Drilling Hard Top

[mtbjeep]

Hi all. I have drilled multiple holes in my hardtop before but being small (<1/4") I never concerned myself with the structural integrity of the top itself.

I'm planning on drilling two larger 1-1/8" diameter holes thru the side at the location shown in this pic. It is a very thin vertical area of the top and likely not responsible for carrying much load but I wanted to check in here before the fiberglass starts flying in case someone far smarter than I finds fault in the plan.

For reference I will be installing 2 receptacles into the side of the top; 1 will be a 12v socket leading to my Goal Zero for when the fridge is outside and the second will be an Anderson plug wired to the Goal Zero so that I can plug my solar panels directly into the jeep.

Appreciate your thoughts - Thanks

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[Grayhound]

I damaged a hard top, and felt inclined to play around with it. I don’t think that adds a bunch of strength.

 

[mtbjeep]

Wow! I guess not.

 

[Hard Rock Jeep]

Large round holes are drilled/formed in steel webbing all the time to save weight and create no loss of strength.

 

[Bayrat]

I'd probably be looking for a different place to install the plugs, perhaps at the front or rear bumper, but, you should be able to reinforce that top once you drill, simply by installing a backing plate via glassing from the inside (if it appears too thin at that point). Put some heavy tape on the area before drilling to avoid chipping the finish on the outside.

 

[ELJL]

Large round holes are drilled/formed in steel webbing all the time to save weight and create no loss of strength.

But not just anywhere; there’s some strategy behind it (believe it or not).

 

[Hard Rock Jeep]

But not just anywhere; there’s some strategy behind it (believe it or not).

Certainly true. The point is that round holes do not create much or any issue in material considered filler or webbing vs load bearing. The OP needs to pay attention to this. I have drilled a number of holes in hardtops for roof racks with no concern for structural integrity.

 

[JLRyder]

I think you will be fine with the hole for the plug housing, only issue is if you must drill screws to mount the plug. Might not be much there to play with. Maybe you can use one designed with a compression style fit or jam nut on the backside.

 

[mtbjeep]

I think you will be fine with the hole for the plug housing, only issue is if you must drill screws to mount the plug. Might not be much there to play with. Maybe you can use one designed with a compression style fit or jam nut on the backside.

Good call. Both plugs are compression style. Thanks!

 

[ELJL]

Certainly true. The point is that round holes do not create much or any issue in material considered filler or webbing vs load bearing. The OP needs to pay attention to this. I have drilled a number of holes in hardtops for roof racks with no concern for structural integrity.

It’s all load bearing… just critical or non critical.

 

[1Evil55]

I was surprised last weekend to find out how flexible they are. Was in the process of taking the top off for the nice weather we had. Had all bolts out besides the passenger up front. Got sidetracked and came back ready to lift. It was about 2' up before realizing the front passenger side still attached. Lowered quickly and got the bolt out ready to lift properly. Surprising I found no cracks or anything out of ordinary. I would think with a backer plate you won't experience any issue assuming the plugs don't have any major weight pulling on it.

 

[Hard Rock Jeep]

The truth is that the hard top is not really designed to support a lot of weight. It keeps the inside in and the outside out. If you want to improve the load bearing to 264# and be able to install a roof rack one day, you might want to look at a Rhino Rack Backbone system. I have installed two of them and have an extra RJLB1 (Google it) that I can make an attractive offer on if you want it. DM me if you do.

 

[mtbjeep]

The truth is that the hard top is not really designed to support a lot of weight. It keeps the inside in and the outside out. If you want to improve the load bearing to 264# and be able to install a roof rack one day, you might want to look at a Rhino Rack Backbone system. I have installed two of them and have an extra RJLB1 (Google it) that I can make an attractive offer on if you want it. DM me if you do.

I have a Gobi rack so additional carrying capacity is not a concern. Thank you.

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