any one here made a hardtop from a YJ for a CJ-5 ?

Hi

I was measuring the CJ-5 and the YJ last night, and if i remove 10 inches of the back of the YJ hardtop, I could make one for the CJ-5.

Anyone here done that ?

 

Sounds like a pile of work to me. I'd think you'd have to section the front portion to shorten it. Otherwise you;ll have to make new rear windows? That said, nothings impossible. Would be a fun project (I'd check the classifieds hint,hint)

 

With your fab skills it probably would be easier to just build one from scratch.

 

Haven't done it myself but I have seen it done. The guy used a late 5 windshield frame and a late CJ7 hardtop. He cut down the center of the back window. I don't know if he ever got it finished. Last time I saw it he had the thing pieced together and on the jeep. Looked very good. Not sure what he had planned for doors.

 

I saw the classified, but I dont have the $ to buy your top....

That being said, the plan would be to remove back side glass, cut 10 inches there, re-assemble (plywood inside, whatever...), cut some plexiglass for back side glass, square the corner for my soft door, move spare tire on top of new top, and there you go, a cheap hardtop with soft door. The idea is just to let the CJ out in the snow and save my bikini top for the weight of the snow. Also I plan to take the CJ for hunting this winter.

There is a guy locally who has a black yj hardtop for 50$.....story to follow.....

 

I think you may have to adjust the door opening at the top for soft doors too. Soft doors seem to be a little shorter in height than full hardtop doors. Tried it with an old metal top I had once, the "gaposis" let the snow blow right down my neck when plowing. I'd try and get some measurements first if I could, although for the $$ he's asking you're not out alot but your time.

 

I'll try to put the softdoor on the YJ tonight, just to see if the relationship between the top is feasible, if you know what I mean.


Bob

 

....unless you just want to do it to show it can be done it's way more trouble than it's worth. I've seen pics of it done. You can shorten it but something most forget is the CJ5 and CJ7/YJ have different designs along the top of the body. Then there is the doors you have to do something with....

 

Can't end up any worse than my top. I have an intermediate top on a late CJ. I went a whole season without a window in one door and no door at all on the drivers side. Was better than the nothing I had before that. I plow a lot. We get about 250" of snow a year. Have seen years over 300". I think it is worth it. It doesn't sound all that hard anyway....

 

Ok, you are right, might be harder than I tought. here is a CJ-5 soft door on a YJ body with hardtop.

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n302/bobfortier/HardtopCJ5.jpg

The top part may be not that bad. It is the upper right corner I'm worried about. maybe with a router and carbide bit, I might be able to rout the corner square and patch from the inside. I repeat, this is not to be a nice top, just a way of driving the jeep in the winter and avoiding it to get full of snow when i dont use it...


I'm going to High-Point, North Carolina next week, so when I get back I'll see what I do with this

 

But how hard would it be to make a door. Even if you made it out of 1/4 ply wood and then just fiber glass the whole thing in. I got a real thing for banging my head against a wall and trying to make stuff work though....

 

like said anything is possible. I like challenges and unique things so i would go for it. thought of making a 7 top fit mine but never did. like Jeeptherapy said make you own doors!!!

 

Make your own Top and Doors!

There is an article around that shows the home made jobs on the JEEPS used at Adak Alaska's military base back in the '50's. Or maybe it was farther out on the chain. Some nice looking home-made tops on the M38's or CJ2A's or what ever they were. :hurrican:

 

Ok, here is the update

I dont have a lot of time right now, so i will not try to cut the hardtop from a yj just yet. So maybe for this year I will either put a piece of plywood as a roof on my jeep, or try to fit the complete soft top I have in the shed for winter use. problem with this is that I bent my softdoors corners in so they align under the bikini top. Doing so, they dont align anymore with the soft-top bow.

But I'm good with plywood, maybe if I feel like it I might give it a try...



Thanks for your ideas on that subject