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Hard Tops and Doors for a 74 Cj5

Discussion in 'Intermediate CJ-5/6/7/8' started by 74Cj5Guy, Jun 5, 2010.

  1. Jun 5, 2010
    74Cj5Guy

    74Cj5Guy Member

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    Since I bought my 74 Cj5 I have been looking around for a hard top and door set to install. As a college student who lives in the general chicago land are Im going to need a hardtop and door set for the winter, as all I have now is a brand new ragtop and door set.

    Where can I find them, what would I expect to pay, what versions fit my jeep. Honestly I have no idea what to look for as I am still very new to the jeep scene. So any help at all would be much appreciated.
     
  2. Jun 5, 2010
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

    Medford Mass USA
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    A search will bring up lots of discussion of this topic. It comes up again and again and again and again and again ... :sigh:

    Used hardtop is your only option. Anything for a CJ-5 from 55-75 will fit. A later top will not.
     
  3. Jun 5, 2010
    74Cj5Guy

    74Cj5Guy Member

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    Ahh thats right, the search function. I guess I should know better having been a member of several WW2 forums. The search function is all they talk about there lolz.
     
  4. Jun 5, 2010
    pathkiller

    pathkiller Member

    Lorton, VA
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    Rally Tops is making fiberglass hardtops and doors for CJ5's. They have the 76-83 versions available (but they ain't cheap!!), which you could use by swapping your windshield frame to a later model. They were supposedly developing a version for the 55-75 flavor of CJ5 but I don't see any updates on their site about it.

    http://www.rallytops.com/jeep/cj5.html
     
  5. Jun 5, 2010
    74Cj5Guy

    74Cj5Guy Member

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    I would ratehr keep my stock 74 windshield frame to be honest. Also money is a factor as I am a college student and I did just spend about $4,000 on my jeep a week ago so money is a bit tight.

    I did alot of searching on the forums here and feel I have a decent grasp on the harddoor/ tops now. I guess my new question is what is a good price to pay for a hardtop/ door set?
     
  6. Jun 5, 2010
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

    Medford Mass USA
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    Somewhere between $50 and $500?

    They are heavy and bulky, so not much sense to shipping one. If you find one locally, price will depend on how keen the seller is on getting rid of it, and how keen you are to buy it. Be sure to get all the parts - in particular, the front door hinges seem to be very scarce.
     
  7. Jun 5, 2010
    74Cj5Guy

    74Cj5Guy Member

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    Is there a place I happen to be able to buy front door hinges from? like maybe a reputable web site?
     
  8. Jun 5, 2010
    5foxes

    5foxes '74 CJ5

    Dayton, Minnesota
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    Last edited: Jun 5, 2010
  9. Jun 5, 2010
    74Cj5Guy

    74Cj5Guy Member

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    I really like the last one however its very far away.

    Im gonna post a want ad in the buy section of this forum for anyone with a hardtop and doors in good shape (as little rust as possible) who lives in Northern Illinois, Southern Wisconsin or northeastern Indiana that wants to sell a set for the $250 range. I say $250 not to be cheap but becuase Im a college student who can only afford that.
     
  10. Jun 6, 2010
    colojeepguy

    colojeepguy Colorado Springs

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    Maybe I'm wrong here, but I can remember, as a kid, riding around in a friends Jeep with an old metal hardtop in the winter & it wasn't very warm. It's just a big metal can, so condensation would build up inside & turn to ice. (It was also noisy & rattled like hell!!). Matbe the inside of the top could be insulated with carpet or something? Lets hear from some guys who live in cold climates & have a hardtop!
     
  11. Jun 6, 2010
    Davidleontruett

    Davidleontruett Member

    Darlington SC
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    if you have enough heater and a decent soft top i would think it would work out as it is. i know i read somewhere on here about someone putting in a second heater. those mojave heaters are supposed to kick butt and cost..$150ish?

    so i guess the question is...

    does a big tin can hold heat better than a big tarp?
     
  12. Jun 6, 2010
    74Cj5Guy

    74Cj5Guy Member

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    Hmmm, I was talking with my father about the whole hardtop vs soft top in the winter thing and he had this to say.

    He owned two Cj5 jeeps when he went to college at Denver Colorado University in the early 70s. Needless to say he no longer has either of his Lime green Cj5s as he rolled both of them down the side of a mountain while off roading........any way he said that he never had a problem with being too cold in the winter with his soft top jeeps and wondered why I would want a hardtop.

    I guess if they honestly dont keep you warmer then I guess I wont get one. However if I can get a set for the right price of $250 and they are in good condition I dont see why I shouldnt get a hardtp/ door set.
     
  13. Jun 6, 2010
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

    Medford Mass USA
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    Well, I've owned both, and in my experience, a hard top will really change the way your Jeep drives. The hard top puts a lot of steel up high wrt the COG, and you really notice the change in 'balance' with a steel cab. I might own a steel half cab under the right circumstances (super scarce compared to the full cabs) but I would not own another Jeep with a full steel cab.

    Hard for me to comment on the heating issues becasue of the warm climate where I had mine, but steel can't be any better of an insulator than fabric. Maybe you can seal the air leaks in a hard cab better, making it retain the heated air better than a soft top, but the closure of the steel cabs is far from perfect.

    Compared to another situation - conventional wisdom says you will be colder sleeping inside a car at night, as opposed to sleeping in the open on the ground. A tent is vastly warmer than sleeping in a car. The car acts as a big heat sink that carries away your body heat - open air (or a tent) is a much better insulator.

    The metal cab will close and lock, giving you some measure of security. However, they do rattle and shake (oil can effect) - no quieter than a soft top, even with all its flapping and whistling. The wind noise in a hard top is substantial too.

    Plus there's just all that extra weight ... lift one of the doors if you get a chance. Ooof!
     
  14. Jun 6, 2010
    Davidleontruett

    Davidleontruett Member

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    I would like to have one too. I'd actually prefer a half cab. just dont know if they would keep you any warmer. I'd pick up either one of them for 250$
     
  15. Jun 6, 2010
    74Cj5Guy

    74Cj5Guy Member

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    Well it sounds like Im gonna go with keeping the soft top then. I had a guy send me an e-mail with some pics of a great looking Meyers hardtop/ door set. He wanted more than I could spend so I had to decline as I didnt want to be disrespectfull and offer him less than half of what he wanted.
     
  16. Jun 6, 2010
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

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    You could write back and explain that you just can't afford the asking price. No disrespect in that. Tell him to get back to you if he can't get his price and still wants to sell. The demand for these tops is not great, and shipping is prohibitive. You might hear back in a month or two.
     
  17. Sep 8, 2010
    tmittan

    tmittan New Member

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    I have read a couple places that switching the windshield will allow you to use a later model top and doors but haven't actually seen where someone did this. Do you know for sure that this will work?
     
  18. Sep 8, 2010
    SIDSCJ

    SIDSCJ Jeep addict

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    Yes, it does work. Windshield angle and width are different on 76+ Cj5's. Tub and door openings are the same. W/s has to match the year of the top you're using. 55-75 or 76+. Done it with a soft top before. There are some differences in hinges and such, but it can be done.
     
  19. Sep 8, 2010
    pathkiller

    pathkiller Member

    Lorton, VA
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    Yes, I know for sure it will work. Sparky, the owner of this website has an early with a late windshield as I recall. Many others have done this as well.
     
  20. Sep 8, 2010
    Long&Low

    Long&Low Active Member

    Geauga County, OH
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    I did that on my '67. I used a YJ windshield frame. I need to invent some sort of defrost ducting.

    Two more thoughts on HT vs ST.

    You can scrape the ice off your glass windows in the winter. Plastic will and does crack.

    You can lock your Jeep up, the interior and your goodies is only a zipper or knife distance away.
     
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