The saga of my Rampage (or any other brand) soft top installation:

Mine does not look like that at all. It's got like chuck wagon style bows. One in the back and one in the middle. Both are literally "C" shaped and are mounted to the body and swing up.

No wonder this thing isn't fitting!
 
Yup. In order for the top you bought to work, you will have to get a oem style frame, unfortunately. Or, fortunately, as the type you have actually sucks pretty bad as a soft top frame system, in my experience.
 
My fingers thank you from the bottom of my heart. LMAO! I have struggled with this damn thing for over a week now. EVeryday (except when it's raining) pushing, pulling and cajoling this damn thing into place. My hands hurt. My shoulders hurt. My arm joints hurt. My brain hurts. lmao! Thank god we have an answer!
 
Does yours look like this?

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Please tell me you can adapt the LJ model to the TJ by cutting that off? I just bought an LJ surround set off ebay and the guy said it was the same as TJ. Or maybe it's a TJ that he thought would fit both. I don't know.
Should not be a problem, the surrounds are otherwise 100% identical from what I can see. I'm not even sure you have to cut the connecter off, I'd suggest trying it and see if it interferes with anything.

Where in CA are you located? I'm in the SF Bay area, if you are nearby, perhaps I could stop by and see if I could help sort out your top.
 
Should not be a problem, the surrounds are otherwise 100% identical from what I can see. I'm not even sure you have to cut the connecter off, I'd suggest trying it and see if it interferes with anything.

Where in CA are you located? I'm in the SF Bay area, if you are nearby, perhaps I could stop by and see if I could help sort out your top.


Thank you so much. But I'm in El Segundo. Right next to LAX. I think if I can find an oem frame and header. I'm going to be all set. I think that's what the problem here is. It should go on completely differently with an oem frame. What I have appears to be a BEstop Supertop frame.
 
Where do the soft top bow brackets go on a 97-02 TJ? And could the holes for them be hidden under my roll bar padding?

Trying to see if I have them. Because I need them. But not finding much. This is a diagram of a JK (IIRC). Just wondering if it's the same place? Brackets are very similar.

I'm not seeing or feeling any brackets thru the roll bar padding. I guess this means I need them. And will have to cut my roll bar padding to make them accessible?

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These are the brackets in question:

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Where do the soft top bow brackets go on a 97-02 TJ? And could the holes for them be hidden under my roll bar padding?

Trying to see if I have them. Because I need them. But not finding much. This is a diagram of a JK (IIRC). Just wondering if it's the same place? Brackets are very similar.

I'm not seeing or feeling any brackets thru the roll bar padding. I guess this means I need them. And will have to cut my roll bar padding to make them accessible?

View attachment 72774

These are the brackets in question:

View attachment 72775

Yes, they go on the rollbar under the padding. The vertical part of the roll bar behind the driver and passenger seat should have a slit for it in the padding about mid-way between the top of the tub and the top of the roll bar. Peal off the padding and you should see two threaded holes. Mount the brackets, then replace the padding. They do not go on the slanted part of the roll bar, as illustrated in your picture. I found a picture of what it should look like, and circled where the brackets mount. (the picture is for an unlimited, which uses a different frame setup, but still illustrates where your brackets go)
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Yes, they go on the rollbar under the padding. The vertical part of the roll bar behind the driver and passenger seat should have a slit for it in the padding about mid-way between the top of the tub and the top of the roll bar. Peal off the padding and you should see two threaded holes. Mount the brackets, then replace the padding. They do not go on the slanted part of the roll bar, as illustrated in your picture.


Thank you.

I found the brackets on Amazon prime for about $35 by saturday. No screws. The screws are not Prime and run $15 for 4 of them.

Does anybody know the specs on these screws?

So I can pick them up from McMaster-Carr or know of a place that you can buy small bulk quantity for less?

If I had the correct size I could probably find a working set at my local hardware store. They have a fittings section that's pretty well equipped. I see these being used on a few places on a Jeep. These must be standard sized screws.

Trying to do this on this upcoming "sunny" saturday. The screws are all that's holding me back.

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Those bolts you have pictured look similar to bumper end cap bolts. If so, they are impossible to find OEM. I bought some off of ebay and they literally rusted in a day.

My gas surround uses regular screws that are not that robust. This bracket does take some constant pressure so that might be something to keep in mind.
 
I have a Rampage soft top. With their frame. It uses their front header, the one that you posted, that bolts to the windshield frame and has the channel on it that the plastic edge of the front of the top slides into. Like someone just above mentioned above, to install my top, I install my frame to the Jeep and the header channel. I then slide the front leading plastic edge in the channel on the header bar. I then go to the rear of the Jeep and pull the top out nice and straight, over the frame and lock the rear corner edges in to the rail on the body. It may be a little tight. You may have to gently pull down on the top, applying a little pressure to your frame in order to get the corner edges under the body rail. I then wrap my door areas around the supplied door surrounds, then I wrap the interior Velcro wraps around the front bow and rear bow, install my side windows and rear window. I do this usually in November. Typically it’s 40-50* F. I’ll bring the top inside for a few hours that’s morningto warm it up. It goes on smooth every time. You shouldn’t be having this much difficulty. I mean it’s a little confusing for a first timer, but it sounds like you are mix matching parts or we are overlooking something.

The frame I have, has their metal, framed door surrounds. It doesn’t use factory style surrounds.

I don’t know, but I feel like you trying to put a frameless top on a Jeep with a frame?
 
Whatever bolts you use will get covered up by the roll bar padding.

I know. I'm just being a stickler. lol. I bought new 03-06 seats from my wrecking yard. They're gonna throw in some of those screws in the shipment. In the meantime I'll just swipe 4 of them from my gas cap surround.

I noticed yesterday that I got some water in my tub. And a small amount of mold growing at the bottom of one of the roll bars. SO I'll pull that carpet and put those seats in next. AFter cleaning my tub. And laying down some sound deadener and heat shield. Still putting together funds for new ACC carpet from Rockauto. That stuff looks to be the best. During that I should be ready to paint some interior pieces too maybe. At least my door panels and roll bar padding.

I really want to paint my back seat. It's a cream colored Bestop seat. So a nice seat. But just stands out color wise from the rest of the car. And I don't have funds to replace it. I've been reading up and watching videos on painting fabric seats. And I think if I use good SEM paint and apply it right. (SEM and Duplicolor have great how to videos.) It could work. I rarely will have anyone in that back seat. SO I doubt it will take much if any wear. Some of the videos look like fail. But others, done properly, look good.