Bestop Supertop Install

After ten years, Project YJ's original factory soft top was heavily battle-scarred from countless whippings from branches and the not-too-infrequent lean into rocks and trees. It's plastic windows were clouded by cataracts, rendering them more translucent than transparent. It was time to retire the top and find a suitable replacement. I could have simply replaced the skin and windows but I wanted to use this opportunity to also address some shortcomings in the soft top frame design, too. It didn't take long for me to decide on Bestop's Supertop. Since Bestop is the OEM manufacturer for Chrysler Jeep's soft tops and has been in the business of making 4x4 tops and accessories for many, many years, I was confident that their Supertop would be a great choice. And as it turns out, I was right.

The original top was suffering from typical wear and tear, such as this tear near the rear window.

This kind of wear is peculiar to YJs with the newer spreader parts. Given enough time, the joints will wear their way through the top.

The rear window was cursed with Perma-Fog [tm].

Bestop www.bestop.com 2100 W. Midway Blvd. Broomfield, CO. 80020   Cust. Service: 1-800-845-3567

While I was at it, I also ordered a set of two-piece doors, too. Why? For starters, Project YJ came from the factory as a hard top. As such, it had full-length steel doors. For summer-time off-road use, full-length doors have certain disadvantages. To begin with, they restrict your visibility. You can lean out to check the terrain much farther with greater ease with half-doors. Compared to half-doors, they create a higher centre of gravity and are more likely to suffer damage due to their larger size. Of course, they cost more money so they'll be more expensive to repair if you do damage them. Bestop's half-doors would give me the benefits of factory half-doors but at a much lower price. And, to cap off the list of advantages, they are also light and easily removable so when I get to the trail, I can throw the doors in the back of the Jeep for maximum open-air fourwheeling pleasure. By the way, depending on where you live, it may be illegal to drive without doors. That's another reason why I bought them. I can stay legal on the way to the trail and then go doorless when I hit the dirt.

Ok, so now that you know why I gave my money to Bestop, I guess you'd like to know something about the product, right? Like all conscientious Rock Monkeys, the first thing I did was read the instructions (very complete and well-written) and watched the accompanying video. The video didn't provide much detail about the installation but it's quick overview gave a sense of comfort by showing that it would be an easy job to do the installation. After making sure all the parts were in the kit, we began. The Supertop came with its own hardware which was similar in many ways but different in others. The first step was to remove the old soft top and ALL its hardware.

Before we could put on this zippy new Bestop Supertop...

...we had to remove the old top and ALL its mounting hardware.

Because Project YJ had already had a soft top installed, we didn't need to drill many new holes; just a handful for the side and rear retaining channels. The new hardware used most of the existing holes. Speaking of hardware, the Supertop's parts are simpler and better thought-out than the original top's. It used fewer parts by changing the bow design and by combining some pieces into single pieces. I am particularly grateful for the expanded use of hook and loop fastener material and aluminum channel. By using these attachment methods, they were able to eliminate the use of those annoying metal snaps on the rear window and side curtains of the factory top. After using it for a month, I have noticed that it is definitely faster to put up this new Supertop than the original factory top. The noise level is about the same.

The new windshield bracket was identical to the original but we changed them anyway.	As with the windshield bracket, the top windshield channel was also identical to the original but again, we decided to replace it. Might as well have all new hardware.	The side rail used most of the same holes as the original but we had to drill some new ones as well.
Here's one of the things I hated about the old top's hardware. This rear window curtain retainer was separate from the corner channel and used two tiny sheet metal screws that always loosened off. It also used a metal snap which didn't work half the time.	The new bracket was combined with the corner channel and dispensed with the metal snap. Kudos to Bestop for this improved design.	Now it was time to install the bows.
The bows were shipped in two sets of two so we had to slip them together...	...and then bolt their hinges to the side channels.

Because the Supertop used fewer pieces, installation of its hardware went very quickly and we were soon ready to install the skin. Bestop recommends that the top be installed on a warm day so the material will stretch to fit the vehicle. It wasn't exactly warm when we did it but it turned out ok, nevertheless. The fact that the tension bow has multiple settings made it easy to put up the top at a lower tension and then increase the tension when the weather warmed up a week later. Once the main skin was on and the top was set up, we installed the side and rear curtains. Finally, I had windows that I could see through!

Slipping the leading edge of the top into the windshield channel.	Unlike the original top, the Supertop skin only snaps onto one of the bows.	Attaching the corners into the channels.
The Supertop came with a pad that is positioned either outside or inside of the top door frame, depending on whether you're using soft doors or hard doors.	Pushing up on the tensioner bow makes the top tauter, creating a nice, noise-free top. Because the top was brand new and the weather wasn't very warm, we left it at a fairly low position.	The top is officially up!
The rear window retainer bar is designed slightly different from the original but works in the same way.	Woohoo! A see-through window!

The two-piece fabric doors were installed next. We installed the door lowers and their paddles. They closed and latched with the striker plate perfectly the first time. No adjustments were necessary. The door uppers were then slipped into the door lowers and their vertical position and angle was adjusted to fit the trailing edge of the windshield frame. Once the best angle was determined, the height adjusters were tightened with an Allen key. The final step was to trim the weather stripping.

The door lowers come shipped without paddles installed.	The paddles slip in through the outside of the door...	...and are easily screwed in place.
The door upper is then inserted and aligned with the windshield frame.	Limiting collars are then tightened in place so that the uppers will always have the same angle when installed in the future.	Hook and loop fastener holds the upper in place.
Lastly, we trim the weather seal to an appropriate length.	Protected from the elements.

Thanks to Bestop, Project YJ was now dressed for any occasion. Doors off, half-doors, and fully-enclosed. The first fourwheeling trip with this new top and doors was a real eye-opener. The convenience of driving to the trail in a legal vehicle (ie: doors on) and then being able to switch to doors off was surprisingly liberating. I wish I had bought these doors years ago! As for the top, I didn't even notice it, which is exactly how it is supposed to be. No problems at all, it was just like a brand new factory top with the key exception being that it was easier to put up and take down.

No doors,

half doors,

full doors!

...lars