Hard top soft sides...

[peteinjp]

I'm just kicking this idea around. The soft top is way cool but it has some inherent issues in terms of practicality. It is vunerable to tearing/wear due from trees and branches. It is hard to come up with a good roof rack system. Its not that easy to take off. If fitting a roof rack and a cage as well youmend up with 3different tube systems.

So my thought is this: roll cage that supports a hard top with movable soft sides. The top could also be removed with say 6bolts. Roof rack could be the standard gutter clamp type and in the event that your rolling with the top off you can just use the roll cage to mount a rack.

What say ye? Worth considering? Seems pretty simple to me. Anyone seen such a setup before?



Pete

 

[reddingcruiser]

I hear a guitar and banjo duet in the distance!

 

[cjgoode]

There is a picture of one somewhere, I actually liked the idea. there is Also one where they took the hard top sides and put a soft top roof on it. Many pictures if people who used the hard top lid to use like a bikini top. they look real cool to me, so adding some sides to that concept sounds like a winner to me.

 

[baja1d]

Had the same idea. Hard top with zip off sides. Thought I'd bring this thread back and see if any pictures show up...

 

[pbgbottle]

see here from 2007 only a couple of pics tho..

https://forum.ih8mud.com/40-55-series-tech/154382-using-hard-top-bikini-style.html#post2150263

 

[Tigerstripe40]

You could put tube receivers at 4 corners of the truck, have a couple of hoops bent up and then you can have a roof rack that goes over a soft top. Mount a roof rack to those hoops and then you can haul whatever up there.

Though, what do you really need to carry in an FJ40 that warrants a roof rack?
I don't like the idea of carrying that much weight up high -throws your center of gravity off and can cause a potential roll over on a trail -if you use your rig that way.

Two people can camp comfortably out of a soft top equipped FJ40 for a week without carrying any gear on the roof or in a trailer.

 

[peteinjp]

I think this idea really has merit- but I just don't have time to get it figured out. As for the roof rack I need it more for hauling lumber etc on a regular basis rather than for camping etc.

 

[baja1d]

For me CO's environmental elements are pretty extreme when it come to UV items; similar to I un-painted steel near the ocean. I'm not complaining but this includes humans as well. Honestly I just can see not having a top but zip off sides would be sweet. Think I'm gonna look for a top at start playing with the bender!!!