches hold the door tight or is there some play? I got mine painted and installed over the weekend and there is enough play that I think they're going to rattle if I don't do something like add a bushing to the striker or some weatherstrip to the door so it closes tightly.

The door limit strap bracket is just a small piece of aluminum that I drilled a hole at each end and bent into an "L".
It works perfectly.
My doors didn"t rattle at all. I have some tube doors that did, I added a small rubber bumper near the latch. It stopped the rattling.

 

[06TJ35's]

I was thinking I can use YJ half doors. I alway find them from $50-$300 dollars. It’s easy to change strikers back to stock to.

 

[BugoutJeep]

Well I ended up ordering the UCF doors. I didn't read this thread until after, so it may have swayed me to the JCR doors, mainly because I didn't know they existed. I've just found out about them and looking to get some of their stuff. I wanted to be able to run with uppers. In general when it's nice out I like running without doors, and these seemed like I could throw them and uppers in the back pretty easily for various situations.

I didn't really think about mirrors at the time. I typically just don't run them when I don't have doors on.