Transporting soft top with hard top on

glwood

Jeepless
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Albuquerque, NM
Has anyone tried, or knows if the folded down oem soft top on the bows can fit inside a TJ with the hard top on, in any configuration? I know that the bows and fabric come rolled up behind the rear seat when it came new with the dual top option (mine was still that way when I bought it), but was wondering if it could fit that way again, or even with the bows removed from the roll bar brackets and put in any other way...

I'm guessing it would fit ok if you removed the fabric from the bows and header...
 
My factory soft top would fit tucked behind the seat in the closed position with the hardtop on. I didn't need to remove any parts.
 
I have a similar but different questions I just bought a 2006 unlimited rubicon in Colorado with both soft and hard tops. The soft top is currently installed. I am picking it up to drive it back to Minnesota this weekend. If I remove the soft top and put the hard top on, will the soft top with all of its framing and hardware fit in the back of the jeep?
 
Make sure the “mucket” seals remain in place when you remove the surrounds. Some are held in place with a plastic rivet some are not, this is where lots of folks have leaks, either from damage or getting lost. Also get all the fasteners in loosely and align everything before latching the top and tightening the hardware.
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If I remove the soft top and put the hard top on, will the soft top with all of its framing and hardware fit in the back of the jeep?

I think there are two ways to go about this. When I sold my '01 TJ, I folded the soft top down and then disconnected the frame from the roll bar brackets and put the hard top on. If you leave the frame connected to the brackets, the folded top rests too far back to fit the hard top. You can also remove the sailcloth and then disassemble the frame. The entire LJ soft top kit comes in a single box. You only need a phillips head screwdriver to break it down.
 
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Good info, I think this is what I plan to do. My main concern was being able to fit the entire soft top with hardware and frame in the back of the jeep. Sounds like that won't be a problem Thanks guys.
 
Good info, I think this is what I plan to do. My main concern was being able to fit the entire soft top with hardware and frame in the back of the jeep. Sounds like that won't be a problem Thanks guys.

Maybe you could follow up with a photo. I looked around and could not find any photos of a TJ or LJ soft top under a hard top.

It'd be nice to see your new LJR as well. When I started looking for a new Jeep in 2011-2012, I could not find any clean TJs around the Twin Cities - every single one had serious rust issues. After looking for months, I finally decided to just buy a new JK instead but while I was at Park Jeep I looked at an '05 LJ they had and found that it had just come up from Arkansas. I couldn't pass up a perfectly clean LJ so that's what I bought instead.
 
Has anyone tried, or knows if the folded down oem soft top on the bows can fit inside a TJ with the hard top on, in any configuration? I know that the bows and fabric come rolled up behind the rear seat when it came new with the dual top option (mine was still that way when I bought it), but was wondering if it could fit that way again, or even with the bows removed from the roll bar brackets and put in any other way...

I'm guessing it would fit ok if you removed the fabric from the bows and header...
Yes, all dual tops shipped from the factory this way when new, with the soft top on but the bows were all stowed down. I bought mine used from a dealer and it was stored that way when I bought it. But that was 10 years ago.... my memory is only good for 9.