½ Cab on a CJ, YJ, TJ

Quote from Slimer

I saw this pic on another forum and liked it. I've seen people do this with bikini tops and wind breakers (or whatever they are called). I like the idea of the hard top version for the winter time.

I remember someone, Omaha I believe, talking about modifying a hard top that will fit over a full cage. I was wondering if anyone tried this or had ideas of how to do it. My thinking is that the rear wall would have to be slid in behing the seats before the top was put on. Then some screws or latches would be used to hold the two pieces together. Some of the custom cages would be easier because the rear bars attach to the main hoop more "inward" than a stock roll bar does...typically.

http://www.gr8tops.com and AEV (it's the brute's top) both make a 1/2 top for TJs and LJs...there's a thread somewhere on pirate about BTF making one fit on a caged unlimited...had disconnects and was gasketed at the top to allow it to be removed.

--Ian

Here's a couple pics:

Whole thread is here

--Ian

my idea was to make the back half on a hinge, but i could never get a hold of a tj top cheap enough that i could cut it up and not be afraid of being out like 700 bucks.

Quote from omaha

my idea was to make the back half on a hinge, but i could never get a hold of a tj top cheap enough that i could cut it up and not be afraid of being out like 700 bucks.

That's exactly how the BTF rig is...if you look at the thread the rear section and tire carrier pivot away when the clamps are released to allow the top to come back and be removed. It's also got a killer sheetmetal bikini. I like the rig as a whole but it's a little too 'blingy' for my tastes.

--Ian

yeah no the BTF top is sick but i wanted the rear of the top to hing, not the rear section of the cage, the bikini is sick withe the flaperwheel design they did on it.

yeah those fittings are very sick and are setup really cool

BTW those fittings and hinges are pretty standard in the drag racing world for door bars on 'street' cars.

--Ian

Quote from clendaniel

BTW those fittings and hinges are pretty standard in the drag racing world for door bars on 'street' cars.

--Ian

what are they called besides cool looking connectors thingys?

yeah i have thought about getting a cj top but i think i am gonna wait on that whole idea till i get full hard doors

those little connectors are for the cage not the top. They make part of the cage removable.

Quote from wckdyj

those little connectors are for the cage not the top. They make part of the cage removable.

Yeah, guess I wasn't clear on that...the piece sticking out from the hardtop is part of the inner cage passing through a gasket on the top.

Quote from NitroRubi

what are they called besides cool looking connectors thingys?

Door bar pivot/hinge/latch/whatever or tube clamps/joints...seen them referred to by alot of names. Those are nice ones...alot of the cheaper variants simply use a section of tube cut in half lengthwise with half on each end of the doorbar. A hole is drilled through them and the stub where it attaches then the lower has a bolt through it as the hinge and the upper uses a pin that can be pulled to pivot the bar out of the way. FYI the ones used on there were through Camburg Engineering

Here's a pic from the PBB thread:

--Ian

The latest issue of Jrations(standard issue 7) has a write up(pages 36-39) on a L J with a GR8tops half top on it and they ran the bars though the top.