I can't speak for an LJ but for the TJ most people are going to say stick with the factory hardtop. I have seen a few LJ hardtops out there but they are definitely harder to come by. As long as you don't mind the soft top I would just buy a new one or fix the parts needed to fix it.

 

I have a Rally top for my LJ. Its not terrible but I do have some problems with it. Seems to leak in the rear near the window and a pillar. They use foam weather stripping to seal it which doesn't work too great and comes off easily. I didn't know they still offered OEM tops when i bought mine. Last I checked OEM was the same price as Rally Tops as well. I paid $1800 for a 2 piece hard top with no features (defrost, wiper, light, rack, etc..)

 

You might try Camper King in Chula Vista CA. (Camper King USA | Camper King USA >>Click<<Â* for WebstoreÂ*). I just got one of their tops for a TJ - seems pretty solid. No frills, one piece.

 

LJ hardtop

+1 on Camper King USA in Chula Vista CA. I live in Phoenix and they shipped for $99. Top was only $1500 and fits very well, I like that the rear glass has locking handles and that the top is dark gray fabric inside. Plus its brand new.

If you're willing to wait it out and can do a day of driving, search craigslist in your area and surrounding areas, every now and then someone is letting an OEM top go for $1500 with seemingly no problems.

 

thanks jayelldoubleu and Clifford! Clifford since you are now an owner of the Camper King hardtop, are you saying that you would hold out for a 10 year old OEM for any reasons? If given a do-over would yo hold out for an OEM?

I have been looking for an OEM, even making offers to people selling their entire jeeps but I have had no luck so that's why I am looking for an aftermarket.

 

The only reason I would hold out for an OEM top is because of the white interior and that the OEM top has latches, whereas the top from camperking requires a wrench/socket. Also, there is no wiper on the camperking top, but living in Phoenix its not a concern.

That being said, I actually like the darker interior as it matches the carpet. And it doesn't take that much longer to take the hardtop off. This is the first aftermarket top I've owned and as far as road noise, etc., I can't tell a difference. Very happy with the purchase and would recommend for any LJ.

 

Thanks Clifford. You sold me on CamperKing. I would rather have a darker interior color and although the latches are preferred, that reason is not enough to me, to pay the same price for a used OEM top that was made over a decade ago. Just too much wear and tear on the OEMs.

Assuming the shipping price isn't terrible I will be posting a review shortly.

 

Buddy has this hardtop for his Jeep and loves it. Its built well and has quite a few options.
Fastback Hardtop for TJU

 

That Wild Boar fastback was another option as well, but the fastback is not for me. I was close to buying an OEM hardtop but someone beat me to the purchase. I find it difficult to justify paying over a grand for a 10-12 year old used hardtop, but this was in mint condition for the age.

I really wanted to get that camper king but shipping from them is too difficult. I would have to drive about 2 hours(each direction) to get to their nearest shipping location. That means I would have to rent a truck or put the top on at the delivery pickup site.

Gr8tops is having a sale so I reached out to them am in the process of getting a full quote. I love how this top transforms the car, and even gives you a full size back door. Install requires a little work but the supplied instructions simplify it.

I'll post a follow-up in the coming weeks to give an update if I pulled the trigger and how the process went.

 

I recommend OEM if you can find a good one. They fit the rig best. I had a Gr8top halftop and it took some adjustment.

 

I'd go OEM, but only if you can find a good one for a decent price. They pop up on craigslist from time to time for about $1800.

For me, I prefer OEM, in case a windows gets broken or you need some small parts (windshield washer parts, wiring, etc.).

I was recently looking for a hardtop for my LJ. Everyone wanted $1800 or more around Dallas (one guy had his listed for $4K, get real). And since I am what some people would call cheap, I went a different route.

I was able to find an OEM hardtop in good condition about an hour away that just needed windows and a wiper motor. I paid $500 for it, even though it needed parts. But all in, I only spent $1300 on a factory LJ top with all new windows and new wiper motor.

 

When I bought my LJ in June '16, it had a 1 piece RallyTop on it. I have a small leak at the bottom corner of the drivers side rear window that I'm slowly eliminating with silicone. Another small leak on passengers side A pillar. Again, slowly eliminating. Over all I'm happy with it. I like the sliding side windows and the dark carpeted interior roof. It's a little faded, but I can take care of that with some paint.

An OEM top would be great, but it wasn't a deal breaker for me.

Now I'm just trying to decide on which soft top I want.

 

thanks for the feedback. Personally I wanted to go OEM but I have been looking for a while and as Clutch said some people are asking $2.5k and up. Just not worth the money at that price.

each time I find a reasonable priced one it is either sold by the time i inquire, or there is something wrong with it. There is currently a to for sale in the classifieds, but it has a gash through it.

since I cannot find a good condition top I had to explore other options. Then the gr8tops top has a sale going on so makes sense to go for that. Still waiting on a price quote though.

 

I ended up going with the GR8TOPS hardtop because as I previously mentioned I wanted OEM but couldn't find one that was in good shape, by my definition of good shape. There were a few out there in the $1k - $1.5k that require a bunch of work, touch up paint, new wiper, broken glass or it just looked "ratty" looking. Didn't want to end up paying $2.5k-$3k for a 12 year old hardtop.

I explored CamperKing and was ready to pull the trigger but they have an awful shipping policy that would have required me to drive 2 hours (each way assuming no NYC traffic) to JFK airport in NYC. No thanks!

Install took about 5 hours with two other guys helping out. The main panels were not difficult to install, but require patience to make sure all seems are in place. The rear door was the most difficult to install, mainly because it requires a special tool - nutsert tool. We opted to use bolts instead which were difficult to install because we didn't want to drill through the rear gate. So we had to balance a nut inside of a wrench and then stick inside the vent opening, while trying to get those bolts to thread. It took time but we did it. I'm happy with the results!

 

I ended up going with the GR8TOPS hardtop because as I previously mentioned I wanted OEM but couldn't find one that was in good shape, by my definition of good shape. There were a few out there in the $1k - $1.5k that require a bunch of work, touch up paint, new wiper, broken glass or it just looked "ratty" looking. Didn't want to end up paying $2.5k-$3k for a 12 year old hardtop.



I explored CamperKing and was ready to pull the trigger but they have an awful shipping policy that would have required me to drive 2 hours (each way assuming no NYC traffic) to JFK airport in NYC. No thanks!



Install took about 5 hours with two other guys helping out. The main panels were not difficult to install, but require patience to make sure all seems are in place. The rear door was the most difficult to install, mainly because it requires a special tool - nutsert tool. We opted to use bolts instead which were difficult to install because we didn't want to drill through the rear gate. So we had to balance a nut inside of a wrench and then stick inside the vent opening, while trying to get those bolts to thread. It took time but we did it. I'm happy with the results!

That looks awesome!

 

What the WHAT?!?! I'm typically not a fan of LJs, but you may have just changed my mind! That is beautiful! Great stuff, enjoy it.

 

That GR8TOPS top looks really cool!! Could you post more pics?

Thanks

 

Want!!

 

A few trail photos of my LJ Safari Cab (don't be fooled by the CJ grille, it's a 2006 LJ ).

 

Jeff's is similar but different than the gr8tops top. After doing endless diligence I found out that Jeff is the designer of this top but licensed out to Matt at gr8tops. Jeff's has different features like those roll up sides. The gr8tops version cannot do that without some sort of modification.

I actually tried to get in touch with Jeff to see if he had any other designs like his black Jeep, but all of his forum inboxes are full. Jeff does some great work.

I'll post some more pics shortly but my favorite part is the rear gate converting to a full size door.

A few trail photos of my LJ Safari Cab (don't be fooled by the CJ grille, it's a 2006 LJ

).

 

That settles the matter. I want the Gr8top safari.

Now, do I sell my 86 Tula AKS-74U, or my SAN StG-553??????

 

OP: since you have no location in your Profile it's impossible to tell where you are located but there is a guy here in Arizona that has not one but TWO LJ hard tops for sale:

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/pts/6067968440.html

 

OP: since you have no location in your Profile it's impossible to tell where you are located but there is a guy here in Arizona that has not one but TWO LJ hard tops for sale:

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/pts/6067968440.html

Thanks but I'm in the northeast so Zona is not possible. I looked for an OEM hardtop for 2 years with no luck, all I could find were abused ones and people wanted $2k for them. I have no regrets with the gr8tops top, it is a sick top that Jeff designed and I'm glad to have it.

 

I have to ask. What do you think of the GR8TOP safari hard top, now that you have had it for three years. They no longer sell it with the brackets to remove the sides. Has it lived up to your expectations? I'm on the fence. Thanks for your response.

 

Welcome to the Forum!

 

Thanks Old Dogger.