Best Half Cabs

Is there a list of most desirable half cabs? Meyer, Sears, Koenig, etc. is one more rare than the others?

 

Meyer is probably the most common one. They share a lot of parts with the Meyer full cabs - doors, windows, etc - so they are likely the most maintainable/restorable.

The Meyer doors and roll-up windows work pretty well. Their doors are heavy, and open/close reliably and seem fairly rain-proof. Glass area is pretty big and visibility is ok. Some of the earlier cabs have sliding windows and/or small fixed windows, which would make them less desirable to me. Often the small parts of these cabs go missing when the cab is off the Jeep, and they are nearly impossible to replace.

Beyond that, making any statements about desirability would be difficult. They are all "rare" in the sense of being scarce. The few out there are most likely on a Jeep, so unobtainable in that sense, as well as being few and far between. Of what's available, there's just not enough data to make a ranking.

 

I think the top will affect the look of a jeep more than anything else and I don't like tops that aren't the right era on the wrong jeep.
If it has top bow sockets a canvas half enclosure is the best no matter how cold and wet it is on the inside.

 

Following...

 

For a model cj5/6 I would say that Meyers is your top choice for several reasons.
Availability, roll up windows and deluxe options are my main reasons.
The other two major high quality cabs with roll up windows are Kelly and Koenig.
But those 2 makes are more abundant for the flat fender cj’s.
Note that cabs were available in both basic and deluxe models.
Deluxe half cabs had extra windows at the corners which is a big advantage in my opinion.
Deluxe full cabs typically have larger side plus the corner windows.
Read : https://www.cj3b.info/Hardtop.html

 

I recall at the Jeep dealership, they sold a group of CJ-5s to nearby Lion Country Safari, and they specified half-cabs. They wanted a steel cab for obvious reasons, and I guess they wanted to carry stuff in the bed without opening/closing the cab a lot. Or it could have been an aesthetic decision, since the half-cab looks cool on either the CJ or the Commando. I also think the full steel cab is noticably top-heavy on a CJ compared to a soft top (I've driven both extensively), and a half-cab likely reduces that feeling.

Note this was a Southern California dealership, and they sold few hard tops. Seems clear you'd see more of them in snow country. A half-cab could be convenient for a plow Jeep, making the cabin smaller (easier to heat) with easy access to storage.

 

Yep!!! My CJ 5 had a Meyer's full top on it when I purchased it. I hated how it made the Jeep handle. It was replaced with a Whitco within a year. Night and day difference.

 

I really like the look of a half cab. It gives it a mini pickup look, more so on Commandos and CJ6s. However whenever I see one for sale more often than not there's a lot of rust in the bed where the half cab meets the floor of the Jeep.

 

Here’s a cj-5 with a standard Koenig half cab......
Jeep, ford truck bed, generator - auto parts - by owner - vehicle...

 

^^There is a Willys engine in that generator.^^