Jeep Wrangler Hardtop and How to Remove It

It is hard to spot a Jeep outside of the street. As car owners, we all love to have one of those vehicles to go out for a spin. Not only is it gorgeous, the Jeep Wrangler is also amazingly strong and suitable for many terrains. It is also famous for the hardtop. To be more specific, the Wrangler hardtop brings various advantages. However, the only downside of this car is that you need to remove the hardtop first, and it is not easy to take off. Even with the upgrade in the car top’s design, it is still a complicated task. 

What if we tell you, the Jeep hardtop removal process is not that complicated? All you need is the help from a friend or family member, the required tools and this tutorial to remove the hardtop in a second. Our car expert will provide you information about two types of Jeep Wrangler’s top, as well as the way to remove it.

The Hardtop of Jeep Wrangler

When choosing the Wrangler for your own, it is crucial to know what kind of top you want, since the Jeep is famous for the ability of customizability. Their Wrangler models are the greatest examples. In this article, we will focus on the hardtop with all of its features, both good and bad, for car enthusiasts to decide.

Hardtop is the famous feature of Jeep Wrangler (Photo source: Pexels)

Benefits and Drawback of The Hardtop

Benefits

There are many advantages to having the Jeep Wrangler’s hard top, especially for your driving experience. In this list, we will provide the main 4 benefits of the hard top: 

Insulation

The first advantage of the hardtop is the insulation. All Jeep Wrangler’s drivers can admit that driving a soft top vehicle in the winter is difficult. The reason for this is that it is hard to keep the whole car warm. On the other hand, a hardtop is more insulating. In the summer, the heat is less penetrative, while in the winter it keeps the cold air outside of the cabin. Not to mention, it also reduces outside noise, giving you a quiet interior when driving.  

Durability

This is by far the best feature of the hard top. Clearly, this top is the more durable option compared with the soft top of Jeep Wrangler. They are hard, solid, durable that can withstand various significant impact or damage. This means they will last longer, reducing the maintenance costs. 

Security

Security is the next benefit of the hardtop Jeep Wrangler. In fact, it can be considered a security feature due to the ability to protect all items and valuables you store inside. And without a doubt, car thieves will find it much harder to get through a hardtop than a soft top. 

Roof Rack

Last but not least, a hardtop is convenient for any roof rack add-on if you really want to have more storage space. Usually, Jeep owners want to go outside for camping and bring a lot of outdoor equipment. And of course, it is hard to fit kayaks, bikes or tents inside the vehicle, so the Wrangler needs to be upgraded.  

Drawbacks

On the other hand, there are many disadvantages of a hardtop beside all the benefits it offers. 

Expensive to Replace

Firstly, the hardtop is expensive. Even though it lasts much longer than the soft top, the hardtop of the Jeep Wrangler is very costly when you need to replace it, so make sure you are aware of the cost before purchasing the Wrangler.   

Storage Requirements

If you buy the hard top from the beginning, this drawback is not included. However, if you are driving a soft top and want to change to a hardtop all of a sudden, you might need to prepare some storage space to store it. Unlike the soft tops which can fold down, hardtops are large as well as rigid.

Hard to Remove

And the biggest drawback of all time is that this hardtop is very hard to take off. It is actually a job which requires two people based on the size of the roof. Taking it off is hard, and putting it back on is even harder.

How to Remove the Hardtop of Jeep Wrangler

Having the hardtop of the Jeep Wrangler is awesome, especially when the weather is sunny and beautiful, with the sunshine warming your skin and the breeze chilling our face. However, if you did not equip the hard top and it is still locked in place, you might be in trouble. 

And before we jump into the tutorial, we have to make it clear that it is very difficult to take a hardtop off alone. If you do not have the right equipment, we recommend not performing this task because of its bulky and large features. Even when you are able to go around, unscrew the bolts at every attachment point, it is hard to remove it in a good condition.

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For that reason, we will prioritize the element of safety. In case you are not having anyone else to help remove the hardtop of Jeep Wrangler, it is the best to leave it that way. Trying to remove it by yourself might injure yourself, as well as damage the hardtop. 

On the other hand, if you have companions, here is the tutorial of removing the hardtop of Jeep Wrangler. 

Removing Your Jeep Wrangler Hardtop

Preparation

The process of removing the hardtop is actually not that complicated. You only need to take 30 minutes of your time and it will be done. However, before jumping in the removal process, we need to prepare some tools first. 

The list of items included: Drill or ratchet, T40 Torx bit, Drive socket, and the most crucial thing: additional person. 

It is not a task to be done solo (Photo source: Pexels)

Maybe bringing a few zip bags or containers is a good idea. The reason for this is to store car parts. In order to remove the top off your Jeep Wrangler, the first thing car owners have to do is disconnect or remove all the securing points. And these bags are helpful with the purpose of organizing and store all the connectors as well as bolts. Not to mention, if the hardtop has many parts, car owners can use these containers to keep them inside, as well as protect them from accidental damage. 

Along with that, always keep the manual book close for instructions. Normally, the progress of removing attachments is the same to every model, yet the bolts might be different for each door’s number and model year. 

Remove the Front Panels

First and foremost, drivers must remove the front panels. As we look closely, most of the front panels have six latches, three in the back and three up front. They take responsibility for holding the two front panels on, so we need to take them off first. In order to reach the latches behind, you can pop out the sun visors.

Remove the Side Panel

The next step after unhooking all the latches is to remove the side panel. The panel on the driver’s side is the first panel to remove, then comes the passenger side. Another thing to keep in mind is the electrical parts on your Jeep Wrangler. If you are having a new model, you must disconnect and remove all of them before taking off the hardtop. After that, we can come to the hard step. 

Remove the Hardtop

Now that you have removed all the connection points, the following step is to hoist off the hardtop of the Jeep Wrangler. The trick to remove it easily is to lift it up, then clear the supports. This is the reason why you cannot do it alone. Also, car owners must not drag the hardtop since it can scratch and damage both your car’s body and the top. 

With the help of your family member or friend, you two can lift it up, shift it backward to take it away from the car, and now you finish the removal process. If you are not going to use the hardtop anytime soon, it is better to put them in a secure and safe location. And when you need them, just install by reversing the process.