CJ-7 World Cab

[jscherb]

I know this is slightly off-topic, but since some of you may remember the thread about me finding and buying this top about a year ago in Wales I thought I'd post some pictures now that the top has arrived back in the US. It was shipped home with our household goods when we moved back from London to the US in July.

For those of you not familiar with these tops, this is the CJ-7 version of the factory CJ-8 World Cab top as found on the Alaskan Postals, the Australian Overlanders and the Venezuelan Llaneros. They were made starting (and possibly ending) in 1984. They have a cool "barn door" providing easy access to the rear.

As far as I know, no CJ-7 World Cab tops were ever sold in the US, so over here they are more rare than the CJ-8 hardtops and we all know how rare those are :-).

I believe the CJ-7 version of this top was only sold and produced in quantity in Venezuela. My guess is this UK version was probably a factory demonstrator.

Just for fun, I threw the top parts on my TJ to see what they looked like. This top can be made to fit a TJ with two minor modifications:

1. Making "door corner fillers" because the World Cabs were made for "square corner" doors. Door corner fillers are fairly simple things to fabricate, I made some for my CJ-8 World Cab so I could use normal doors and they work fine.

2: Changing how the top attaches to the top of the windshield. This is also a fairly simple mod, by using a soft-top header bar and mounting that inside the roof panel you can make the top clamp on properly and also seal from wind and water.

I don't know exactly what I'm going to do with this top now that I've got it over here... I don't plan to put it on my TJ. I do have a matching set of "square corner" doors along with this top as well.

Anyways... for your viewing enjoyment, here's a few photos of the top panels sitting (somewhat precariously) on my TJ...

 

[revho]

Glad to see it made it back here. Still interested in it should you want to sell...would look great on the cj7

 

[jscherb]

Glad to see it made it back here. Still interested in it should you want to sell...would great on the cj7

The most likely outcome is that I use the roof panel in my TJ pickup project and the rest of the parts get sold or disposed of... here's an illustration from my planning for the pickup project...

 

[revho]

I fully understand wanting to customize it to fit your needs, although I, like most(we have a cj7 and postal), would be sad to see a one of a kind piece be cut/modified/recycled.

You are in my prayers (joking).

 

[jscherb]

Actually these tops are extremely common... if you're in Venezuela :-) It's only one-of-a-kind in the US. (I heard a rumor there was one other one somewhere in Ohio)

http://www.tucarro.com/indices/carro-cj-7.html

Apparently they were the standard hardtops there from the CJ-7 days well into the YJ Wrangler days.

I wonder how hard it would be to get one out of Venezuela?

 

[revho]

would look great on this...

 

[twmattox]

How hard would it be to use that top as a template to fabricate a matching top for your TJ? I would hate to see it cut up too...

 

[jscherb]

I'm sure fabricating a new top panel to match the World Cab design would cost way more than anyone is willing to pay for this whole top.

I'll make this offer: if someone wants this top they can do two things:

1. Find me an alternate World Cab top panel I can use, perhaps from an Alaskan Postal. Maybe there's a junked Postal top out there we can salvage the top panel from,

and

2. Make me an offer I can't refuse for this complete top and all 3 doors.

Jeff

 

[1x1_Speed_Craig]

Jeff,

I would think that, with the money you'd make from selling the WC hardtop & doors, you could have a top panel custom-fabricated for your TJ project. I too would hate to see it cut up , but completely understand that it's yours to do with as you wish.

Craig

 

[jscherb]

OK so maybe one of you should buy the top and doors from me minus the top panel and you guys can get a new top panel fabricated :-)

 

[revho]

OK so maybe one of you should buy the top and doors from me minus the top panel and you guys can get a new top panel fabricated :-)

Would you need the top the length of a postal, cj7, cj10a?

 

[jscherb]

Would you need the top the length of a postal, cj7, cj10a?

The pickup top will be longer than the CJ-10a because the Brute cab closeout sheet metal results in a longer cab (62" from firewall to back of cab). I do have a CJ-10a top panel and considered lengthening that for a while but I do want the shape of the CJ7/CJ8 World Cab top panel with the ribbing.

It is shorter than a CJ7.

 

[revho]

So in theory...you could use the 10a top cut it at a certain point...have a ___ inch piece fabbed (to match the slope), welded in between the two cuts, and ground down.

I guess I am unfamiliar with the 10a, there is no ribbing with that style?

 

[jscherb]

So in theory...you could use the 10a top cut it at a certain point...have a ___ inch piece fabbed (to match the slope), welded in between the two cuts, and ground down.

I guess I am unfamiliar with the 10a, there is no ribbing with that style?

Yes, that is possible. The CJ10a top is smooth - here's a photo of the Cj10a top I've got. I will use the rear wall of the CJ-10a top, but I don't like the profile of the top. The sides of the rear wall will need to be lengthed also since the Brute cab is longer than the -10a cab. Nobody minds me cutting up the -10a cab? :-)

The pickup project is not just about sticking a piece of sheet metal over your head to keep out the rain, it's about design. The ribbed, sloped look of the CJ7/8 Worldcab roof is exactly the look I'm going for. There's a photo of the -7 Worldcab roof below also. I'll need to remove maybe 18" of the flat non-ribbed section in the middle to make it the right length for the pickup.

 

[jscherb]

Here's a pair of photos showing the difference in roof profiles. On the left is the CJ-10a roof, on the right is the Worldcab 7 roof.

 

[bigwalton]

Does that 10a top look familiar Craig?

Glad to see that you've got that beautiful piece of Jeep history back in the US Jeff

I'm almost as curious to see the project you have lined up come together as I am wishing that the -7 top could stay intact.

I do know that many of the Postals in AK went to the dump/junkyard and had the hard top trashed as the first thing after being auctioned off. The other one that the guy I got mine from had that done and he made a 10a top work. People up there wanted them for the bed supposedly (why not get a truck?) and just dumped the tops...

I have to believe it could be realistic to find a Scrambler World Cab and still make money selling off that -7 top whole... (I don't think you'll fabricate a top for any reasonable amount at least )

 

[jscherb]

Well we have a while to sort this out anyway, I won't start cutting metal on the pickup project for at least several months due to other commitments and the need to complete the pickup design. I'm the type that designs everything at the detail level before I pick up a tool so I know how everything is going to go together - I just bought an old Willys pickup bed and fenders to use as a design tool - so I can get exact measurements for doing the TJ frame design. I won't use this bed in the project, it's too far gone, but it will enable me to finalize all the design details.

So if anyone comes across a junk WC hardtop with a usable top panel, then the -7 WC can be sold to someone who wants to preserve it.

Jeff

 

[sluggo8]

I think the pickup truck idea is fantastic.

It looks retro-cool, and will be a one off.

I can appreciate those who want to see things retained as original (as was witnessed when i "desicrated the overlander a few years ago, and am doing another now).. but my thoughts have always been if someone owns something, they can do wahtever they want with it, and should not be subjected to guilt trips. (like the guy who put an original 300 SL on a geo tracker frame.. insane, yes, but his right to do so.

If someone really wants this top... as was stated, make an offer that cannot be refused!

I would estiamte that top and rear door to be worth 5k, at least!!. other than pics, i have never seen another one, and i have been dealing with the worldcabs forsome time now.

 

[racinrudy]

I didn't read this whole thread but if anyone cares...Omix has NEW worldcab hard doors in surplus

Rudy