where could i find a hard top for a 78 cj5? i snowboard ALOT during the winter and i kno a softop will be freezing cold. i can hook racks and a yakima box to carry gear on the top of a hard top right? because the backs of thoughs dont offer much room especially when you are carrying 4 people.

they dont make hardtops for cj5s any more so check craigs list or ebay for one expect to pay alot since there rare i was bidding on one on ebay and it ended up selling for like 2 grand the bestop soft top supertop cost 700 my cousin got one for is yj and with decient heat it was fine in the winter

They are rare, in fact, I have never seen one in person.

I'de run a soft top and just fab a rack that mounts to the body.

when i had my cj a few years back collins bros made one ..mine was also a 78 a cj5

hey thanxs for the info. so with a good softop and goot heater it should be cold?

the hard tops are out there--- just keep looking. we took a metal top from * i think* an old postal jeep and made it fit my buddies '5--- looks great as if intended by the factory. sorry, no pix, but it is possible-- he got his for like $100.

here is an old postal rotting in a field down the road from here and it is not like the one posted, which is a uni-body top. this one bolted onto the top of the tub rails and had full metal doors. good luck

mb
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y12/RARECJ8/DSCN4204.jpg

Ditto on what was posted.

The last company to offer a fiberglass hardtop was AJ's which is no longer in business. $1500 or so, seems to 'ring a bell' when they were last available. I do recall seeing them in either 4WD Hardware or Quadratec catalogs. Then there was ACME that also offered a fiberglass top for the CJ5, along with Meyers that offered aluminum tops. Again no one left in business of CJ5 hardtops.

There is a seller on eBay that has plans for a 'Woody' style top for the CJ5. He's selling them for around $20. Looks cool, I'll probably order a set of plans the next time I see them.

I also like that idea of taking the top from the postal Jeep, and perhaps adapting it to the Woody design, as it currently uses vinyl top material over a wood frame (old school cool).

If you don't wanna go through the expense, spend the summer sealing up all the air leaks...Or as many as you can. Get the top/doors to 'fit' better. It can be done, just takes a bit of time. I think the military used to have zip-in insulation for their Jeep tops, perhaps that's also a possibility if you can sew or know of a good interior place...It's something that I'll be looking into. Perhaps get some Thinsulate and start cutting/sewing etc. Either way, you're gonna lose a lot of heat through the plastic windows if you don't cover them over. Another reason to go with an aux heater. I wish I could find an old gasoline fired auxillary heater like they used to put in the 60's VW Beetles/Vans. Damn thing was in the glove box and it put out some insane heat. Probably became a 'safety hazard' when drivers started getting dumber...

Being that there is little, if any interior in a CJ...There's not gonna be much insulation. Metal transfers heat/cold quickly. You might consider dynamat or some other insulation for the interior, or just get youself a hunk of used carpet and cut/fit it to the floor and interior. Toss it in the spring. You'll be surprised how much that will help. Also a good deal of heat transfers through the windshield frame. I've seen where people have filled it with 'Great Stuff' foam to serve as a thermal break.

Other than that; wear a down coat, hat, and gloves.

I`ve never had a problem staying warm in a cj5 with a soft top.

I`ve never had a problem staying warm in a cj5 with a soft top.

You are THE MAN!!!!!!
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r320/HackFabrication/Posting%20Pics/Yeti.jpg

I have seen several posts with this on numerous jeep forums. The reviews have all been good, even with soft tops. It uses a blower motor from a full size chevy blazer and it kicks out tons of heat. I read one review the guy said when his jeep warms up, low is still too hot for him. It is cheap and worth a try. This link is kind of shady. i have it saved in an email if it doesnt open.

http://www.jeeptech.com/body/heater.html

:D

by shady... i meant works sometimes and doesnt others...not virus type shit. just wanted to clear that up! my lingo throws people off sometimes.

They are rare.Ive seen 1 go for right around 3k once but it was very nice and had the keys and paperwork from Acme.I have 1 in Pa for 800$ if anyone is interested.

And the Chevy Blazer heater upgrade works great.Middle of winter on low and I still had to put the window down some with the softop.

http://www.rallytops.com/jeep/cj5.html

thats a company in Cali that makes post 76 fiberglass cj5 tops with full doors. the doors are also set up to match bestop soft doors. enjoy.

The trick to staying warm in a jeep isn't so much as having a hard top as it is making sure you have no leaks for hot air to get out and cold air to get in.

If you do go through this checklist,you will have a warm jeep in the winter.

-Patch any holes or buy a new soft top.
-Anywheres cold air can get in while you are driving, seal or plug it. I used to duct tape some of my old uppers on my crawler to accomplish this. This includes your windshield, door areas, floors, firewall, etc etc. I know this will make you really have to think on a CJ 5.
-Make sure your heater core is not clogged
-Do a blower motor upgrade
-Consider adding an aftermarket heater box under one or both of the seats
-Get a windjammer, it cuts the area you need to heat in half inside the cab area.

I did all but the aftermarket heater boxes in my YJ and once that pig got warm I could drive around in sub freezing temps with just pants and a t-shirt. When I was actually out wheeling and going slow I had to roll down the windows otherwise I would have had to strip down naked just to tolerate the sauna in that bitch.