Is there a hard top version of a bikini top?

yatorika

yatorika

TJ Enthusiast | North Georgia Mountains
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Apr 22, 2020
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8
Location
Clarkesville, GA
I have a '97 Jeep Wrangler TJ and I run with a wrap-around windjammer and duster deck cover full time. This combo fits snug and tight and reduces some of the wind turbulence in the cabin. In warmer weather, I go with no top at all — we love being in the sun. In cold weather, I want to put on a top to enclose the cab and keep it a little warmer. I have installed a strapless bikini top, but I have found that if I open the door windows, even a little for ventilation, the soft bikini top gets slack and flappy really fast. So, I'm wondering if anyone makes or has a custom build idea for a hard bikini top to pair with the other two covers? Thanks! Rick

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Stuff4jeeps sells one but it is spendy. It might give you some ideas though. I have no experience with them I just came across it recently looking for something else.
 
There is a guy on here..@jayscherb I believe... He has mad fabrication skills with material like that.

If he gives you any input you've got a winner.

You can get a damaged hardtop basically given to you and because it doesn't take a lot before they become unrepairable.

It would be very easy to make some straps to anchor it to the roll cage as you go back, or use U bolts.

Keep us posted.. I think this is a new one for us sir.
 
AndyG said:
There is a guy on here..@jayscherb I believe... He has mad fabrication skills with material like that.

If he gives you any input you've got a winner.

You can get a damaged hardtop basically given to you and because it doesn't take a lot before they become unrepairable.

It would be very easy to make some straps to anchor it to the roll cage as you go back, or use U bolts.

Keep us posted.. I think this is a new one for us sir.
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Ask Jerry for his picture of Jon's rig on Sunbonnet. I made him an aluminum bikini top that bolted to a windshield header to make it removeable. The best part is I covered it with black soft top material so it looked like a bikini top.

One of my favorite tops.
 
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If it's secured to the windshield header on the front how is it secured on the back? Velcro loops around the roll bar?
 
mrblaine said:
Ask Jerry for his picture of Jon's rig on Sunbonnet. I made him an aluminum bikini top that bolted to a windshield header to make it removeable. The best part is I covered it with black soft top material so it looked like a bikini top.

One of my favorite tops.
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That’s awesome!
 
I made one for a different jeep type vehicle out of fiberglass, you could get a sheet of Luann, glass the bottom and canvas the top. Or just bedline the raw wood and be done w/ it..
 
qslim said:
If it's secured to the windshield header on the front how is it secured on the back? Velcro loops around the roll bar?
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Yes, all straps secured, pulled tight, etc. When I first put the bikini top on, it stayed pretty tight, but it was a cold day and I didn't roll down the windows. It warmed up over a few days, so I rolled down the windows for air in the cab. After driving like that for about an hour, that's when the bikini top started getting slack and flapping.
 
mrblaine said:
IIRC, I just put a couple of button heads in the back edges into the roll bar.
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Thanks — I'll explore some add-on fasteners. I did that for where my deck cover attaches to the wrap-around windjammer and that turned out great.
 
scottgraham said:
I made one for a different jeep type vehicle out of fiberglass, you could get a sheet of Luann, glass the bottom and canvas the top. Or just bedline the raw wood and be done w/ it..
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Thanks for the ideas. After looking at a few of the after market products, the juices are flowing of some pretty basic options that will do the trick. Let me know if you have some pics of the ones you made.
 
Thanks for all the great thoughts on this project. Based on everything I've heard and seen, my plan is to first chase finding a cheap used hardtop where I can salvage only the bikini top portion and mod it so it bolts to the roll bar. Second option is to build from scratch.

I've looked on Craigslist and Ebay for some cheap hardtops, but no luck. What site recommendations do you have for finding something like this? Thanks!
 
yatorika said:
I've looked on Craigslist and Ebay for some cheap hardtops, but no luck. What site recommendations do you have for finding something like this? Thanks!
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I don't see anyone selling a hardtop, even if cracked or in really bad shape, for less than $300. Maybe someone that rolled over his/her Jeep would, but the top section may be pretty damaged. Good luck. Let us know if you find one and how you modify it.
 
Cool idea. I second the busted hardtop route. Seems to me that would be a pretty straightforward approach. If I'm not mistaken, they are double-walled, so you may need to do a bit of fiberglass work to replace the lost structural support.

SMD fiberglass resin is what you would need.
 
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You could try Davies and see if he has a busted up one and will sawzall just the front for you.
I'll look for pics of mine but don't think I have any. It was over 25 years ago.
 
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