Just for looks?

I was just curious if there is any function to the panel bolted / clipped to the inside bottom face of the windshield frame or if it is basically a trim panel?

 

My 71 doesn't have that either. What Lynn said is more than likely true.

 

I've never seen that before.

I'd have to agree with everyone else that it's probably leftover from a padded dash or something.

 

My 56 doesn't have it. Looks like it's unanimous...(so far anyway)

 

Looks like the back plate for the dash pad.

 

I don't have that.

 

what I was thinking

 

It sure looks factory to me, and the Jeep came from Texas with very little rust. I kinda wondered if it might be the backing for a padded dash myself, but I also figured it could be something that all CJ5's had also. In the back of my mind I've wondered if my Jeep may have been a Renegade I as it has (or had) most all of the equipment that they came with. I guess if it was a padded dash, that's one more piece of Renegade equipment that my Jeep has.

 

I've got a dash pad in the rafters of the shop, I'll look at it tonight and see if the back plate looks like that.

 

looks like a defroster defector to me.

 

That plate is what keeps the front and back halves of your Jeep together. Whatever you do not, I repeat, do not remove even one bolt as your Jeep will suffer catastrophic structural failure. I thought that this same piece was merely a support bracket for a dash pad and removed it. Now the only thing holding my Jeep together are my ebrake cables. I am right heading off to by a reverse torque wrench to aid in the reassembly of my Jeep. Heed my advice if you have any desire to keep your Jeep in one piece...

Karl

PS. Honestly, that piece looks just like the backside of my dash pad.

Kahn! KAHN!

 

Definitely padded dash, without the padding.