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Comments
For the record, I've got the Bestop 2-piece doors right now and use them with a frameless (non-Bestop) soft top in the summer. The windows fit into the top and the doors fit nicely behind the rear seat.
Makes you wonder why the factory couldn't have done the same with the top.
Does anybody know how I could cover the rear passengers, but leave the front area open?
This is my first Jeep and I am loving it!
Thanks for any help that you can give.
2 - There's a small hole - about cigarette butt size - in the back plastic window. Any ideas on mending it?
Many thanks. This is my first time posting to an online forum of any type.
Go check out Quadratec, 4wd.com, or any of the other aftermarket Jeep sites. You'll find the Replace-a-tops pretty quickly. Finding individual windows and other parts of the top may take a little more time, but they are also available, if you spend some time digging.
Thanks
I have a 98 jeep with full doors and soft doors, but some one is selling me a hard top from a 93 jeep, would it fit? please let me know. thanks
Carlos
:shades:
thanks again, Carlos
Can't help with the patch that needs to be done, but I can tell you to check ebay for a replacement window. I just got a side window panel for $10. Fit my jeep perfectly, and the condition is just as good as the other windows. $10 is a lot better than the $450 the dealer told me.
Thanks for any help
are there any soft tops on the market (new or used) where the front top can just be folded back and clipped without taking the whole thing off?
single female here, not terribly strong (but i could work the old top)
featherjack
Thanks.
Dave
I have an '06 Unlimited which is my daily driver (kids, etc.) Currently I have a soft top but am looking into an aftermarket hard top. I really like the 2 piece tops like the one from Rally Top in CA; then I can still have easy access to the outdoors. My husband is trying to talk me out of it, says the one piece is alot more practical (less possibility of leaks). Well, Jeeps are not practical in the first place. Does anyone have any experience with the 2 piece tops? How difficult is it to remove and then reinstall the front piece? If its too difficult, then there is no point, I might have to settle for a hard top that never gets removed
I am looking to by a jeep in the coming months and was wondering your opinions as to whether a hard or soft top is better??? Are the soft tops really THAT bad at high speeds??? Im not the strongest girl in the world either, so is it a big process to take a hard top on and off....so much so you would just leave it on??? Is it true soft tops on models after 2001 are quieter???
I'll say it first...it depends on what you are going to do. I have had both, at different times. Right now I have my first soft top. It's an unlimited and I've had it for over a year.
If you are getting a jeep because you want to be able to take the top off and get back to nature...you could get the soft top or get a top with the removeable front panel: Either the new freedom top or an aftermarket top. The soft top is loud and hard to have a conversation on the freeway. I have the soft top and can take it on and off in about 15 minutes. For me, the joy of the few times I can drive with the top off outweigh all of the hassles.
The hard top is much quieter and more secure in terms of break-ins. I shuttle my 2 daughters around any my husband would feel much better if I was in a hard top (so I just drive my Sequioa in bad weather). However, most people who get a hard top end up leaving it on for several years until they just can't stand it any longer. It takes a small team of people to take it off and is hard to store. If you have enough space, you can get a lift for your garage to help you get the top off; but there's all of the bolts and such.
The MOST important thing is to drive one of each, on the freeway, to help you make up your mind.
Some people take off their hard top and put a bikini top on. But it's still such a hassle that most of the time the hard top just sits there in the garage.
If you have the space, I'd get both unless you live in a very warm (Florida, SoCal, Arizona) environment. Dropping the top is such a part of owning a Jeep, I don't understand folks who never take the hard top off.
If you plan to use this for just road cruising, any model will do, but you'd probably like to find one with a Dana 44 rear end axle (it has a metal drain plug vs the rubber one on the weaker D35). The Dana 44 is stronger and will handle the additional torque of larger tires should you decide to modify it any later.
Dana 44's came on the X (in Rocky Mountain Edition only), Sport, and Rubicon.
The Rubicon is like a Sport but it also has a better ratio transfer case for offroading (4:1 vs the 2.72:1 ratio on other TJ's). It also has a Dana 44 (kinda) for a front axle, 4.10 gearing (vs 3.73 or 3.07 for Sports), and lockers both front and rear. It is pretty much geared (pun intended) for offroad action and probably overkill for onroad activities.
That said, if you want a Rubicon, know you got the most capable factory Jeep made.
If you find one, check the underside for signs for signs of damage (scrapes, dents, mud, dirt, etc) to indicate offroad use. While not necessarily a complete deterent, it'd make you really want to look a LOT closer.
-Paul
Thanks.
Quadratec, JCWhitney, or any of the 4x4 shops pretty much carry Bestop and other soft tops. I'm just not sure what color schemes you'll find. Black and spice seem to be the only colors available from Bestop.
-Paul
For best care, keep the top clean and get any heavy dirt off before it bakes into the top. 303 makes a good cleaning and protection suite of product. They have a UV protectant for both cloth and fiberglass. I use it on my sailboat and is very easy to find at RV or marine shops. It is called 303 Protectant.
-Paul
it appears that the rubber seal is not long enuff to prevent this... i've looked all over the web to find something to use and haven't been able to...
i have no idea what brand the top is...
any ideas?
thanks!
First off, a bikini top covers the front passengers only. A safari top is a a longer version of the bikini top and covers rear passengers. If you have no rear passengers, a bikini is nice, but I got a safari as I didn't like the sun frying my neck on drives from Tehachapi to Edwards AFB in the high Mojave desert and 112 degree days.
Bikini's or safari's (B/S for short ) require a header to mount to the windshield. There are cheaper versions out there that don't use these, but they flap a LOT. I put my safari top on in April and it stays on until October (I'm in Alabama now). I chose the Bestop no-drill header. This header does not require you to drill any holes in the windshield frame, but instead bolts on using clamps that hook into the factory soft top header holes on the windshield frame. I chose the Bestop safari top and picked the one that used the no drill header.
The header and top MUST match. You cannot use a no-drill header with a top that uses the drill-in header. The attachment method is totally different.
Assuming you want to go with a black bikini top, you want a top that is for an 03-06 Wrangler TJ. No others will work.
Bestop P/N: 51238 is the no-drill header. You will need this.
Bestop P/N 52528 is the bikini style (there is an extra number for color. 52528-35 would be the black bikini top.
Bestop P/N 52544 would the safari top to work with the header above. 52544-35 would be the black safari top.
Shop around for a good price.
-Paul
Thanks Derek