OEM Jeep bikini/safari top question.
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JK Newbie
Joined: Mar 2014
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OEM Jeep bikini/safari top question.
I came across a good deal on an OEM Jeep bikini/safari canvas top for my 09 JKU. It didn't come with a windshield header channel and I was told that I could use my OEM from my soft top. I had my old soft top laying around so I took the header apart and put it on my bikini but when installed, at high speed the header lifted up so high I could see sunlight between the windshield and the header. So I pulled over and inspected it and came to a conclusion that the header will never stay unless there were 2 metal bars to keep it straight and planted down just like how my original soft top is with the frame. So the question is, am I suppose to use my soft top frame to use this bikini/safari top? Wouldn't it look weird to have the frame visible on the back part with a bikini/safari top?
JK Jedi Master
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 14,800
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From: Midwest City, OK
If you mean the Mopar Sunbonnet, it comes with a header. It isn't easily removable. Bestop makes a safari top that you purchase the header separately. Is it possible that is what you actually have? If so, Quadratec sells the header you need.
http://www.quadratec.com/products/11122_102_07.htm
http://www.quadratec.com/products/11122_102_07.htm
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JK Newbie
Joined: Mar 2014
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Yes I do have the Mopar Sunbonnet that has the rounded rubber tubular that I believe goes in the header which is very identical to the OEM soft top header because I have tried it with it. Thanks for the help guys
JK Jedi Master
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 14,800
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From: Midwest City, OK
First remove the soft top, lay it upside down, we laid it on a couple blankets on the concrete.
Next drill out the aluminum rivets on the small rods that connect to the sunrider brackets so you can disconnect them from the sunrider brackets.
Flip the header over to gain access to the screws.
There are 4 phillips head screws on each side of the header, remove them and fold the edge of the soft top away from the header.
There are a bunch of other screws across the header (didn't think to count them, probably around 16 - 20). Take them out and remove the plastic cover.
Here is the header separated from the fabric, the new metal support header, and the crappy plastic one that was on there.
Lay the fabric into the channel on the front of the new plastic header, throw some tape on it to hold it in place and insert the new sunrider rods into the header. Place the the metal brace over the fabric and replace the screws in the header careful not to over tighten. Place screws into the sunrider rods to secure it to the header ( the new rods appear to be slightly bent to provide more down pressure on the header to the windshield.
Next drill out the aluminum rivets on the small rods that connect to the sunrider brackets so you can disconnect them from the sunrider brackets.
Flip the header over to gain access to the screws.
There are 4 phillips head screws on each side of the header, remove them and fold the edge of the soft top away from the header.
There are a bunch of other screws across the header (didn't think to count them, probably around 16 - 20). Take them out and remove the plastic cover.
Here is the header separated from the fabric, the new metal support header, and the crappy plastic one that was on there.
Lay the fabric into the channel on the front of the new plastic header, throw some tape on it to hold it in place and insert the new sunrider rods into the header. Place the the metal brace over the fabric and replace the screws in the header careful not to over tighten. Place screws into the sunrider rods to secure it to the header ( the new rods appear to be slightly bent to provide more down pressure on the header to the windshield.
I did a quick online search for the Mopar header bar kit and it's about $450-500. It comes with the sunrider rods. I could not find just the header bar by itself. As the paragraph above alludes, there was a problem with the early softtops having plastic instead of metal. That is why he is swapping his out. Perhaps that's what happened to yours? Someone bought the Sunbonnet, took out the better header bar and fixed their softtop.
Check out PN 68032492AA (for early model JKs).
Last edited by Mark Doiron; Aug 9, 2014 at 12:25 AM.
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JK Newbie
Joined: Mar 2014
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Thanks so much!!! What I did with my extra soft top frame is exactly what you have posted but the only step I didn't do was to drill out the rivets and use the rods. All I did was took the header bar from my soft top, attached the sun bonnet to it and installed it on the jeep. Then driving on the highway, the header came up since there wasn't any rods to support it from lifting up. That soft top frame is already gone and sold. Also I was given this bonnet for free that is why it didn't come with the header bar