Canvas half cab - is it a Whitco?

(Edit: this post was complete right after I posted it. About 2 hours later, all but the first few sentences disappeared. What happened? I've re-entered the information below.)

Brought this home today, came out of an old barn. It shows wear, has a few tears, etc., but overall it's in pretty good condition for an old canvas half cab top. As far as I can tell I got most of the hardware too.

Can anyone identify this top? Manufacturer? Approx year it was made? No tags or info in the top.

Here's the instruction sheet that was wrapped up in the top. It's for a full cab top. No mention of a half cab top. The top I have looks similar to this one but there are some differences. Notice Tuxedo Park license plate light and tail lights. Mice worked it over, fortunately they must not have liked canvas because they didn't do the same thing to the top.



Here's the top and the doors. I remember reading once that the zippered opening below the driver's window is for making turn and stop signals.



Here's a view of the back section. I got the center panel, but it was mistakenly left off the truck. It's now at my daughter's house (lives close to where I got the top) I'll pick it up later this week and post a picture of it. This picture also shows the imprint of the "stabilizer board" down the center of the top.



Here's the frame. One end of the wooden brace bolts to a tab on the frame, the other end to a bracket that attaches to the inside of the windshield. There's no mention of this brace or the tab in the instruction sheet. I'm not sure yet how/where those straps attach. In the 3B site info, this piece of wood is referred to as a "stablizer board", they say before using the board a metal bar was used.

Edit: I just read this in the 3B site info. This is from the 1956 Jeep Universal Service Manual:

Straps with buckles reach from the windshield to the top bow. This is for storing the door or doors below the roof when removed for ventilation. This answers the question of where the doors are stowed when not in use, at least on the CJ-5/6.

 

I see no picts???

 

Yeah, not sure what happened. About two hours after I posted it, everything except for the first few sentences disappeared. I've re-entered the info and pictures.

 

Here's are some links to soft top info on the 3B site:

http://www.film.queensu.ca/cj3b/SoftTopHistory.html

http://www.film.queensu.ca/cj3b/SoftTopHistory2.html

http://www.film.queensu.ca/cj3b/SoftTopHistory3.html

 

Having a good time finding info on soft tops:

The instruction sheet shows a Tux Park in the illustration, which dates it to early/mid 1960's.

Jeep replaced canvas tops with vinyl in 1962.

The 1956 service manual describes the straps on the frame used to store the doors overhead when not in use.

So, it's looking like the top I have is earlier than the instruction sheet that was wrapped up with it.

 

Nice find. The instructions are puzzling. Not only is it not a full top, but it's also not a convertible top. So the instructions are completely irrelevant ... except they were included with the top. :? Maybe they go with the top that replaced this one.

Do you have the back panel?

I'd replace the vinyl windows, dye it black and use it.

 

Thanks, I've been looking for one of these for a while. I went there to look at something else, but when I got there I said, "got any other old Jeep parts". They said, "Well, we've got this old canvas top".

It's starting to look to me like the top is from the 50's and the instructions are from the 60's. If anyone's got info on that, post it here.

Yes, I've got the back panel, but it got left behind, so it was brought to my daughter's house (she lives near where I bought the top) later in the day. I'll pick it up later this week and post a picture here.

 

Looks like an original!

 

Looks like the top that came on my '56, except mine was a full top.
Same bows and center board, I sold the tab on the w/s frame it hooks to but may still have a pic of it. Nice find!!
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Thanks for the info on the year and the picture! I don't have that bracket, will have to make one up if I decide to put the top on something.

 

Jbjeeps, I too have a partial top, looks similar to yours. I have the doors and the rear snap in panel. Are you anywhere near Boise? I'm thinking maybe we could use each others parts as patterns and we could each end up with a complete top....The doors sure look similar in terms of color and the way the edging is sewed on.. ....Top parts have been with this jeep since 1962....I have the frame work and it has an identical wooden support between the windshield and the front bow..






Randy

 

Nice! PM sent.

 

If you guys get a pattern, I'm sure there are others of us that would love to have a half top made...

 

i have that exact canvas half top on my 59 cj5 in pretty good shape considering its age, mine is all complete with a 5 piece bar set but i have no center bar to the windshield and i do have the back window though i usually drive it in summer without the back and no doors . yes the straps to the windshield are for storing the doors but i instead made small loops and glued them to my top to run the windshield straps through to hold the top from flapping the roof while travelling at 40 mph since i never plan on storing the doors above cuz im like 6'4". im not sure what the center bracket on the rear bar is for or where it goes. i never got a center bar for mine when i bought the jeep. and that bracket on mine has a square hole in it?

 

i forgot to mention its a true dark greenish or brown canvas color

 

Yes, the top bracket has a rectangular hole. The fore-aft bow support has a carriage bolt to fasten it to the windshield bracket. The support goes under the bracket and the carriage bolt head then rests against the canvas top..

 

does anyone have one of those center top brackets that bolts onto the windshield with the square hole for sale?

 

1955 CJ5 and I were talking about that the other day. We each know at least one person in the area who might be able to do that. May be a project for later in the year. We'll let you know if we have any luck with it.