Jeep Hardtops

Jim Rosenow

Jim Rosenow

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Display name:
Jim Rosenow
Have a 2009 Jeep Wrangler (JK) with a soft top. Wx has convinced me I need a hardtop, cause the thing's only got 28K miles on it....all but 500 mine.

Anybody have any experience with either installing an OEM or after-market hardtop, or recommendations by brand of same? Enlighten me, please.

Jim

PS- Looked at doing the used route...scarce as hen's teeth...craiglist, ebay...nada.
 
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Many moons ago I bought a used 2004 from a dealer. The dealer sticker said it included both a hard top and a soft top. It had the soft top on it as it sat on the lot and we drove it away the day we looked at it. So we had to go back to the dealer later to get the hard top. When I went back to get the hard top funny business ensued and we were told the hard top had gotten damaged and was disposed of. I suspect one the mechanics swiped it for himself but that's beside the point. Since a used hard top was on the sales contract, the dealer told me to go buy a used top and they would cut me check for the cost. I did and they did.

It took a while, but I did find one on craigslist that was about two hours away. Keep looking. They do show up from time to time.

Once you get one, I strongly recommend a hoist kit if you have a garage. Makes pulling the top off pretty much a one person job and gives you place to store the top where it won't get beat up by the lawn mower.
 
Our JK was a soft top when we bought it. We discovered an almost new hard top and got it for $1000, I bought the kit to wire the rear wiper and defroster, but never got around to hooking them up.
 

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I’ve got a ‘93 YJ. Have you joined any of the Jeep forums? You might be able to ask there and someone will either have one squirreled away or be on the lookout for ya.
 
I surfed a couple of Jeep forums...my short-term impression agrees with Tim's ^^^ . May have to be an option to return to, tho :)
 
Done it once. Not difficult or takes a long time, but it's a 2 person job unless you have a hoist. The rear section is heavy. I buy my Jeep stuff from www.quadratec.com.
 
Juliet Hotel said:
Many moons ago I bought a used 2004 from a dealer. The dealer sticker said it included both a hard top and a soft top. It had the soft top on it as it sat on the lot and we drove it away the day we looked at it. So we had to go back to the dealer later to get the hard top. When I went back to get the hard top funny business ensued and we were told the hard top had gotten damaged and was disposed of. I suspect one the mechanics swiped it for himself but that's beside the point. Since a used hard top was on the sales contract, the dealer told me to go buy a used top and they would cut me check for the cost. I did and they did.

It took a while, but I did find one on craigslist that was about two hours away. Keep looking. They do show up from time to time.

Once you get one, I strongly recommend a hoist kit if you have a garage. Makes pulling the top off pretty much a one person job and gives you place to store the top where it won't get beat up by the lawn mower.
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That's ^^^^ one reason we're thinking hard top.....haven't gone topless for years...LOL :)

Jim
 
When I got my Jeep I was originally planning on getting both tops. In the end, I got a soft top. Haven't had a weather issue with it and I'm kinda glad I didn't waste the money on a hard top.

Of course, I park indoors, so if having a whole bunch snow piling on top is what concerns you, then I totally understand.
 
The only time our jeep is parked out side is when it is being towed.
We like the hard top because of the noise reduction and the heat retention.
 
And the security of leaving stuff in the jeep.
 
I have a 2015 Wrangler that came from factory with the hard top, so I don't have any experience with replacing a soft top with one. But I do remember when I was doing my research on what options I wanted when I ordered mine, I opted for the ceiling insulation (I forget what Jeep called it) that helps a little in cold weather, and noise reduction.

So that's something you might want to consider when looking at hard tops is if you want any kind of ceiling insulation in it. It's probably not hard to install aftermarket, but it was only like $200 from the factory, so I opted to just let them deal with it and install it so I didn't have to.
 
6817DAEB-8E6A-4D8B-9586-AF4FE2738924.png Take the top and doors off and throw them away!
buy another daily driver.
Cruise the Jeep on nice days....
I love my 2002 Jeep. It has never had a top or doors on it :)
Even fun when you get caught in the rain :D
I do have a Spiderweb Shade to keep the sun off my bald head
 
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pigpenracing said:
Take the top and doors off and throw them away!
buy another daily driver.
Cruise the Jeep on nice days....
I love my 2002 Jeep. It has never had a top or doors on it :)
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I'll bet you don't live in the North,, :)
rain and sleet here all day.
 
Tom-D said:
I'll bet you don't live in the North,, :)
rain and sleet here all day.
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If I did I wouldn’t own a Jeep :)
Just like I don't fly the Stearman in crappy weather, I don't drive the Jeep in crappy weather either.
Maybe I need a hardtop for the Stearman.
 
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pigpenracing said:
View attachment 71355 Take the top and doors off and throw them away!
buy another daily driver.
Cruise the Jeep on nice days....
I love my 2002 Jeep. It has never had a top or doors on it :)
Even fun when you get caught in the rain :D
I do have a Spiderweb Shade to keep the sun off my bald head
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I'm ashamed to say that I've never had the doors or top off. :frown3:

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pigpenracing said:
If I did I wouldn’t own a Jeep :)
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We love the jeeps abilities on slippery roads, plus the great heater, they just a great vehicle that can be configured for any occasion, we tow our's a lot, never know it is there until you look at the backup cam. Plus we even tow the flat bed trailer with it, it has a 7 pin plug and brake controller.
our little gray tractor. :) plus the short turning radius makes it great around town and it parks in a compact spot.
 
We periodically have the YJ hard tops at the salvage yard... typical sale is $1300-1500 for the top, back glass, and the two forward "T-tops". www.car-part.com can be used to source from other salvage yards. Look up part name "roof assembly".
 
I built a plywood hard top for my CJ-5. Came out great.
9-596313-jeephardtop0026a.jpg 9-596301-jeephardtop0027a.jpg

At the same time, I was doing the CAD modeling for an aftermarket hardtop for Bestop that unfortunately never made it to market.

I do miss that Jeep.
 
I have a JKU and I am one of those jerks on the jeep forums. Installing the top itself should be pretty straight forward. You need the hardware fittings for the rear 3 pn each side. They simply snap onto the body lip. The other fastening mechanisms are set from the factory in the cage. If you buy used, just compare your jeeps if possible. Its not hard to change, but does require 2 extra hands as the top is bulky.

I put my hard top on for Dec-Feb and then its the bikini top the rest of the year. If I had a nice full soft top, I likely wouldnt bother.
 
Bacho said:
I have a JKU and I am one of those jerks on the jeep forums. Installing the top itself should be pretty straight forward. You need the hardware fittings for the rear 3 pn each side. They simply snap onto the body lip. The other fastening mechanisms are set from the factory in the cage. If you buy used, just compare your jeeps if possible. Its not hard to change, but does require 2 extra hands as the top is bulky.

I put my hard top on for Dec-Feb and then its the bikini top the rest of the year. If I had a nice full soft top, I likely wouldnt bother.
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Welcome to POA, Bacho!! I apologize if I gave the impression the Jeep forum guys were jerks! Not my intention at all. Just a lot of tangents to the threads over there. There's just so much stuff on them there to wade thru....and searching for 'after-market top', etc. didn't find much of relevance.

My thinking on a hard top is 'cooler summer' 'warmer winter' 'less road noise'..... and possibly time for a snow plow.
 
Dana said:
I built a plywood hard top for my CJ-5. Came out great.
View attachment 71360 View attachment 71361

At the same time, I was doing the CAD modeling for an aftermarket hardtop for Bestop that unfortunately never made it to market.

I do miss that Jeep.
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Hey, Dana....What are your thoughts on hard tops overall?.....Bestop and other after-markets vs. Mopar top? Sounds like you may have some background. Thanks!

Jim
 
AggieMike88 said:
We periodically have the YJ hard tops at the salvage yard... typical sale is $1300-1500 for the top, back glass, and the two forward "T-tops". www.car-part.com can be used to source from other salvage yards. Look up part name "roof assembly".
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Thanks AM! Mine's a JK, fwiw. Wish you were closer!

Jim
 
I've had 4 Wranglers (5 if you count the one my wife had), YJ (95), TJ (2000) and 2 JKs (12/15). Personally, I wouldn't buy another one with a hard top. The top isn't really insulated, it's that much quieter than the soft top, and it's kind of a pain in the ass to store when you're not using it. The modern soft tops (compared to what was on my YJ) are really, really good. My '12 JK had both tops; when I bought the 15, I decided to forego the hard top and didn't regret it at all. I do live in Kansas City, so we get plenty of cold weather and snow.

So, my advice is to spend the $$ on cool jeep toys, like a winch and bumpers :)
 
bradg33 said:
So, my advice is to spend the $$ on cool jeep toys, like a winch and bumpers :)
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Ah, Jeep toys! I had a complete list of stuff I was going to buy and do to mine before I left California to come back to Colorado, but the only things I managed to get done before I left was simple stuff like new LED headlights (JW Speaker) and stronger diff covers (Poison Spyder). I probably had at least $10,000 of aftermarket parts on my list, then I moved and started flight training, which has sucked up all my disposable income.

Once I get done with primary and instrument training, I'll turn my attention back to the Jeep. i even have a nice detached 3-car garage with oversized doors and plenty of space to install a lift, which I'm seriously considering. The only gotcha is I'd need to have a concrete contractor cut up the garage door floor and put in a plug of reinforced concrete. The existing slab isn't thick enough, nor reinforced.

I absolutely love Jeeps. I've owned them since I first moved to Colorado in 1992, and I've never sold one. I keep them until they break, get totaled, or (hopefully with the one I have now) outlive me. I've had:

1993 Cherokee - made it to 150k miles before it threw a rod and destroyed the engine. I would have had it fixed except it was going to cost more to replace the engine than what the Jeep was even worth. I wish I knew if it was still out there somewhere (probably in a junk yard parted out, or crushed) because I would seriously consider buying it back just to have it again.
2004 Grand Cherokee - made it to just over 200k miles when it got totaled in my own driveway by some crazy driver. Insurance company actually paid me more than I even thought it was worth, which allowed me to get...
2015 Wrangler Rubicon Hard Rock - first new vehicle I've bought since that 93 Cherokee, and the only vehicle I've special ordered from the factory so I could get exactly what I wanted. Took it to Hollister Hills SVRA in CA at 500 miles (still had dealer tags on it) and ran it over the boulder field there. I remember some people thinking I was nuts for taking a brand new Wrangler over a boulder field, but come on - THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE MADE FOR! Take em out, get em dirty, scratched up, and a little banged up. It's a Jeep, not a garage queen. It's now over 50k miles and going great.
 
Years ago a friend had a 1947 Jeep similar to the one pictured. It still had faded US Army markings that were barely visible. It had a shifter for the transmission, one for high/low, one for the transfer case and one for the winch. It would get stuck easily, but was light enough that two people could usually push it out. It was not easy to drive, but it was a blast..!!!

Modern Jeeps are made for women drivers.

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Jim Rosenow said:
Hey, Dana....What are your thoughts on hard tops overall?.....Bestop and other after-markets vs. Mopar top? Sounds like you may have some background. Thanks!

Jim
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I don't really know that much about them. Bestop doesn't make one, as far as I know, after the project I was working on fell through. I used my homemade top in the winter, in the summer I just used the bikini top... my jeep had a fiberglass body, plastic seats, and no carpet, didn't matter if it got wet, if it rained I just wore my goretex rain suit.
 
I had one on my 2012 JK. The freedom tops are nice and it’s not very difficult to take the top off once you get used to it.
 
Timbeck2 said:
I tried once but those guys are worse than pilots. :)
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I think owners of things that are called "Jeep", "Harley Davidson", and "Bonanza" often have the same personality type. ;)
 
Just wanted to be included.
 

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If you decide to get a hardtop, OEM is the only way to go. I've never seen an aftermarket hard top that didn't look like ****. You can pick up OEM hardtops on Craigslist, at least around here, all day long for $1000-1500.
 
I have a 1999 TJ. Dual top option (hard top and soft top). Just remember, JEEP stands for Just Empty Every Pocket.

The folks above who have recommended getting a lift kit to raise the hard top aren't kidding. It is a two person job to remove it or put it back on without it. I haven't had ours off in several years. The soft top is a piece of cake when it's on. Why hasn't it been off? No place to store it when it is off and it takes two to remove, and my son and son-in-law don't live locally anymore.

The 4 liter I-6 engine in the older Jeeps is bullet proof. Mine has over 190,000 miles on it and it still runs great. Hard to believe that thing is 20 years old now. I've never kept a vehicle that long before. Now, let's see if I can break 1000 miles a year on it again. :D
 
Jim Rosenow said:
My thinking on a hard top is 'cooler summer' 'warmer winter' 'less road noise'..... and possibly time for a snow plow.
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The hard top on the JK models is a glass reinforced plastic. There is no insulation there. I honestly think the difference would be negligible. Insulation kits are available though. I have no experience with how effective they are.
 
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