It seems like part of being a Jeeper is that no matter what we've got, we want something different or better. If we have all-terrain tires, we wish we had mud tires. If we have a soft top, we're jealous of our friends with the milk-mobiles and grocery-getters, who wheel in shade and A/C. If we're in a Cherokee, we envy the open-top, doorless experience our Wrangler friends take for granted.
Well, we have found a way the tin-can guys can enjoy the best of both worlds: a roof overhead when it rains, and sunshine on the shoulder when it's nice out. We cut a 3x6-foot hole in the top of our friend Tony's Jeep, and he not only thanked us afterward, but he still talks to us today (a month or two later).
The reason he still speaks to us is because we installed a Street Beat Customs canvas ragtop to seal up the hole. At the end of the installation, we took the Jeep for a drive and some mild wheeling. Top closed or open, the wind noise wasn't bad at all, and Tony thinks it might be quieter with the ragtop than it was without.
Street Beat Customs is a mini-truck and street-oriented company, but don't hold that against it. It offers an array of ragtops in various colors and sizes. Power units are also available, although we went with the manual one here. And for guys in cold climates, you can get a liner for the top that will help keep the heat in the Jeep in the winter. Just call and talk to Rick, and ask for the Cherokee top like Jp installed. Smaller sizes are available, but we went with just about the biggest hole we could cut and the canvas still opens correctly on the Jeep.
Now, picture a big cardboard box. When the flaps are taped closed, it's pretty rigid. When you open the top, though, the box becomes flexible and can be easily crushed. The Cherokee isn't much different from that box. We cut a huge hole in the top (the same as opening the flaps) and therefore needed to find a way to prevent our box from crushing. A full cage tied into the pillars would be by far the best way, but we were trying to maximize that open-air feeling.
Follow along as we cut the top of a nice Cherokee that isn't even ours, and you can decide whether this is something you might want to do with your own Jeep wagon.
This is everything needed...
This is everything needed to install the biggest sunroof you'll ever have. The kit comes as shown from Street Beat Customs, with edging, nuts and bolts, noncuring silicone, and a decent set of instructions.
You've heard it before: Measure...
You've heard it before: Measure twice, cut once. In this case, we measured five or six times, then made Tony cut the big old hole in his own roof. He used a jigsaw with a fine-tooth blade to avoid bending or ripping the roof's thin sheetmetal. The headliner needs to be removed before cutting, and any wires that might end up in the way should be moved to a safe place (duh).
There is no turning back ...
There is no turning back now.
We measured a bunch of times...
We measured a bunch of times but were off a little bit. We wanted to use the angle grinder with the 0.040-inch metal cutting blade from the start but were afraid that all the extra heat would bubble the paint. We loaded the grinder with a grinding disc to clean the entire perimeter of the hole, getting rid of any burrs so the top frame would fit just right. We ended up with some bubbling of paint, which the exterior flange covered, but we cleaned and touched it up with the Rust-Oleum anyway. We think that had we cut the entire hole with the grinder, it would have been much worse.
We'd planned to cut the hole...
We'd planned to cut the hole in another Jeep, so we got a set of T&T Customs Framerail Stiffenerz to make up for any structural losses we may experience. They are made of 3/16-inch plate and get welded from suspension mount to suspension mount. Tony had a Rock Hard cage in the Jeep, so the Stiffenerz were icing on the cake. To date, he hasn't had problems with doors not closing or cracks in the body.
Our intention was to install...
Our intention was to install the Stiffenerz in our driveway, but problems with our welder, not wanting to weld on our back (no leather welding jacket), and looming deadlines sent us looking for help. We took the Jeep to Off Road Evolution instead. We had thought it would take a couple of hours, but after grinding to bare metal and a whole bunch of welding and cooling cycles, it was about 61/2 hours from start to finish, with at least half of that being actual welding. It was stitch-welded on the ground (we put it in the air for better photos), 2 inches on, 2 inches off, all the way around the stiffener. You will probably need longer bolts if they pass through the stiffener, so plan accordingly. We didn't. Fortunately, the shop had bolts on hand to replace the stock ones.
Here is the finished view,...
Here is the finished view, looking from the inside out. The kit provides for the headliner to go back in, but we omitted it and painted the metal with Rust-Oleum Gloss White to match the outside of the Jeep. It's an awesome feeling to cruise around in a Cherokee with the top all the way back and the windows down. A nice surprise was that it had less wind noise than most of our Wranglers.
If you're having problems...
If you're having problems visualizing how this works, hopefully this drawing will help. It's self-explanatory. There is no seal between the canvas and the edge of the hole in the roof; however, there is about a 2-inch overlap, and while it certainly is possible for water to intrude, it would have to be a hard-driven rain or from a water hose.