Nothing beats the thrill of installing your own Jeep parts on your vehicle, be it putting on a new set of tires, a different bumper or replacing your hard top with a softer version in summer.
Soft tops allow you to enjoy the wind in your hair, with the sun beating down on you as you explore the open roads or take your Jeep out on the local off-road trail. Let’s take a look at a few simple steps you will need to follow when installing a soft top to a Jeep Wrangler, of the most popular models available.
Step 1
Depending on the type of soft top you have purchased, you will in all probability start by installing the frame first. This structure is essential as the soft top will connect to it. It basically locks into place at two points on your Wrangler – the windshield at the front of the vehicle and the runner at the rear.
Step 2
Now you will begin with the placement of your soft top. Leave the windows off at this point, and place the rest of the soft top over the frame. Note the plastic runner on the front. This should be inserted into the retainer on the front windshield.
Step 3
Now it is time to start fitting the soft top by stretching it over the frame. Pay particular care when doing this as this Jeep part is somewhat fragile, especially if you do not have a soft top made from a more durable fabric. Remember to place the plastic runners into the rear retainers which are found in the corner of the frame. You may need to have someone inside your Wrangler at some point to help guide the process. They can also attach the soft top to the frame using the attachments found in the middle and rear of the frame itself.
Step 4
Now zip up the back passenger windows and secure the retainers into the runners provided. Each window will have two zips and two retainers.
Step 5
Begin the same process with the back window although there will now be three zippers as well as a retainer bar to slide onto the window itself. Do not forget to attach the ends of this bar into the metal runners.
Step 6
Onto the front window now. You will find three metal pins that each need to be placed into their retainers found on the door. Now take the corner of the window and put that on the door. This clicks into place on an attachment located on the door itself, near the windshield. Finally, you need to secure the window in place by putting the retainer into the runner.
Step 7
If your Wrangler has regular doors, you can skip this step. If not, secure the soft top to the attachments found over the driver and passenger windows along the frame. This keeps it securely in place.
There you have it! You have installed your soft top on your Wrangler. As this is one of the easier Jeep parts to fit, make sure you set aside around an hour to get the job done properly.