Soft Top install ?

Bought a new Bestop Super Top for my Jeep. Got an issue I hope someone else had figured out already. The three bolts on each side of the tub that go through the roll bar plate interfere with the channels that get installed at the top lip of the tub. I went and got some button head bolts that have a lower profile to replace the originals but they still interfere with the channels. Anyone got a solution?

 

I thought the bolts went through the side of the body, not in the channel along the top edge. Maybe your roll bar was installed differently?

 

You are correct timgr, the bolts go through the side of the tub. However, I just looked at pics I have of two other Early CJ5's with factory roll bars and neither one of them have the bolts through the side like mine does. here's a pic of mine:



And here's the problem:


Right now my plan is to pull those bolts and make a new re-inforcement plate for the bolts that come up through the wheelhouse. I'm thinking that maybe a previous owner added the bolts going through the side. The new plate will be tied into the frame somehow.

 

Tim,
Any info you can pass on about when the factory offered roll bars or any other info about them I told my contact at Bestop I would let her know. She sent me a pic of a Renegade to show me what she thought a factory roll bar should look like, but it was too fuzzy to tell if it was an Early or an Intermediate. It's the roll bar with the straight tube that angles back to reinforce the hoop. I thought those weren't offered until '69 or so.

 

let me snap some pictures of mine john and send them to you. i too have a supertop and bolts through the side. mine is a fiberglass body though.

 

My Jeep has a rollbar similar to yours (and a Supertop as well)
It doesn't have the side bolts, never has had them. The original owner rolled it at highway speed, hard enough to bend the entire bar over at about a 20 degree angle, but the bolts through the top of the wheelhouse held it in place with minimal bending of the sheetmetal. IMO you can run it without them.

 

my bolts are further down than yours. i'm uploading some pictures with a measurement too

 

Posimoto, my roll bar is mounted just like yours, I thought it was previous owner who added holes and bolts on the side. But I guess that could potentially be wrong.

Perhaps you could use a button head bolt or even a countersunk bolt?

I do not have a soft top though.

 

Speaking of rollovers, colojeepguy. Here's a pick of a friends Jeep that rolled down a pretty steep hill side. This roll bar doesn't have the side bolts either and it held up well enough. He walked away from this with about 4 or 5 broken ribs and a few bruises. I'd say he's lucky to be alive.

 

Was that Drew's Jeep John?

 

My Smittybilt rollbar looks just like oddfirejeeper's.

Had no issues due to metal snaps for my top.

 

Ya, that's his Jeep.

 

Ya, my old top had snaps too. Worked fine with the bolts there.

 

Can you use a tee nut see the following link, they're available at your local lowes or Homedepot. This would give you clearance of the head of the bolt, the t-nut is only about as thick as the washer.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_137342-3767...1&currentURL=?Ntt=1%2F4%22+tee+nut&facetInfo=

You can bolt from the inside and cut and grind off the excess bolt for a flush fit to the tee nut.

 

Looks like the bolt location is specific to the brand of roll bar. The Smittybilt bars put the bolts in the channel, and the Whitcos put the bolts in the body.

Prior to 1974 (except for the Renegades) roll bars were strictly aftermarket, so "factory roll bar" really doesn't apply in these cases. The Whitco was "Jeep Approved Special Equipment" and could be purchased through the Jeep parts network in a box with the Jeep meatball on the side. So you could argue that the Whitco is the "factory" roll bar.

 

Instead of changing the bolts, can you add clearance to the channel?

 

I considered that, but it doesn't work with the pre-curved channel at the rear corner. I'm going to Lowe's today and check out the inserts that Diggerjeep mentioned.

 

So here's my "solution" for the side bolt problem. I cut the heads off of the 6 3/8" bolts and plug welded washers to the ends. I looked at the t-nuts but they weren't very beefy and the ends of the bolts would show under the track. These still aren't that strong, but stronger than the t-nuts and they will cover the holes in the tub that the track doesn't cover. To help in the strength department I'm going to fab. new re-inforcement plate for the bottom bolts that come through the fender well from the bottom. Going to try to fit some tube down to the frame from them.





After the primer coat I blew on a coat of the body color. While I wait for that to dry I get to deal with this. How the heck I'm going to drill a 3/8" hole here is . . . . .well, impossible. So I'm going to have to get creative.

 

I needed to pull the cage this far to get the threaded plates for the track up in the channel. I've got to have this all back together by Monday as Tues. I'm headed down to Rubicon Springs for an over-nighter while the weather is still nice. I won't need the top, but I'll definitely need the cage.

 

Couldn't you move the hole over out of the way of the socket?