Bestop Supertop CJ-7 Soft Top Installation

Sep. 17, 2014 By Jim Brightly, KF7SCT

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The “Spice” color mates up with the bright red Jeep well, plus it won’t absorb as much heat as black or charcoal would in the Arizona sun. The side and rear window—either separately or all together—can be removed for natural air conditioning. The top can also be slipped out of the windshield retainer channel and folded down behind the backseat, and there are short bungee strips for securing the top bows.

I really like quick and easy tasks, and installing a new Supertop from Bestop is almost as easy as changing a tire. Bestop’s well-written and complete installation instructions say to plan on three hours, but I think that’s strictly for first timers. If you’ve ever installed a soft top before, you can cut that time in half or more. In our case, since the Jeep had had a Supertop on it before this (the top had not been on the Jeep since we moved to Arizona from Colorado in 2003), it only took us an hour for this installation.

Many years ago Bestop perfected the art of packing a soft top, including all the hardware, into a shallow but large square box. Each window is protected with tissue paper so the clear plastic isn’t scratched during transit. Before starting the install, go through the parts list and box to make sure everything is there.

Kevin Lake, a fellow club member, has helped me with several projects. To make sure he has all the tools that will be needed—power drill, center punch, three torx sockets (#20, #40, & #45), matching ratchet, screwdrivers, hammers, and a tape measure—Kevin reads through the instructions one last time before starting the install.

Bestop’s Supertops (PN 51603) have become the standard against which all other soft tops are measured, offering the highest quality in function, fit, and style. Supertops are available for Jeep model years 1955-2008, and the kits include hardware, soft top fabric, windows, and printed instructions. Kit number 51603 includes two-piece soft doors as well, and uses the Jeep’s hard door strikers. An attachment system called Belt-Rail enables this fast and easy installation. And a tailgate bar allows the CJ-7’s tailgate to open without having to open the rear window for trouble-free access. Bestop also backs each Supertop with a two-year limited warranty.

Install the windshield brackets in each upper corner of the windshield frame. If the sun visors are still in place, remove them temporarily and then re-secure them along with the brackets. Use the bracket as a template if you need to drill any holes.

Secure the two-piece windshield retainer channel. We used self-tapping screws but you might prefer to drill eleven the holes and use the included pan-head screws.

Install the side belt rails and the rear corner rails. Use the included Phillips-head bolts, washers and tapping plates. If your Jeep once had a hardtop, you will be using the factory holes. If not, you’ll need to drill all the holes—use the belt rails as templates for the holes. Do not tighten the bolts yet.

The vertical retainer mounts go just behind the door openings (you’ll have to drill the forward hole on each side for the vertical retainer mounts). You’ll also install the retainers on each side of the tailgate for the rear window bar. The rear corner belt rails will have a slight gap between them and the side rails.

Over the five decades that I’ve been four wheeling, I’ve installed soft tops on nearly every model of Jeep—starting with a ’46 CJ-2a and going on to an ’07 Rubicon Unlimited—early model Broncos, and International Harvester Scout IIs, and in many different colors. With every new design, installation becomes easier and quicker.

When I decided that I wanted a new top for my venerable CJ-7, I initially looked for a white top, due to the Arizona weather and my preference, but I found that white is no longer a favorite choice. Color choices are almost as varied as color choices were for Ford’s Model T—“any color you want as long as it’s black”—although (depending on the model of soft top) charcoal and spice (my choice) are available. Check Bestop or Summit Racing’s site for up-to-the-minute information on color availability and prices.

Next come the bow mounts. Install the front bolt in each bow mount first (they are inside the mounts) and then the bow mount rear bolts.

Lay the assembled bows on the body and align the bow mounting holes in the bow mounts and secure. Raise the bows and slip the vertical rods into their mounts. Attach the horizontal rod to the windshield bracket using its bailhead stud. To do this, slip the pin through the bracket opening and turn the bailhead stud a quarter turn clockwise so that the flanges on the pin are secure.

Once the rear corners are secure you can start zipping in the three windows, starting with the side panels.

Install the rear window last. Be prepared to spend some time with the zippers, they will be tight and difficult at first.

Now you need to assemble the doors. With this kit, I received cloth half-doors with slide-in zippered windows. First assemble the lockable door handles, which use the same striker as the factory hard doors.

Use a Phillips screwdriver on the outside and a socket/ratchet on the inside Nylok nuts. There are four for each handle.

You may have to adjust the hinge rods for the doors to fit tightly. Use a metal tube or pipe to bend them.

Once the half-doors are adjusted and fit, slip the three rods on the upper window half into their matching slots. There are adjustable collars on the two outer rods of each window, use them to adjust the mating of the window to the half door.

Once I had the top in hand, I had to wait for late spring. I live in Kingman, Arizona, which is about 3,500 feet in altitude. This means we have cooler weather for longer, so I had to wait until daytime temperatures were consistently above 72 degrees F. I also made sure to leave the cloth portions of the top in the sun while we were installing the hardware. This allows them to be slightly larger and much more pliable, which in turn makes it easier to be certain the top is stretched tight when the installation is complete.