- Joined
- Dec 12, 2009
Below are images of two similar but slightly different types of OEM roll bars made for the early CJ5s:
1) The first type of roll bar ("Type 1") has the tops of the diagonal bars welded to the horizontal bar, but further toward the center than the second type ("Type 2"). The Type 1 roll bars were made by Whitco, and to the best of my knowledge were the first CJ5 roll bars ever marketed. They were first available as a factory-installed option on the 1969 "462" CJ-5, and later on the 1970 Renegade I. These roll bars could also be purchased as an aftermarket item to be installed either by Jeep dealerships or owners.
Whitco produced the dealer literature below with the "Special Jeep Equipment" logo in December 1969 showing the Type 1 roll bar. Note the attached Kaiser Jeep price list:
The earliest Jeep ad in which I've seen this same type of roll bar pictured is this one from very early 1970, right around the time AMC bought Jeep from Kaiser. Note on this ad the large AMC-type front parking / turn signal lights, along with the (pre-AMC) Kaiser Jeep logo:
[Revision on 2-24-16: As colojeepguy correctly noted in his comment below, the large parking / turn signal lights do not necessarily indicate that this is an AMC-produced vehicle. As I've now learned, these lights actually began to be used in production on the 1969 year model, near the end of the Kaiser era. Also, Steve Statham's book Jeep Color History notes that one of the last moves by Kaiser was a limited production run of the Renegade I version of the CJ5 - which the jeep pictured below appears to be. So, this ad most likely actually dates from late 1969, just prior to AMC's purchase of Jeep, which was finalized in February 1970.]:
Here's a factory photo of the 1970 Jeep Renegade I with this same roll bar design:
2) The second type of roll bar ("Type 2") has the tops of the diagonal bars moved further outwards, closer to the vertical uprights than those on the first type. This change may have been made for visual reasons, or simply to give people sitting in the back seat a bit more room and make it less likely they would hit their heads on the diagonal bars. This is the OEM type that came on the 1971 Renegade I & II's, and continued to be used by AMC for several years thereafter. I believe this roll bar was likewise available from Jeep dealerships, and possibly as an aftermarket item as well. Here are a couple of photos of this type roll bar:
This press photo shows three 1971 Jeep Renegade IIs with this second type of roll bar design. (Also featured at right is the optional front bumper-mounted Power Wench, a timeless favorite):
Does anyone know if this second type of roll bar ("Type 2") was also made by Whitco, as an evolution of the first type, or by a different manufacturer?
Update May 2016:
I recently came across an interesting piece of dealer literature that answers the above question. In addition to manufacturing the earlier Type 1 roll bars, it turns out that Whitco did indeed make the slightly later Type 2 roll bars as well. I believe this literature dates from 1972 or '73:
These two mages showing the difference between the Type 1 and Type 2 roll bar designs were taken from the above 1969 and 1972-73 dealer literature documents. The second was clearly traced from the first, but with the changes in the roll bar design and bumper indicated. (Note also AMC's addition of the name "Jeep" to the center of the tailgate, which of course was not present on the Kaiser Jeep CJ5's):
Here's a second piece of dealer literature from late 1973 (for the 1974 model year), complete with price list. Here, rather than being referred to as a Whitco Roll Bar as in the literature above, it is instead referred to as a Jeep Roll Bar:
1) The first type of roll bar ("Type 1") has the tops of the diagonal bars welded to the horizontal bar, but further toward the center than the second type ("Type 2"). The Type 1 roll bars were made by Whitco, and to the best of my knowledge were the first CJ5 roll bars ever marketed. They were first available as a factory-installed option on the 1969 "462" CJ-5, and later on the 1970 Renegade I. These roll bars could also be purchased as an aftermarket item to be installed either by Jeep dealerships or owners.
Whitco produced the dealer literature below with the "Special Jeep Equipment" logo in December 1969 showing the Type 1 roll bar. Note the attached Kaiser Jeep price list:
The earliest Jeep ad in which I've seen this same type of roll bar pictured is this one from very early 1970, right around the time AMC bought Jeep from Kaiser. Note on this ad the large AMC-type front parking / turn signal lights, along with the (pre-AMC) Kaiser Jeep logo:
[Revision on 2-24-16: As colojeepguy correctly noted in his comment below, the large parking / turn signal lights do not necessarily indicate that this is an AMC-produced vehicle. As I've now learned, these lights actually began to be used in production on the 1969 year model, near the end of the Kaiser era. Also, Steve Statham's book Jeep Color History notes that one of the last moves by Kaiser was a limited production run of the Renegade I version of the CJ5 - which the jeep pictured below appears to be. So, this ad most likely actually dates from late 1969, just prior to AMC's purchase of Jeep, which was finalized in February 1970.]:
Here's a factory photo of the 1970 Jeep Renegade I with this same roll bar design:
2) The second type of roll bar ("Type 2") has the tops of the diagonal bars moved further outwards, closer to the vertical uprights than those on the first type. This change may have been made for visual reasons, or simply to give people sitting in the back seat a bit more room and make it less likely they would hit their heads on the diagonal bars. This is the OEM type that came on the 1971 Renegade I & II's, and continued to be used by AMC for several years thereafter. I believe this roll bar was likewise available from Jeep dealerships, and possibly as an aftermarket item as well. Here are a couple of photos of this type roll bar:
This press photo shows three 1971 Jeep Renegade IIs with this second type of roll bar design. (Also featured at right is the optional front bumper-mounted Power Wench, a timeless favorite):
Does anyone know if this second type of roll bar ("Type 2") was also made by Whitco, as an evolution of the first type, or by a different manufacturer?
Update May 2016:
I recently came across an interesting piece of dealer literature that answers the above question. In addition to manufacturing the earlier Type 1 roll bars, it turns out that Whitco did indeed make the slightly later Type 2 roll bars as well. I believe this literature dates from 1972 or '73:
These two mages showing the difference between the Type 1 and Type 2 roll bar designs were taken from the above 1969 and 1972-73 dealer literature documents. The second was clearly traced from the first, but with the changes in the roll bar design and bumper indicated. (Note also AMC's addition of the name "Jeep" to the center of the tailgate, which of course was not present on the Kaiser Jeep CJ5's):
Here's a second piece of dealer literature from late 1973 (for the 1974 model year), complete with price list. Here, rather than being referred to as a Whitco Roll Bar as in the literature above, it is instead referred to as a Jeep Roll Bar:
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