On the first warm day here in Nashville, Jim (the impatient one), couldn’t wait one more second and just had to take the hard top off our Jeep Wrangler last Saturday.
Mind you, it only got to 64 degrees (with the sun shining)… and it dropped down to 37 that same night!
No matter.
Jim had the itch and he had to scratch it.
Here’s my photo montage of Jim’s annual rite of passage — removing the Jeep hard top and driving topless in early Spring.
Removing A Jeep Hard Top
This is the day that you long for all winter long.
It’s the day when you turn your Jeep into a convertible — only you can’t drive it anywhere because the wind chill is something like 10 degrees!
Jim: “This hard top… it has to go!” I’ll start by disassembling it from the frame.
Destin: “Where’s Jim?… Inside taking out all the screws???”
Jim: “Thank goodness for this handy-dandy Jeep hard top hoist that raises the several-hundred-pound hard top to the garage ceiling for safe keeping and storage.”
The Jeep is beginning to resemble its former self… nothin but skin and bones… just the way we like ‘ol “Scruffy“.
Now this is more like it… and there’s no better storage system than this all-in-one Jeep hoist which lifts the hard top up and out of the way for the Summer.
Destin: “Yeah, this is more like it! NOW I remember why you like this Jeep… There’s nothing like feelin’ the wind blowin’ through your fur.”
Jim: “Are you comin’ or what?… It’s not that cold out here. Really. Ah, ya wimp, I’ll just take the dogs for a quick spin.”
Five minutes later… Jim’s done Jeepin’ with the dogs.
Lynnette: “Allow me to help you… I vote we put on our pseudo soft top (duster over the trunk, bikini top over the seats, and windjammer between the front & rear seats). This will at least help to block the wind, if nothing else!”
Exit Stage Left
Next day. Sunday. Bright and sunshiny at noon.
Jim: “I’m takin’ the Jeep to softball practice!”
Lynnette: “You better wear something warm… it’ll be chilly when you’re driving home after dark.”
Jim: (silence)
Ring…ring (it’s Jim — calling to say he’s on his way home from practice. And he’s freezing!)
Lynnette is there to greet him, with camera in hand, as he’s pulling into the driveway!
Jim: “This isn’t funny… I’m cold!!! What’s the temperature out here?… like… 1?!?!?”
He’s a good sport about it though. Because everyone knows you’re not really a Jeeper unless you can handle the ups & downs of weather changes, sudden rainstorms, flash floods, and anything else that Mother Nature throws your way.
Jim: “I can’t wait to get this thing in the garage… and get into the house where there’s HEAT… and take a nice hot bath!”
Jim: “I still had fun.”
Here are instructions to make your own Jeep hard top hoist.
And here’s a helpful video showing how to remove your Jeep hardtop:
Since we’ve been married, my husband and I have owned 5 Jeeps (3 Wranglers and 2 Grand Cherokees). And when we’re not driving our own Jeep, we’re usually renting one (a 4×4 Wrangler on vacation). We keep a Jeep Bucket List of places that we’d like to go next, and we're always crossing more states off our list of 'Places That We’ve Jeeped in the USA'. As our daily driver, we keep the soft top on our Jeep Wrangler year round (and the back window permanently rolled up) so the dogs can enjoy the ride. Yep… even in the winter! I've been sharing my best Jeep ideas with others by blogging full-time since 1998. When I’m not Jeeping or writing about Jeeps, you'll find me at the corner of Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites).
