How does a CJ soft top attach?

[motas]

Hi so I have a CJ10 which doesnt have soft tops available so I have to make one. Having never seen a CJ up close Im hoping someone here can provide me some pictures and an explanation about how they attach. The vehicle uses a normal cj windscreen and body and will put half doors on so I should be able to copy it almost exactly.
Cheers for any help.

 

[gr8dain]

Are you looking for a full top? I wonder if a CJ8 Half top would work. They share doors.

And there are tops that use snaps on the body and some that use rails. Any preference? My old full top had the snaps, but my current half soft top uses the rails. I prefer the rails.


Dain

 

[motas]

I want a fully sealed top if thats what you mean but its a different length to the CJ8 half hard top. I thought the half soft tops were generally not a real soft top and more of a cover. ie they have big gaps in them. id like half doors anyway so doors arent a huge issue. if I could get an off the shelf one that would be awesome though
I dont really have a preference ive only used a tj one and since my race roll cage the soft top doesnt exactly work well haha. but whichever seals best and will be easiest to make will be advantaged.
cheers.

 

[gr8dain]

The CJ8 half soft tops are the same dimensions as the half hard top and seal well (if you use a bulkhead behind the seats. I am not sure if a stock bulkhead would work in a CJ-10 though. The half soft tops are not like the bikini and windjammer combo things. They were designed to be a real top. I am just not sure if you will be able to get an off the shelf top for a 10. That is why I suggested it.

If you do want a top to cover all the way back to the tailgate, good luck. I hope you do find one. That would look awesome on a 10


Dain

 

[motas]

a bulkhead wont work the cabs already closed off and cant spare room behind the seats and in front of the curve. I know I cant get an off the shelf cj10 top I think ill try making one and if that fails have one made professionally. View attachment 17875
as you can see theres no tub on so the soft top can only go to the rear of the body not to the back of the chassis. id love to put a stretched CJ8 tub on but want to keep it a bit more original. Though I am tempted to build a cab over design camper that replaces the hard top but I dont think I will for risk of cracking the body when it flexes.
regardless I still want a soft top for daily uses.
cheers.

 

[gr8dain]

It looks like a stock CJ8 soft half top would work perfectly. No need for the bulkhead since you already have one built into the tub.

I do not know of any new ones being made but you can find used ones. I just found mine locally a few months ago. It is made by STC. Whitco made the stock ones if I remember correctly.

Dain

 

[motas]

any idea what the length from the rear of the front fenders to the back of the bulkhead is? I also still have to work out how they attach and what parts I need and if I can keep the hard top interchangeable.
thanks.

 

[gr8dain]

I will measure today after work for you. And I will be putting my hard top back on in the winter. But I will have to remove some of the hardware to do it.


Dain

 

[gr8dain]

The different tops have different hardware and instructions so they vary. But I can show you pics of how mine goes together as well.


Dain

 

[gr8dain]

There are pdfs for both the STC and the Whitco tops available online that will show you the parts and instructions in case you want to browse the web.


Dain

 

[motas]

that would be a huge help thanks heaps! just thinking the cj hard top bolts on all the way around so I could probably get the snap mounts like the tj uses and just bolt them on instead of spot welds so that bits easy. but the door surrounds and windscreen will still need a solution. Ill check out those pdfs though.
thanks again for all the help.

 

[gr8dain]

Here are some pics I took at lunch. There are brackets on the sides. The front one supports a bar that acts as the door surround. Then a bracket that holds a folding mount for other bars to support the rear support bar. Confused yet? Under those are a flat metal plate that the fabric tucks under to hold tight. On the bulkhead are another bar to tuck the fabric under and then another piece of channel that a piece of angle bar in the bottom of the window slides into

And the windshield has a little thing on each side to hold the door surrounds steady.

Dain

 

[motas]

ok so thats all fairly similar to a tj. but how does it attach to the windscreen? on a tj theres two big clips but theres no holes for them on the cj. This all look reasonably simple though which is good because ill have to fab the metal plates and such because they are different but hipefully the canvas is close enough.
cheers and thanks for the pics!

 

[gr8dain]

There is a metal channel that attaches the the windshield that the fabric folds under. Like a YJ if you have seen that. It has to come off to put the hard top on.

And here is the measurement you asked about. Roughly.

Dain

 

[gr8dain]

Oh. And here is how the hardware looks on the STC top. Just imagine the same on both sides.

Dain

 

[hagar]

Are you looking for a full top? I wonder if a CJ-8 Half top would work. They share doors.

And there are tops that use snaps on the body and some that use rails. Any preference? My old full top had the snaps, but my current half soft top uses the rails. I prefer the rails.


Dain

CJ10 factory doors have square shaped window frames.
CJ5 /CJ7 factory hard doors have rounded window frames.
A CJ8 top will not work due to the window frame differences.
CJ fabric tops most likley will not work with square window frames.

 

[motas]

but I would like half doors to run with the soft top so not an issue. thanks again for the photos youve made it very clear how it works and I think I can copy it snd will check tonight my tub dimension.

 

[gr8dain]

Good things to think about. But my soft top did work with square YJ upper (until I replaced them). But hard square corners could definitely be different.

CJ hard doors are relatively easy to find. At least compared to CJ 10 soft tops.


Dain

 

[motas]

the tub is about an inch shorter and has rounded corners on the back instead of the square bulkhead. I think ill be best to make one and since im putting a roll cage in I might skip the fram alltogether.
unfortunately even normal cj doors are fairly hard to find iver here. might have to buy some from the states and have them shipped over.
in the mean time I have plenty of work ahead of me before I need to start in the soft top. right now im reverse engineering my chassis to design off. so may end up doing body as well and designing the soft top off that.
cheers.

 

[gr8dain]

Good luck to you.


Dain