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Taking off soft top framing?

ejewels

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Hey all,

I have the factory soft top on my '21 willys. After taking all the doors off and having the soft top frame still visible, I had the thought that it would be cooler if you could easily remove the frame to get even more "open air" experience. Anyone remove parts of the soft top frame for this reason when going topless/doorless? Are there any aftermarket soft top solutions that solve for this at all? I just think the jeep looks so much better without any of the soft top framing.
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GATORB8

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It's removable, just a handful of bolts. If you watch a YT video of a swap from soft to hard top, it should walk you through it.
 

Unheard

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Two bolts (if I recall) per frame piece and they pop off easily.
 

keeperman13

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they are right, if you really wanted to, you could probably take off the parts you wanted in about 10 minutes. And then, 10 minutes to get it back on. Some guy on Youtube took all of that off and put his hard top on in 17 minutes all on camera.
 
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ejewels

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thanks guys. Are there aftermarket options that are more like the hard top, but a soft top? Would be cool if they all were just panels you could remove... and the frame would be built into the panels you take off.
 

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HammeredGold

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I take them off every time i take my doors/soft top off. Get an electric ratchet and they'll come off in a hurry.
 

6th Floor Mule

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I take them off every time i take my doors/soft top off. Get an electric ratchet and they'll come off in a hurry.
Good to know, thanks! How many attachment points? Someone mentioned 4, but I see a min of 8 for the roll bar alone.
 

HammeredGold

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Good to know, thanks! How many attachment points? Someone mentioned 4, but I see a min of 8 for the roll bar alone.
It's 4 total pieces. Each one held on with 2 bolts, so 8 bolts. I also take off my soft top entirely and that is 2 bolts on each side as well.
 

Terpsmandan

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I used to pull the frame off my JK but with a JLU you're going to have to unbolt the soft top frame from the brackets on the D pillar and remove it from the glide frame, then remove the 8 bolts that hold the door surrounds to the bars. I agree it looks better but IMO that is a lot of work.
 

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Took this guy less than 6 minutes to remove entire soft top and channels.

 

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ejewels

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I used to pull the frame off my JK but with a JLU you're going to have to unbolt the soft top frame from the brackets on the D pillar and remove it from the glide frame, then remove the 8 bolts that hold the door surrounds to the bars. I agree it looks better but IMO that is a lot of work.
I’d be open to aftermarket soft tops and just sell what I currently have if one exists that’s easier to take everything off/ put back on. Like a frameless panels kind of thing.
 

Terpsmandan

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I do not think that there is anything out there that will allow that. We all wanted a top that was easy to put up and down but they are all not so easy to remove as the JK tops. Also JL tops don't have knobs for the surrounds. It was like they wanted us to pull all of it off and with the JL they (FCA) don't.
 
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ejewels

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I do not think that there is anything out there that will allow that. We all wanted a top that was easy to put up and down but they are all not so easy to remove as the JK tops. Also JL tops don't have knobs for the surrounds. It was like they wanted us to pull all of it off and with the JL they (FCA) don't.
I've seen a few fastback tops that leave less of a "frame" behind and when in sunrider mode they don't have as much material bunching up as well.
 

6th Floor Mule

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It's 4 total pieces. Each one held on with 2 bolts, so 8 bolts. I also take off my soft top entirely and that is 2 bolts on each side as well.
Cool, thanks! I’ve often wondered if quick release pins would work, and expedite the process. They come in all shapes, sizes, sheer strength, etc. Not a year round solution or for blasting down the interstate at 85 mph, but maybe a Summer around town solution.

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Terpsmandan

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I've seen a few fastback tops that leave less of a "frame" behind and when in sunrider mode they don't have as much material bunching up as well.
I have a factory soft top and she has a Bestop Trektop Ultra and when folded down it does not go down as far as the factory top. Both are ungainly when folded but all of the mechanical origami does go up and down easier.....
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