Why does everyone keep the hardtop on (1 Viewer)

[SteveH]

For years, I would take my hardtop off for a few weeks in the summer and get buffeted and rained on. I thought bikini tops were for Jeep sissies. I got a smoking deal on a bikini top a few years back, and wow - what a difference. You don't get fried by the sun and minor rain spits don't end up on the inside of the windshield and the inside of your glasses. I had never ridden in a bikini top setup and didn't know how nice some wind and sun protection could be.

So, don't be as pigheaded as I was - pull the top, put on a bikini top, and enjoy the topless fun. Beyond that, yes, pulling the top is a huge pain and all my would-be helpers are so old their shoulders are bad, so that makes it harder to find a person who is young and dumb enough to help.

 

[Catching Neutral]

My first 40 I took the top off in March and put it back on in November using a hoist. My wife loved it being warm and cozy for date nights in the winter and wind in your hair fun during the summer. I hope some day to share @jim land s solution. The perfect solution in my mind

 

[1911]

I took mine off every spring and put it back on every fall when I had a shop with a dedicated hoist system and could do it by myself. Like anything, it gets faster with practice. But I've moved, and at present don't have a good place to store the top when it's off, so I just take the hard doors off and run tube doors during the summer. It's toasty in the summer with the hard top and hard doors on.

Like others have already said, there are advantages and disadvantages to both off and on, depending on what the climate is like where you live. Personally, I think it is more fun to drive without the top, but I also get tired of the dust, wind noise, and not being able to wash it easily and eventually I'm glad to have the top on again, until the next summer.

 

[hairy_apple]

My favorite way to drive mine is no doors, top on. I still get the open feeling, but I have more storage room to pile up camping stuff, I have shade, it looks better, and my dog in the back is safer. I like topless, but it's a pain to take the top on and off and I just like it on a little better so I leave it on most of the time.

 

[bhsdriller]

I'm kind of scared to take mine off lol
Don't think it ever has been off. Seems like a hassle, no storage for it either

I actually don't really like how they look topless

 

[flx]

So, don't be as pigheaded as I was - pull the top, put on a bikini top, and enjoy the topless fun.

I'm still researching a way to put a bikini on a 40 without rollbar, some kind of very basic soft-top bows.

 

[pb4ugo]

Back in the 80's and 90's I used to drive my 40 daily. In March I would remove the top and wouldn't reinstall it until late fall. I'd just run a bikini top to block the sun or rain. I remember the most asked question I would get was, "What happens when it rains?" My standard answer was "I get wet." I always had rain gear and a jacket in the 40 all the time. When I rebuilt the 40 in the late 90's for street and harder trails I figured the top would get destroyed on the trails around here, so I designed the 40 so It would not have a top and I wheeled throughout the year, using bikini top and soft doors when it was raining or snowing. It was no longer a daily driver by then.

 

[Tancruiser]

They look to much like Jeeps with the top off and every time I’ve taken my top off it’ll rain for a month and I don’t have enough garage space to keep it inside.

 

[1FastBimmer]

I just took mine off for the first time, I don’t think it’s ever been off and it was hiding some serious rust on the tub tops, sold it the next day and got some bows for a soft top. Wasn’t that heavy just akward to lift it high enough to clear the pins. I think going soft top or topless adds to the appeal of the 40.

 

[FJBen]

Love driving my 40 with the top off. I used a soft-top all year the first year and ran it like a safari top in the summer. Gave me rain protection and bascially a bikini top feel.

I used the hard top in the winter when I got one and it was much better for the snow and weather and heating. It is a pain to take off.

Currently I have a BJ74 and they have a Fiberglass top which is lighter, but still a pain to take off. I hoist it off and its easier, about an hour for about 2 months out of the year. I run a bikini top as well on this but even with full doors on, rain still sucks and I live on a dirt road which make a ton of dirt everwhere.

I'd say its all dependent on where you live and whether or not you'll melt in the rain.


On a side note, I'm working on removable lexan windows for my hardtop on my BJ74. They are sliders anyways, but being able to pop them out to run a hard top without windows, and pop back in easily for weather would be sweet. Could work for a 40 top...

 

[Living in the Past]

I'm still researching a way to put a bikini on a 40 without rollbar, some kind of very basic soft-top bows.

When I bought my 79 FJ40 that is all it had was a bikini top and half side doors. Personally wasn't a fan because of the sides flapping at highway speeds. Years ago when bought a bikini top from Pakistan that used the windshield and tracks for on the door header. Because I'm using the B pillar soft top bow no roll bar require. Is on a 62 FST if you have the bows. FHT with the high B pillar of still there would be a little more challenging.

 

[cruiserkev]

My hardtop goes on in November and stays on through April most years. I use a hoist to lift it on and off by myself. In the off months, I switch back and forth between a bestop and bikini top depending on how wet it is here in western Washington. I'd love to have a factory soft top but would worry about destroying it on all the low hanging branches around here. Personally I don't care about looking like a jeep, these vehicles were modeled after them so the similarities are obvious. If you drive a FJ40, you're going to hear "nice jeep" whether the top is on or off anyway. I take it as a compliment and stopped trying to correct all the uninformed people years ago.

 

[1FastBimmer]

My hardtop goes on in November and stays on through April most years. I use a hoist to lift it on and off by myself. In the off months, I switch back and forth between a bestop and bikini top depending on how wet it is here in western Washington. I'd love to have a factory soft top but would worry about destroying it on all the low hanging branches around here. Personally I don't care about looking like a jeep, these vehicles were modeled after them so the similarities are obvious. If you drive a FJ40, you're going to hear "nice jeep" whether the top is on or off anyway. I take it as a compliment and stopped trying to correct all the uninformed people years ago.

Really off topic but we’re you on I-5 NB at like 5:30 this morning? Saw a green FJ40 that looks like yours!

 

[cruiserkev]

Really off topic but we’re you on I-5 NB at like 5:30 this morning? Saw a green FJ40 that looks like yours!

Wasn't me unfortunately, there are quite a few green ones around though especially North of me in King county.

 

[whitey45]

Try removing a Troopy top!!! Being in California, it’s top off 8 months a year, guess it helps to have a lift!

 

[OR tojo]

I put the top on when in starts raining, then park it for the worse months. In summer it is my daily driver with the summer top. Noticeably quieter with the top off, and seems like more get up and go. Took about an hour to get it off, i think it was the first time off in its 56 years.

 

[flx]

When I bought my 79 FJ40 that is all it had was a bikini top and half side doors. Personally wasn't a fan because of the sides flapping at highway speeds. Years ago when bought a bikini top from Pakistan that used the windshield and tracks for on the door header. Because I'm using the B pillar soft top bow no roll bar require. Is on a 62 FST if you have the bows. FHT with the high B pillar of still there would be a little more challenging.

Yeah I tough of that but the price of reproduction bows + the import is a lot of money just to put a bikini over it. A much simpler set of bows should be enough for a bikini.
Other solution would be to find OEM bows for a 43 and only use B pillar or shorten them but I would be a bit a shame to do that to an original set only to put a bikini on top. (43 are common over here and all softtop, 40 on the other hand were only available with hardtop so no used bows on the market)

View attachment 2387603View attachment 2387604

Here we're talking !
How your "rollbar" is installed on the tub ? It's homemade ?

 

[Living in the Past]

Yeah I tough of that but the price of reproduction bows + the import is a lot of money just to put a bikini over it. A much simpler set of bows should be enough for a bikini.
Other solution would be to find OEM bows for a 43 and only use B pillar or shorten them but I would be a bit a shame to do that to an original set only to put a bikini on top. (43 are common over here and all softtop, 40 on the other hand were only available with hardtop so no used bows on the market

The bikini top was already in the county, it was one of Eshan's @Southboston40 had. As for bows that is not a problem. My 73 FST is what I will use the bikini top on and it already has the OEM bows.

 

[pistonpete]

My solution is two 40 , one topless and one with the hardtop on .
No top and door is very fun to drive , but is not my daily driver

We all can't afford two 40"s..

 

[jim land]

I like my old stc soft top for how fast it take to put on and off ( 5 minutes ) , no doors and windshield down is the way I like the most, or with only the top , safari style