Meyers Cab:Need some encouragement.

I just picked up a meyer cab for my 74 cj5. Been looking for one for a long time. The only reason I wanted one is because I kept ripping my soft top, and my friends hardtop seemed to go on his wrangler a heck off a lot quicker then my soft top went on my CJ. I've got the top and doors and they are all in great condition. The top has 5 windows. Problem is it got hot here, and I hate the sun, and now I'm discouraged from working outside for so long. The top seems to be a pain to put on, and I keep reading that they are noisy and heavy and alot of people don't like them.Can someone please tell me that they are great and they like theirs?

My first problem is where it screws to the windshield. It seems my old softtop hardware (the channel) is in the way and I can't remeber if my bikini top utilizes this hardware or not, but I definitly don't want to lose my bikini top. Can I leave this strip on or does it have to come off?

Also, can I use samll C-clamps to hold the top down? I would like to use some kind of clamp instead of nuts and bolts.

Thanks guys, I had to vent. I'm going to change my fluids until I get some more inspiration.

 

I have a Meyers top similar to yours. I took the door panels off and put camper foam rubber seal between the panels to quiet them down quite a bit. I think a thin piece of cork between the door panel and the glass would help but I didn't have any at the time.
The P.O. set the doors on the door opening and probably should have set them a bit higher, like a 1/2" or so.There is enough room to leave the Bikinj channei on with the top on. I don't like the screws in the WS either but the holes are in there already. You may be able to mount some 1" angle under the Bikini channel one angle up and forward towards the front and screw the top to that.
We don't get too cold around here and I don't have a heater but the top keeps the windchill bearable. My top is uninsulated but it wouldn't be hard to insulate if it were taken apart to work on. Maybe add a dome light and some soundproofing.
Just food for thought.

 

I HATE MY HARD TOP! That is right up until we get our first 4' snow fall of the year. It is a huge pain to try and get it on. It is loud. It really has no redeeming factors except it keeps a small amount of the snow on the outside of the jeep. The jeep on the right with the soft top has to be cleaned off every snow so it doesn't mess up the soft top. The hard top jeep doesn't ever get cleaned off. I was very close to cutting mine up into dumpster size chunks last year.

 

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Yes, they are noisy and heavy, and the weight is in exactly the wrong place. But they aren't bad - if your springs are stiff, the body lean isn't much worse than without a top.

When I had my CJ-5, I removed the soft top pretty often. When I wanted to drive to the desert (or any distance), the top went on. When I was there, I rolled up the side curtains. The top came off for 3 seasons (Caleefornia) when I was around home. Visibility in the rain is better with a hard top, due to the glass windows. In the winter, it'll be easier to deal with the snow and sleet.

Regarding the screws, I don't think the holes are there from teh factory - you have to do a lot of drilling to mount a Meyer cab. However, the curved front edge of the hard top should set right down against the channel. The channel should be part of the windshield - if not, it's been replaced and you can remove it with no consequence.

When I had my CJ-6, I installed the Meyer cab and it never came off again while I had it. It's just too much effort to remove. I'd say bolt it down and be proud. My advice - once you get the top on and seal up all the leaks, go wild with carpets and carpet insulation on the floors. That will make the interior much quieter. Just realize that carpets will hold water, and will promote rust unless you take measures against.

 

well once the sun went down, I cheered up again ( I'm a winter person). I really like the look of the hardtop. Its not something you see every day. I hit all the rust spots with a wire brush and some rust encapsulator. I plan on giving it a flat black coat. I ran a strip of the camper top foam on the lip of the top. I have plenty more for wherever I need it. I am just worried on how to screw into the windshield. The angle iron is an idea.

The doors look like they are not fun, so I will use my soft doors for now. I can't even figure out how the hinges mount for the hard doors. The top hinge seems way way too high and I will probably lower it.

 

I was in the process of putting a meyer top on my jeep.it actually had one on it when i purchased it.i had it on and off a few times and it is a lot of work.sold the top a few years later and bought a soft top.then came the MEYER top for sale at swap meet.Meyer top number 2.i was premounting the top and doors before having it painted.i had to put doors on and adjust top and windshield to make everything fit properly.the door hinges are a little tricky so take your time and have plenty of c-clamps and vise grips to hold things in place before you drill ANY holes.did you get all the mounting hardware?

mike s.

 

The 78 CJ-5 I just picked up has a top that's a dead ringer for the Meyer, but it's made by Orrville Products. Needs a fair amount of work, it has some rust issues. I couldn't believe how heavy the crazy thing was, all that glass and steel really adds up. I kind of like the looks of them, but I've lived with soft top Jeeps all my life so I think I'll stay that way.

 

He was missing the bottom hinges and only gave me the top ones. The door drops into my old bottom hinge, but the top needs to be changed. Problem is, looks like the hinges he gave me goes right on my windshield hinge. Makes perfect sense, except the upper pin on the door is an extra 2 or 3 inches above the windshield hinge. At least the bottom one is fine.

It also came with the strips that go down the windshield frame and into the body for the door. Two on each side. All in really good shape. The rear hatch is in excellent shape too.

 

Is it possible your top is meant for a late model CJ5? I have one of those. Everything looks right for our old jeeps except the windshield mating.

 

The hard top doors come right off .just pull up off hinge after disconnecting door strap.those top hinges definently do not go on w/s hinge.they are higher just like it looks.there is some pics in the archives of the tops installed.

mike s.

 

Nope, its off a 71 cj5. I made sure of that. I've been searching everywhere for pics of meyers cabs. That would help alot. I'll check out the archives. Figured it would have yielded them in the search. I put the top on last night before the thunderstorm. It went on pretty nice and was suprisingly quiet. I dropped 6 bolts in, 3 on each side and didn't put anything along the windshield. I took it to a parking lot and started driving over curbs and anything I could find. The only thing that made noise was the rear hatch because it catches the tailgate and won't close (its just swinging now). All though I'm sure its different when your rock crawling. It seems like these things need alot of custom fitting, but once all is said and done, I think I will be very happy. I can't imagine having doors that shut without bungee cords or a jeep that dosn't have pools of water in it after a rainy night.

 

I'd like to see some pictures of these tops on.I'm currently installing a '79 top on my '83 CJ5.I also have a '73/'75 CJ5 plow jeep project that has a Meyers top like yours.

 

I like having a hardtop now. I have the luxury of being able to keep my CJ in my barn for most of the year. I originally wanted to sell my hardtop, but, I'm glad I decided to keep it because I am running out of real estate in the barn. Now I can put the hardtop on for the winter, park the Jeep outside, and not worry about weather getting inside. Maybe I'll even take it out for spin if it snows. Fat chance though here in Charlotte. I can already see another garage being built sooner than later.

 

i cant say, since my CJ6 has yet to move under its own power since i've had it.

But my plans are to fix and insulate the top and somehow make it easier to put on and off.

Its nice to know that every so often someone has sometihng nice to say about the hard tops.

I think they look fantastic, so i'll make it work one way or an other...even if i have to change a ton of stuff on it !!

 

I started this thread a while ago not knowing if a hardtop was a good or bad thing. I LOVE IT. Even in the summer its a blast to cruise around with the hardtop and no doors. I don't get any sounds from it and its really easy to put on. Def not a 1 man job, but two people can do it in 5 minutes. Trick is you have to put the bolts in from the botom with the nuts on top. If you try it the other way...man....good luck. My old soft top took atleast a half hour trying to get that thing centered and taunt. And one bad tree limb will peel it back like a sardine can.

I also realized I completly robbed the guy for the top and hard doors. $150 for both! with just very very little surface rust. My top has no rust now, and I've been offered close to a grand for it. No way, I'm keeping it

 

Good for you. I am thinking about buliding a small carport just for my CJ and rigging up a hardtop pulley system for storage and one person removal. Like you see in JC Whitney and other mags. That hardtop also takes up way too much space in my barn.

 

I'm still in the process of finalizing the fitment of the hard top on my 74. I drilled and tapped the windshield frame and used 1/4-20's with rubber washers on the outside. I got the doors fitted they work alright. The lift hatch (as you can see) is blocked by the spare tire but thats just one more thing to resolve. I've seen several of these around and so far they all have a fatigue problem at the front end of the internal roof supports (sort of like hat channel). The spot welds eventually cause a perforation of the top. I drilled the welds out and bolted a length of flat steel bar stock to spread the forces across a wider area.
I hate to add any additional weight up that high but I may replace it with angle iron to facilitate the attachment of the hoisting system I plan to use.
The top itself may be heavy but the doors for what they are are even worse.
Still it's great!!!

 

I have a 72cj5 that has a Meyers Cab Hard Top. I plan on leaving it on there, but I do have a few questions. First one of the doors is missing a window which I assume will be easy to replace. The hard part is the door handle on one of the doors is missing. Is there a way to replace the door handle with out replacing the entire door? Just for fun you can view photos of my jeep in progress here: http://picasaweb.google.com/cmciff/MyJeep