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4 Wheel Drive/SUVs/The various soft tops for a TJ

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Expert: - 5/4/2004


Question
Hey Carl, just a question here.  I have an aftermarket soft top w/ hardware that came with the used jeep when I bought it.  I have no idea how to tell who makes this top, and therefore cannot find a replacement part for the hardware.  So let me explain this to you, maybe you can tell which kind of top it is.  It requires drilling two small holes on each side of the back of the jeep, to hold the rear window brackets in place.  It also has two very skinny poles that run up from the side doors and up to the main part of the soft top bars.  This is to keep the side windows flesh against the door.  These bars run down into another bracket which is placed into existing holes from the hardtop.  Any idea what I am talking about?  Anyways, I need to replace the part the runs across the windshield which holds the soft top in place with the latches behind the sun visors.  It seems that this peice is made out of aluminum, and has to small pegs on either side that slip into the bars of the top.  One of these pegs has snapped, and I cannot seem to replace it since no one has seen this type of top before.  

Thanks a lot

Shane
shane@ontariopunk.com  

Answer
Shane,

There are only a few manufacturers of tops, with Bestop being the most common.  I have seen a few tops that were custom made.  I would contact one of the companies that sell tops, such as 4-Wheel Drive Hardware, or Quadratec, and ask to talk to one of the techs.  They should be able to identify the top you have.

  Carl

4 Wheel Drive/SUVs

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Carl Brandt

Expertise

Will discuss suspensions, lifts, lockers along with tire suggestions. Trail ratings and possible requirements needed for specific type of trails. Safety equipment and what you should carry with you. Certified off-road instructor. I am not a mechanic, and 4-Wheeling is a hobby, so if I can't answer a technical question it is due to my mechanical knowledge being related to vehicles that I have owned, or have worked on. I do not have manuals on all vehicles.

Experience

40 plus years of 4 wheeling in a variety of vehicles. At the present time, my major off-road rig is a 94 Jeep Wrangler with a spring over and a 1 1/2" suspension lift. This gives me a total lift of 7" or so. I have lockers front and rear. I have removed the track bars, and sway bar for maximum articulation. I am running a stock 2.5 ltr 4 cylinder with a Jacobs ignition along with a cold air high flow filter. It has 4.56:1 gears with a Dodge NV4500 transmission along with a 3.8:1 Atlas II transfer case. This gives me a final ratio of 105:1 in low gear/low range. Other vehicles I own, are a 96 Ford F-250 with a 6" lift, posi rear end, 36" Hummer tires, 5 speed with a fuel injected 460 ci engine, an 87 Samurai with an 8" lift, Ford 9" rear end with a spool, Chevy Dana 44 front end with an electric locker, 5.88 gears, 16% reduction in high range and a 6.5:1 low range with 35" Baja Claws, and a stock 2003 Grand Cherokee Overland. Trails I have run are the Rubicon (10 times), Dusey Ershim, Fordyce Creek trail, McGrew trail, several trails in Moab, Utah along with local monthly runs.

Organizations
Lost Coast 4x4's Cal 4-Wheel Corva UFWDA Blue Ribbon Coalition

Education/Credentials
Certified off-road instructor - Certificates in engineering/electronics

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