Double wall hardtop bolt

[Senorx470]

So I just figured out today that I have been driving around with only the windshield frame bolts and the rear bracket bolted to the bed. I did a search and could only find the size of the 10 bed bolts, but not the length. I understand they are 5/16" bolts, correct? How long do they need to be? Any particular bolts I should be looking for? Going to the hardware store in the morning. Anybody have pics of the factory bed bolts?

Thanking my lucky stars my top didn't fly off on the highway.

 

[lamberthkp]

Dang lucky you didn't loose it. I looked in the shop for some I had taken out of my 69 before a tree crushed it but no luck. . . . . . of coarse I put them up not to loose them but can't remember where.

 

[sponsoredbydad]

When I was using mine, I screwed in studs so I could put a nut on a bolt and not have to screw around trying to find the hole and lining the little holes up. I think I may have only had 2 good holes on ea side anyways. My best advise is DITCH THE HARD TOP. As far as length I think a 1 inch will be fine. the stock ones were pointed so to aid in finding the hole. You know that they thread into crappy inserts right,so be ginger and good luck,cuz if you over torque them they turn into spinners and then just try getting them out

 

[K85 Octane]

I have some extras from my 85, are they the same?

 

[Greg72]

Thanking my lucky stars my top didn't fly off on the highway.

I think you've got that backward.

It pretty clear that you've never driven "al fresco" in you 1st Gen yet..... Once you do, there won't be any enthusiasm for hardtop restoration or parts scrounging......


-G

 

[Senorx470]

I think you've got that backward.

It pretty clear that you've never driven "al fresco" in you 1st Gen yet..... Once you do, there won't be any enthusiasm for hardtop restoration or parts scrounging......


-G

This isn't the first time your hardtop animosity has been directed at me.

 

[Greg72]

This isn't the first time your hardtop animosity has been directed at me.

You seem like a slow learner.










-G

 

[Senorx470]

You seem like a slow learner.










-G

I guess I haven't fully embraced the topless life. I'm going to a softop.........eventually. I guess I just want to have the hardtop option if ever needed.

 

[Greg72]

Hardtops make great fixtures to brace door openings during rust repair....

Once that's completed it's really hard to think of anything positive to say about them.


Remember, you are going to pay a "premium" for 1st Gen parts vs later model K5s. If you don't pull the top and enjoy the unique topless experience... you may as well be driving a late-model Blazer, and saving money to boot!

-G

 

[rdn2blazer]

And this is the reason why my plan to have made a fully Carbon fiber/Kevlar K5 top is still something I would love to have made someday. Stock tops make your life hell. A super light 30lb K5 top you could lift off yourself with ease and still stand on would be bad freakin ass. I was only quoted $2000 to $2500 for it as long as I provided the mold, which was easy to do. And that was for a non polished type look to the carbon fiber. The polished look was more money and I didn't want that anyways. I said I wanted to just paint it to match my K5. How freakin bad ass would that be right? And I completely built my cage inside my hard top. MAN! If I ever win lotto.....

 

[Greg72]

And this is the reason why my plan to have made a fully Carbon fiber/Kevlar K5 top is still something I would love to have made someday. Stock tops make your life hell. A super light 30lb K5 top you could lift off yourself with ease and still stand on would be bad freakin ass. I was only quoted $2000 to $2500 for it as long as I provided the mold, which was easy to do. And that was for a non polished type look to the carbon fiber. The polished look was more money and I didn't want that anyways. I said I wanted to just paint it to match my K5. How freakin bad ass would that be right? And I completely built my cage inside my hard top. MAN! If I ever win lotto.....

You might steal a page from the Jeep crowd and do a 3-piece design like the newest Rubicon has (and probably other JKs as well).

The front areas over the front passengers is removable similar to a T-Top configuration, and the rear section becomes lighter and easier to manage as a result..... all fiberglass, no exotic materials required.

I'm sure without much trouble you could even rework their clip/fastener system for the windshield header and to lock the individual pieces together. Maybe not as sexy as doing something in CF, but probably a lot cheaper. It would also give you the option to run with just the front panels removed for a fresh-air experience... and you could keep the panels inside and quickly re-install if the weather suddenly turned sour (not a real likely circumstance in So Cal where you live, but nice for people elsewhere!)

A buddy of mine just picked up a 2014 Rubicon for himself, and you can BET that I'm checking out all the little details about how they do weatherproofing of the hardtop, softtop, etc.... there's no reason to reinvent EVERYTHING on your build. Sometimes a little bit of blatant copying saves time.


-G



-G

 

[sponsoredbydad]

This is where my top has resided for the last 10 or so years. I too thought I may need it SOMETIME, but so far no, what a wast of storage space. I swear one day I'll just sawzall the living poop out of it and be done.

 

[ashman]

A buddy of mine just picked up a 2014 Rubicon for himself, and you can BET that I'm checking out all the little details about how they do weatherproofing of the hardtop, softtop, etc.... there's no reason to reinvent EVERYTHING on your build. Sometimes a little bit of blatant copying saves time.

My mom just bought one of those 4 door jeeps too and the top is pretty slick. I'd love to copy some of the ideas some day.

As far as the hard top goes, I stored mine for over 10 years before chopping it down to just a safari top type deal (check my build thread if you're interested). I was hoping to make it light enough to be easy to take on and off. No dice. It's still heavy and awkward as hell and hasn't been back on since last year.

Plus, I'll tell you this too. I drive my truck around town a fair amount. It's big and yellow so I get a fair amount of people looking at it, but something happens when the soft top is down... people come up and talk to me about it, I get thumbs up driving down the road and the chicks heads turn. Topless is definitely the way to go!

 

[Senorx470]

Found this on the inter web and thought I would post for future reference.

Double wall top

visor bolt, 5/16-18, 2.375 long with 1.375 shoulder, hex, qty 2
bed bolts, 5/16-18, .875 or 1.00 long, w/washer, hex, qty 10
top to bracket, 5/16-18, .625 long, w/lock washer, panhead phillips #3, qty 4
frame to bracket, 5/16-18, 1.00 long, w/small washer, hex, qty 2
rear plate, 5/16-18, 1.00 long, hex, qty 6

 

[Greg72]

Now start researching the replacement costs for all the rubber seals on the hardtop (header, doors, hatch, side glass, etc).

I'll bet you're in for $500 worth of new rubber for a worthless hardtop.

And if the rear hatch corners are blown-out or the latch / rod areas are missing the costs will REALLY skyrocket...


-G

 

[A1971Blazer]

Now start researching the replacement costs for all the rubber seals on the hardtop (header, doors, hatch, side glass, etc).

I'll bet you're in for $500 worth of new rubber for a worthless hardtop.

And if the rear hatch corners are blown-out or the latch / rod areas are missing the costs will REALLY skyrocket...


-G

But just think of all the "fun" you'd miss out on while repairing it!

 

[ashman]

Now start researching the replacement costs for all the rubber seals on the hardtop (header, doors, hatch, side glass, etc).

I'll bet you're in for $500 worth of new rubber for a worthless hardtop.

And if the rear hatch corners are blown-out or the latch / rod areas are missing the costs will REALLY skyrocket...


-G

I'm having trouble following... are you for or against hard tops?

 

[mac907]

Nice post, I checked the double wall top on my 71' Jimmy and I'm in the same boat with only having the windshield bolts in place Being in AK I'd prefer a hard top most of the year given temps ranging into the -60s during the colder months. I like the idea mentioned of making studs as opposed to putting bolts into liners that are prone to failure.

 

[bp71k5]

Don't worry, once the studs are in, they'll gouge the paint as you try to line up all the studs while wrestling the top on, then they rust into the threaded liners cause the inside of the top has no air circulation to let moisture out, which makes the rusted studs spin around just like the bolt.

 

[diesel4me]

Sounds like a good place to use stainless studs or bolts,with lots of never-seize...

That wont solve the gouging problem though...maybe some "camper tape" foam stuff that self adheres to the top bed rail will help there...

Having "walked" the fiberglass top off my '72 K5 several times alone,I know how heavy they were ,and suck to remove!..best thing I did to get around that was to borrow a Reese truck cap hoist my brother had bought at an auction,it was similar to an engine hoist only the thing was wide enough to straddle the truck,and had two "steering" tires in the center at the rear (sort of like a backwards tricycle)...with that thing and a few ratchet straps taking the roof off was easy and a lot less dangerous...and you could lower it precisely into place with no sliding or struggling to line the bolts up//

I had been using a pair of sawhorses placed behind the truck previously and it was a back breaker of a job..