Replace a standard Hardtop to Sky One Touch

[BoatTox]

After seeing my brother’s SOT top I’m now interested as it seems like the best of both worlds for our family. I spoke with my local Jeep dealership and they are unwilling to consider installing a SOT no matter the money. They admitted they just don’t want to do it. I asked them if they repaired/replaced SOT in Jeeps that had been damaged in wrecks and they do, just not interested in running wiring and doing the work. I know some people don’t like their SOT and have removed them and even offer them for sale with everything.
Does anyone have experience with a dealership or Jeep Shop that has successfully placed a SOT. As much mods as people do, it seems like the wiring wouldn’t be that big of a deal and I could use my aux switches if nothing else to power it? Any help would be appreciated.
I know there is a fully powered soft top for sale, but I’m worried about the sound. They claim it is quieter than the hard top, but I plan to drive this across the country many times in the next 5 years and I don’t want a top that pops and snaps at 75 mph. I had a very nice BesTop for my TJ and it was great for local stuff, but three hour trips lead to fatigue from the noise. Also we use most of the back cargo area and I’m worried we would lose some of that as well.

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[four low]

There is a Step-by-step thread on installing a complete Take Off SOT on a standard JLU.
Your title says " converting a hard top to a SOT" that is something else entirely.
Do a Search for the former, see if it would work for you ?

 

[entropy]

I had a very nice BesTop for my TJ and it was great for local stuff, but three hour trips lead to fatigue from the noise. Also we use most of the back cargo area and I’m worried we would lose some of that as well.

You are comparing TJ to JL. Even tho it is a besttop, the JL tops are vastly superior than older jeep tops. I am surprised the dealer doesnt want to do the job, to me it sounds like they just dont want customers to come back because the install isnt perfect. They either have a bad experience with these tops or they have never done it and dont want to spend time learning something that nobody will ever request again.

I'd encourage you to take a look at the premium softop. I had a 2018 JL with the sailcloth softop and we took it on 5+hrs trips. I had a passenger on the back once that didn't realize it was a soft top until we got to Yosemite and took the top off.

The softop will give you a full Jeep experience, where the entire top comes off. And it is really easy to do so. Then you also get to keep the hardtop and you can switch them as you like.

If you really do want the SOT you will be better off doing the work yourself. Good luck!

P.S. you should rename your title to "replace" instead of "convert". A conversion indicates you want to keep your hardtop and modify it to resemble a SOT. I don't think anyone has done that, but I've seen some crazy custom work done by Jeep enthusiasts.

 

[BoatTox]

You are comparing TJ to JL. Even tho it is a besttop, the JL tops are vastly superior than older jeep tops. I am surprised the dealer doesnt want to do the job, to me it sounds like they just dont want customers to come back because the install isnt perfect. They either have a bad experience with these tops or they have never done it and dont want to spend time learning something that nobody will ever request again.

I'd encourage you to take a look at the premium softop. I had a 2018 JL with the sailcloth softop and we took it on 5+hrs trips. I had a passenger on the back once that didn't realize it was a soft top until we got to Yosemite and took the top off.

The softop will give you a full Jeep experience, where the entire top comes off. And it is really easy to do so. Then you also get to keep the hardtop and you can switch them as you like.

If you really do want the SOT you will be better off doing the work yourself. Good luck!

P.S. you should rename your title to "replace" instead of "convert". A conversion indicates you want to keep your hardtop and modify it to resemble a SOT. I don't think anyone has done that, but I've seen some crazy custom work done by Jeep enthusiasts.

Thank you for the input. That’s what I was hoping for someone with experience to tell me about some of this.

I see people soft tops available all the time for sale so I’m sure I could pick one up pretty easy or order one directly from Jeep.

I will change the title of the thread. Again thank you for posting

 

[BoatTox]

You are comparing TJ to JL. Even tho it is a besttop, the JL tops are vastly superior than older jeep tops. I am surprised the dealer doesnt want to do the job, to me it sounds like they just dont want customers to come back because the install isnt perfect. They either have a bad experience with these tops or they have never done it and dont want to spend time learning something that nobody will ever request again.

I'd encourage you to take a look at the premium softop. I had a 2018 JL with the sailcloth softop and we took it on 5+hrs trips. I had a passenger on the back once that didn't realize it was a soft top until we got to Yosemite and took the top off.

The softop will give you a full Jeep experience, where the entire top comes off. And it is really easy to do so. Then you also get to keep the hardtop and you can switch them as you like.

If you really do want the SOT you will be better off doing the work yourself. Good luck!

P.S. you should rename your title to "replace" instead of "convert". A conversion indicates you want to keep your hardtop and modify it to resemble a SOT. I don't think anyone has done that, but I've seen some crazy custom work done by Jeep enthusiasts.

An additional question, would you buy the bestop full soft top or the one from Mopar? I think bestop makes both but just wondered if you had a preference.

 

[entropy]

An additional question, would you buy the bestop full soft top or the one from Mopar? I think bestop makes both but just wondered if you had a preference.

Id buy whichever you get the best deal from. Just find a premium softop jeep in a lot (if you can lol) and schedule a test drive.

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