97 soft top replacement suggestions

[RandyInFLA]

Howdy, all.
I've got a 97 Wrangler that I bought used... and replaced the top. Since I park it outside, the new top only lasted a few years before all the stitching came loose at the zippers, seams, etc. Any thoughts as to who makes a durable replacement? What options are out there to get rid of the vinyl half-windows on the doors? I will now make more of an effort to park it under cover.
On a side note...I assume that there's still no good solution to the underpowered 4 cylinder engine, other than replacing with something larger...?:lol:

Thanks.

Randy

 

[xt master]

I have a pavement ends soft top.It is 8 years old and my Jeep also sits out side.I do need a new top now for some of the same reasons but 8 years for under $400 isnt too bad.Now as far as your motor.There are some small things you can do to get a little extra HP,and yes they make a difference.First would be CAI or snorkel.E fan helps a lot.If you search the site you will find all kinds of mods right down to injector types.

 

[abe]

The biggest diffrence is do u have a stick or auto I have a stick with 4:10. Gears and 32"tires I have a CAI a flowmaster muffler 2.5" piping from the downpipe back and a high flow cat as well as a 62mm throttle body. It holds 70 real well on the highway and has a lil extra get up through the gears and my mpg hasn't suffered a bit still the same 16to19 depending on how I drive. Lol. As for the top I have a besttop and love it. I have had it on there for about 5 years and its looking good. I do take good care of it though with armor all.

 

[Robert_Stephens]

Hi Randy,

As a happy 45 year Jeep guy now, I have really been totally impressed with the Bestop option, as others have suggested. My latest is now 5 years old on my 1983 CJ-7, "VEX", and am thrilled with it. It also looks as it did the day I put it on. It is also bullet proof, as much as I am so very rough and tumble with equipment and VEX specifically. It wears very well, even in the Jungles of Central and South America, and here in the American SW, in NM, it just rocks.

With the oversized Zytel-Delrin zippers, new design fasteners, by default nothing fails. A real pleasure to run, take off or down or stow. And seems to be basically indestructible.

The compartmentalized design works perfect also if you just want the top, or top and sides, or lid and the back only, or any combination. Very fun and cool and never screws up, as the tops of old did.

Hope that is helpful.

Robert

 

[RandyInFLA]

I have a pavement ends soft top.It is 8 years old and my Jeep also sits out side.I do need a new top now for some of the same reasons but 8 years for under $400 isnt too bad.Now as far as your motor.There are some small things you can do to get a little extra HP,and yes they make a difference.First would be CAI or snorkel.E fan helps a lot.If you search the site you will find all kinds of mods right down to injector types.

Thanks for the info, the CAI and electric fan do make a lot of sense, given the tiny amount of horsepower the engine has to start with, I'll look into that.

Randy

 

[RandyInFLA]

The biggest diffrence is do u have a stick or auto I have a stick with 4:10. Gears and 32"tires I have a CAI a flowmaster muffler 2.5" piping from the downpipe back and a high flow cat as well as a 62mm throttle body. It holds 70 real well on the highway and has a lil extra get up through the gears and my mpg hasn't suffered a bit still the same 16to19 depending on how I drive. Lol. As for the top I have a besttop and love it. I have had it on there for about 5 years and its looking good. I do take good care of it though with armor all.

5 speed; I'd DIE if I had that tiny engine with an automatic. Not sure of the gear ratio, but it might well be 4.10. It will hold 70 OK too, about 80 indicated on the slightly oversize tires, max., on very flat ground. I might do the CAI and electric fan, but I'm not going to fool with spending a lot of money on the exhaust, injectors, etc. The only time I've checked the mileage was hammer-down highway miles, about 13MPG.

Thanks for the advice.

Randy

 

[RandyInFLA]

Hi Randy,

As a happy 45 year Jeep guy now,

Hope that is helpful.

Robert

Yes, Robert, very helpful. That's a sweet looking ride, wish I had it myself.
Very good info, much appreciated.

Randy

 

[RandyInFLA]

Yes, Robert, very helpful. That's a sweet looking ride, wish I had it myself.
Very good info, much appreciated.

Randy

Robert:
I just wanted to stop back in here and thank you for the suggestion.
I did get the "sailcloth" version of the BesTop, and, WOW, what a difference!
The Jeep had the OEM top on it when I got it 6 1/2 years ago, which I replaced with a cheapo top (I forget who made it, got it thru J.C. Whitney), and, now, for the first time, EVER, I can drive down the road @ 60MPH with the windows down, and HEAR the radio! It really makes the whole vehicle seem "better". It's almost like the engine runs better, because you don't hear it as much (stock exhaust). It was $700+, but the price difference is really only a few pennies a day over the life of the thing, even at the short lifespan of the previous version.
I took it through one of those automatic car washes, and, as you'd expect, it blew some water through the zippers, and over the top of the tailgate, but NONE around the windshield frame, and I don't think any came through the door weatherstripping. I'm not saying it's "perfect"--still have to fiddle with the velcro etc., to try to get all the weatherstripping to duck in when I shut the doors, but not a big deal.
NOT a complaint: I seemed to have to fight the thing every inch of the way, with that nagging doubt "maybe they made it wrong"...but I really think that's just because everything was made to a very tight tolerance. I had to move the Jeep out into the hot FL sun, and then pull on the frame with one hand, while trying to snap the latches to the windshield frame with the other hand, like the top was 3/4" too short...but it wasn't. Had to tug and tug and tug to get the skins on the window frame...but, again, a perfect fit in the end. The one thing I'd do differently, would be to watch the videos (2) on the mfr's website...BEFORE beginning instead of "during".

DISCLAIMER: I am in no way affilliated with BesTop, or whatever dealer it was that I ordered it through, and I'm not going to get as much as a nickel for this making this post. There's nothing in it for me, period.

I love my Jeep, but I'm not a true, die-hard Jeep guy, so I'm not likely to be hanging out here a lot, because I don't have a lot to add to the conversations. Thanks to everyone for the replies, I'll come crawling back next time something goes wrong.

To the person that PM'd me, I'm near Palmetto, FL. Apparently, since I don't have many posts, the system won't let me reply directly. Not a complaint, I appreciate the efforts that the Admins put into running this place, and I understand the need to take steps to keep things under control.

Thanks again to all.

Randy

Edited to add that the previous replacement top had a visible gap above the tailgate..