I installed YJ half doors on my TJ and although this is nothing new I thought others might be interested in how it's done ... or at least how I did it.
For the half door bottoms the years don't matter as they're all the same. I have a 2003 TJ with MOPAR half doors from a 1992 YJ. I also have Best Top soft lower half doors. For the tops, I use Best Top TJ soft uppers and Black Hawk hard uppers with sliding windows. I have Best Top YJ soft uppers but they do NOT work as the windshield angle is different.
Here's what my TJ looks like with YJ half doors on it. The only external YJ give away is the 6 screws along the top edge that are used to fasten the black brackets for YJ uppers. I didn't install them of course.
Here is the striker "pin" that I put together from bits of hardware I had in my garage. It replaces the TJ striker "clip" and allows you to use the YJ half doors with their original latches. I'm sure using original YJ pins would be better and probably look better too.
This pic shows the original TJ striker "clip" on top and the YJ like striker "pin" that I fabricated on the bottom. Basically it's a 8M x 2" bolt with a 5/8" metal tube and some washers.
To install the pin, you need to enlarge the top hole on the TJ door pillar. I used a die grinder for this. Be carefull not to make the hole too large. When you reinstall the TJ clip for your original full doors it will cover up the enlarged hole.
You will have to shorten the interior door handle by about 3/4". As is,it is too long and interferes with the dashboard when you try to open the door. I used a Dremel tool with a cut off disc. As an aside, I did not reconnect the lock button to the latch. This is for anti-theft puposes. If I lock my doors from the outside you can not reach inside and unlock the doors. If you can't open the doors you can't lift them off. I also took both lock cylinders to the dealership and had them reset to match my ignition key. My key now operates my full and half doors, tail gate, ignition, glove box and console ... everything!
As mentioned, I use Best Top soft uppers for a TJ. This is where it gets messy. The 3 pins for the TJ uppers do not line up like they do for a YJ. The rear most pin is off set. I cut the pin as seen below. My intention was to thread the stub and make an adjustable vertical pin. I abandoned it at this point because, wouldn't you know it —- I FOUND A GREAT SET OF TJ HALF DOORS - TOPS AND BOTTOMS!!!
The following pics show the Best Top soft bottoms ...
... and the Black Hawk hard uppers which I have since painted matt black to better match the hard top ...
... and the tell tale YJ screws ...
The cost of making the pin was next to $0. I could not find a 8M universal pin at NAPA, CTC, etc. so I went with a bolt and some washers I had in my garage. The cost of having the doors painted was $280 which was fine with me. The doors were in great shape and did not require any body work. The guy did a great job on the paint and the colour match is perfect.
I hope this helps. If you have any questions I will try to answer them.
For the half door bottoms the years don't matter as they're all the same. I have a 2003 TJ with MOPAR half doors from a 1992 YJ. I also have Best Top soft lower half doors. For the tops, I use Best Top TJ soft uppers and Black Hawk hard uppers with sliding windows. I have Best Top YJ soft uppers but they do NOT work as the windshield angle is different.
Here's what my TJ looks like with YJ half doors on it. The only external YJ give away is the 6 screws along the top edge that are used to fasten the black brackets for YJ uppers. I didn't install them of course.
Here is the striker "pin" that I put together from bits of hardware I had in my garage. It replaces the TJ striker "clip" and allows you to use the YJ half doors with their original latches. I'm sure using original YJ pins would be better and probably look better too.
This pic shows the original TJ striker "clip" on top and the YJ like striker "pin" that I fabricated on the bottom. Basically it's a 8M x 2" bolt with a 5/8" metal tube and some washers.
To install the pin, you need to enlarge the top hole on the TJ door pillar. I used a die grinder for this. Be carefull not to make the hole too large. When you reinstall the TJ clip for your original full doors it will cover up the enlarged hole.
You will have to shorten the interior door handle by about 3/4". As is,it is too long and interferes with the dashboard when you try to open the door. I used a Dremel tool with a cut off disc. As an aside, I did not reconnect the lock button to the latch. This is for anti-theft puposes. If I lock my doors from the outside you can not reach inside and unlock the doors. If you can't open the doors you can't lift them off. I also took both lock cylinders to the dealership and had them reset to match my ignition key. My key now operates my full and half doors, tail gate, ignition, glove box and console ... everything!
As mentioned, I use Best Top soft uppers for a TJ. This is where it gets messy. The 3 pins for the TJ uppers do not line up like they do for a YJ. The rear most pin is off set. I cut the pin as seen below. My intention was to thread the stub and make an adjustable vertical pin. I abandoned it at this point because, wouldn't you know it —- I FOUND A GREAT SET OF TJ HALF DOORS - TOPS AND BOTTOMS!!!
The following pics show the Best Top soft bottoms ...
... and the Black Hawk hard uppers which I have since painted matt black to better match the hard top ...
... and the tell tale YJ screws ...
The cost of making the pin was next to $0. I could not find a 8M universal pin at NAPA, CTC, etc. so I went with a bolt and some washers I had in my garage. The cost of having the doors painted was $280 which was fine with me. The doors were in great shape and did not require any body work. The guy did a great job on the paint and the colour match is perfect.
I hope this helps. If you have any questions I will try to answer them.