need info & advice on soft tops

Hi guys! I get a lot good advice here about parts & vendors so I'm not afraid to ask for some more!

I've been a Kayline customer since 1976. My '62 CJ-5 has gone thru 3 Kayline tops in that period & needs a new one now. It looks like STC (they bought out Kayline) makes the exact top that I've always had, & even better, in black denim. However, there are some features that have always bugged me about the Kayline (the door latch, storing the doors, the snaps, not to mention that the zippers never last) & it seems that they've been addressed by Bestop's Supertop (2-piece doors, rail mounting instead of snaps, replaceable windows, OEM supplier). But I'm not so sure (Kayline discarded the idea for the way the Supertop's rear bow gets mounted years ago, no windshield rail like Kayline, the removable panels don't just roll up & tucked into the boot like Kayline, they go in a separte bag that slides around under the seat). Has anybody had experiences with both that can give me a decent comparision? At over $700 for the supertop I really want to be sure. I think the Kayline is about $150 or so cheaper, but as I make do with these tops for about 10 years or so that difference will not be the deciding factor.

TIA!!!!!

 

I think Kayline now has a rail set-up as well.

 

Yep. Check-out the fasttrac tops - http://www.specialtytopco.com/

 

When I bought my '68 it had a 6 mo. old Supertop on it. Love it, but I can see the complaints about it being "slanted" at the rear so as it hits the rear passangers on the head. But, I don't have any rear passangers, so it doesn't bother me. The quality is great and it removes easilly.

I've got both doors, the full doors and the 1/2 doors plus the bikini top, which I've and the PO have never used.

All in all, I find the Bestop Supertop to be top grade, that is if you don't mind the "slant" at the rear.

 

Thanx for the replies. One of the main reasons I'm doing this now is because I need to "TJ-ize" my roll cage so that I can install seat belts with shoulder harnesses. (This will be tricky because I built M38A1 type tool boxes into the back of my glass body. I do have a plan tho!) I need those shoulder harnesses so that I can strap in my 2 sons in their car seats & get them started in jeeping! From what some of you said it sounds like the Supertop is no-go in this area due to head room, or actually behind-the-head room if I understand you guys. Unless more info pops up here I may just stick with the (known to me) Kayline style & figure out a way to store my doors between the tailgate & a soon-to-be built or modified swing-out spare tire carrier. It's a pain but way too many times I've regretted leaving them behind, especially in the Colorado Rockies or in the spring time when T-storms suddenly show up.

Thanx again, if anybody has anything else to add theres still time before I order. Oh, that brings up another question. Does Q-tec still carry Kayline? The STC isn't their catalog anymore, but I admit I did not call & ask. If I go with the STC where's the best place to buy from? I e-mailed them a while back & they said Herms or Turner. Are there others? I live near Milwaukee so I guess shipping would be about the same price from anyplace, right?

 

Figures................I bought the last (old-style) Kayline CJ-6 top in their inventory (Q-tec had it, but they told me about it being there) & then they re-organize & come out with what I really wanted

 

JAB: Remember, if you install sholder harness's in the front you just about negate the use of your rear seat due to the fact that you MUST put a bar across the cage at shoulder height to attach the shoulder harness too!

 

No, no, no................you're in the racing mode. You're talking about racing harnesses. I'm talking about normal 3 point seat belts, like stock Jeeps use nowadays. The units in the front of mine are nearly identical to what Jeep used in the mid-1980's. I got 'em out of a Renault, which explains why . The shoulder part mounts on a threaded tube that goes thru the rollbar & is welded on each end. The retractor mounts on the angle iron part of the roll bar at the bottom of the tube. The belts for the rear I just picked up from a 1988 Toyota pick-up. They will mount just like the rear ones on the TJ's do. I just did all the measuring on my bosses new extra long TJ (what are they called anyway?) & all will be well! 8) Look at any TJ & you'll see what I'm doing.............mine will look & function just like that. &, like the roll cage, it's something you want to build well enough to be safe but never actually tested!

 

JAB: OK, if you're using just the 3 point "passenger car types. A Renault? My parents used to own a Dauphine and a Gordidi.

Actually, for general off road use a mechanical lap belt is about the best.

 

Well, I don't know what model Renault they were from, but my brother-in-law worked as a mechanic for a Renault dealer back then & gave them to me. Don't forget, during the '80's Jeep was partially/practically owned by Renault or some such complicated business relationship. As a result a lot of the small parts of the time were interchangeable between the Jeeps & the Renaults (like switches, relays, possibly seatbelts, etc).

Back to the tops;
anybody got a picture showing that sloped back (on the Supertop)? I just can't see it in the ads. Also, I agree that the STC website is lacking. I cannot find any STC top for an early CJ-5 with a rail mounting system, they're all snap types. The link you supplied just gets me to the site's home page. Also, they don't seem to have top storage boots, but Bestop/supertop does. My Kayline boot has just about had it. Another question, & a dumb one at that why do you supppose STC only has the bottom 1/2 of the 1/2 doors? At least that 's how it appears on their web site. &, to repeat; depending on the brand, where should I buy? My research shows no advantage on the Supertop between the Bestop site & Q-tec. Turner (a Kayline dealer) has always been high priced, but they seem to be the same as Herms. Aren't there other STC dealers, maybe closer to me?

Thanx again for the help!!!!!

 

Thanx Mike! It doesn't look like much of a difference, but definately enough to be a problem. I think I'll stick with the Kayline style & make my rear cage conform to it. That way I'll get the best position for the shoulder strap too. I do appreciate the help & advice!

 

I have one of the fastracs from before the take over by STC. I have had Besttops previously. I like the K line better. Fastrac is basicallyblack powdercoated L channel. Channel is bolted to the one inch or so wide tub edge. One edge of the L points down to catch the fabric. Plastic channel is sewn to the top to cattch on the L channel. The door framework positively locks to the windshield frame. Doors have paddle handles. The top fits nice and snug. There is very little wind flap. The only drawback I see is that the rear window is tensioned by anther piece of angle aluminum tha slides into a long channel in the rear flap. Its inconvenient to carry with you. Some of this might be viewable if my album pics are lost. AM