STC / Kayline Half Soft Top, Full Soft Top, & Tonneau Cover Info Needed

[JeepScrambler]

I just acquired a STC half soft top with no hardware that attaches to the tub with the rails. I currently have a STC tonneau on the same Scrambler that uses the rails too. I also just purchased a full length STC soft top with zip out windows and uses the rails to attach as well (thanks ttrdiablo!). I want to be able to switch from running the full length soft top to the half soft top with the tonneau cover easily.

Since the Specialty Top Co half soft top didn't include any of the hardware I plan on using a portion of the rail system from the full length soft top since I won't be needing some of it due to me already having most of the same rails from the tonneau cover hardware. The front bow assembly and hardware does appear to be slightly different between the full length soft top one and the one used on the half soft top (half soft top bow is angled at the bottom of the tub and the front bow bracket has a way to lock the bow in place where-as the bow on the full length soft top is perfectly straight and the bow mounting bracket does not lock). These can be seen on page 3 of the first link to the half soft top installation instructions and page 4 in the second link for the full length soft top installation instructions. Can anyone confirm this or will it work regardless of which bows or mounting brackets I use?

http://www.thejeep.com/kayline/instsheets/108241.pdf
http://thejeep.com/stc/instsheet/108211.pdf

I am needing to know the length of the rails that attach the half soft top to the tub as well as the rails that attach the back portion of the soft top to the bulkhead. Pictures of this hardware attached to a Scrambler as well as the rear window hardware would help too! The rails I am referring to are item #6 and #15 in the attached link: http://www.thejeep.com/kayline/instsheets/108241.pdf

Also, will I need to leave a small section out of the rail system to allow me to switch easily between the half soft/tonneau cover combo over to full length soft top; or will using a continuous belt rail along the entire side of the tub work? In the picture of the Scrambler from the old STC site, you can see a small "gap" between the front edge of the tonneau cover and where the soft half top attaches to the side of the tub.

If anyone has pictures, measurements, or suggestions on these top configurations and how to make them easily compatible please let me know!

I also have an older style nutmeg Kayline half soft top that uses the snaps to attach to the body which I will be placing on another one of my Scramblers. Does anyone have installation instructions for this style of top? I am mainly needing to know where to place the snaps and if the Kayline hardware is similar to the Whitco hardware. I have only found the installation instructions for the half soft top that uses the belt rail system.

Thanks in advance!!! I want to get any potential problems/issues cleared up in advance so when I get back to Kansas in a few weeks I can get to work on my Jeeps again!

 

[Panther]

Well, you certainly have alot going on with tops

I don't think anyone would know the specific answer, you just have to get everything and try to make it work. As you know mine has full length STC track top and half Kayline snap top.

When I switch, I have to switch the bow as well but then again, my half top didn't fit correctly to begin with. I don't see why the bow from the full top wouldn't work with the half top, if not it might take some tweaking.

Post pics when all this stuff arrives.

 

[bigwalton]

Well, you certainly have alot going on with tops

x2, wow, that's a lot of old school top questions!

(FYI, I just got my set of replacement doors from my Bestop Supertop order and THEY are screwed up too... so I'm now a very big fan of the old school tops/doors that worked and were made in the USA )

I've not heard of someone doing a setup where you have full and soft able to (fairly) easily interchange, that will be sweet!

My initial thought was that there's no problem leaving out a small section of the rail in order to let the half top sit down flush on the rail, it certainly shouldn't affect the full top unless it happened to be at some critical spot, but looking at that 1/2 top picture, it really should be fine.

Question would be how the bows would work out... very interesting idea! Take lots of pics for us to see how it all works out.

 

[JeepScrambler]

I don't think anyone would know the specific answer, you just have to get everything and try to make it work. As you know mine has full length STC track top and half Kayline snap top.

When I switch, I have to switch the bow as well but then again, my half top didn't fit correctly to begin with. I don't see why the bow from the full top wouldn't work with the half top, if not it might take some tweaking.

Post pics when all this stuff arrives.

Luckily, I will be leaving Houston, TX next week and heading back home to Kansas where all of my CJ's are at so I can do some test fitting with everything. I have the full length soft top with me here in Houston (along with a bunch of other parts I have acquired over the last 6 months ) but everything else is back in Kansas. I will be hauling the top and other parts home with me.

What doesn't fit correctly on your top? Also, is there any difference between the Kayline snap style half soft top hardware and the STC rail system hardware, besides method of how they attach to the top to the tub? Do you have pictures of just the hardware installed? What is the reasoning for you having to switch the soft top bows between tops?

x2, wow, that's a lot of old school top questions!

(FYI, I just got my set of replacement doors from my Bestop Supertop order and THEY are screwed up too... so I'm now a very big fan of the old school tops/doors that worked and were made in the USA )

My Bestop doors I bought with my Supertop for my '84 CJ7 several years ago had the same problem; thus the reason I am trying to stay with STC. I too an a huge fan of the old school tops and doors (especially Whitco) that were made in the USA ! I have had the STC/Kayline tonneau cover since 2003 and it is still in perfect shape. Since I already had the rails installed for this, I figured I could use almost all of the exiting hardware. Plus, I feel the quality of the STC/Kayline stuff is much better than Bestop, IMO.

I've not heard of someone doing a setup where you have full and soft able to (fairly) easily interchange, that will be sweet!

My initial thought was that there's no problem leaving out a small section of the rail in order to let the half top sit down flush on the rail, it certainly shouldn't affect the full top unless it happened to be at some critical spot, but looking at that 1/2 top picture, it really should be fine.

I am really hoping I can get by with just using the whole continuous rail along the tub but I'm not sure it will be possible. I don't feel leaving the small gap as show in the picture will affect anything while running the full length soft top. If anything, I could notch the belt rail if need be to allow me to run the continuous rail piece. (sorry, thinking out loud!)

Question would be how the bows would work out... very interesting idea! Take lots of pics for us to see how it all works out.

This is what concerns me as STC/Kayline lists two different front bows for the full top and the half top. The hardware that mounts the bows to the tub is different as well. The hardware used with the half soft top allows the bow to "lock" in place. Where-as the full length soft top front bow does not have this feature. The half soft top bow also has a different shape to it with a small bend about 6 inches up from the tub. It looks like this bend is required to keep pressure on against the back of the soft top.

Will get pictures posted as soon as I'm back home and get some test fitting done. Here are some pictures of my '85 CJ8 with the STC/Kayline tonneau cover installed. This will be the Scrambler I will be running the tops and tonneau cover on.