Doors! its the law!

Does anyone know of a way to find out if my particular jeep came with a top or actually DOORS from the factory!
I have owned jeeps for quite a while and today I was told from a County Sheriff that my jeep had to have doors on it.
I told him my jeep probably did not come from the factory with a top and doors. He said "well it has hinges on it" and I explaned that these were aftermarket Bestop hinges. He said " if it has hinges for doors then we will figure it came with doors unless you can prove it!"
He wasn't a butt head about it and never saw I had no mirrors!
Our conversation was actually pleasant and we both learned a lot.
So back to my question. How do I know if my jeep came with a top?

 

The soft top was supplied as a dealer installed item. Usually the Jeep was delivered open and the customer had the dealer install the type of top they wanted. However, they were completely street legal without a top and doors and could be licensed with no top. You could get the Jeep with a hard top installed from the factory, but most dealers did not.

Your Sheriff is wrong.

I suggest you get a copy of the sales brochure for your year. It will show a picture of Jeeps with no top.

 

I don't know about finding what came with doors and what didn't. but if i were trying to get out of a ticket i would ask to see the specific line in the book explicitly stating what he is trying to enforce. Up here as far as i know as long as you have side view mirrors your good. the top should be a non-issue, it's a convertible. they don't pull over convertible mustangs and corvettes do they? worst come to worse run half doors.

 

yep..
where has he been all these years, on the moon ?

buy him a donut and he'll probably go away...

 

Ask him for the actual RCW that says you need doors. Probably has it confused with the Yjs that for years several LEOs said that you couldn't take off the doors because the stock mirror mounts were on them.

 

As a former LEO, if I thought I was in the right, These two would have earned a ticket. Police do not carry the law books around with them. If I was in the wrong, then hopefully the judge would correct it and the ticket would be dismissed and "hopefully" the officer would be that much wiser.

In this case, He is most likely mistaken and the sales brochure will show it.

If you want to see the law in writing then you ask at the station or the court house. Most officers do not like their knowledge of the law to be questioned, at least not when they have just pulled you over. Some even get upset over that. You never know. Your state may have a law about doors. There are so many strange and obsolete laws in the books that anything is possible.

Good luck to you and keep jeepin....

 

Thats good to know...

 

Maybe I wasn't clear enough. Its the doors not the top he is talking about. convertables of all kinds have doors, this does not apply to what I am asking. This is a federal law he is e-mailing me. If the rig had doors installed from the factory then it must have doors. I don't realy think he is wrong, I think he just is uneducated on these vehicles and there specs.
In my area we have a lot of Yota's and Cherokees being used in offroad applications. these things are stripped and hacked so that is more what they are gunning for.
Thanks for the replys. I will do some archive research on what my rig rolled out with. And what the law says!

 

I guess its a sign of the times, younger law enforcement not having a clue about older vehicles . If he wrote you a ticket I would contest it, if for nothing else but to educate him.

 

I agree :tea:

 

Check out the Four Wheeler magazine road test of a 74 CJ5 that DREDnot posted today. It specifically mentions that their base model road test Jeep came without a top (and no passenger seat!) and they had to go to the Jeep dealer to get one installed.

 

Sounds to me like the officer was a little "badge Heavy" and not up on obscure traffic laws.
The most fun is when a young officer stops you in a 50's car and asks about the lack of seat belts.
If you remember his name I would gather the info about the jeep and mail it directly to him via the office. That will give him the accurate info. for the next time and bring him down a notch.
John Mizer
Retired Calif. traffic Motor Sergeant

 

x2, I couldn't have said it better myself. Why should I have to go to court and waste my time because and officer "thinks" he is right.

 

:iagree: I had my share of police of enforcement too.

 

In Washington, the law MUST be referenced on the ticket. If the cop doesn't have a copy of the law, how can he possibly write a ticket for it. My dad is a retired State Trooper, so I am not cop bashing. This is simply another case of a cop that makes up the law as he goes and assumes that noone will challenge him on it. I have found that most cops, at least in the West when challenged will go find out the whole truth or will back down. Also why I don't travel to the stupid states where it will end up with a very unpleasent overnight stay in the local poky.

 

In kailfornia what happen ....you get a ticket and in the mail you get fine that you can pay, but if you don't want pay. 1. you take day off work. 2. spend all day at court and tell the judge two words ...not guilty 3. then they give you other day to back and tell your story to jury 4.if you lose you pay court cost and for the jury . So now you lose 2 day of work and maybe a third day. And plus the judge will be on the cop side because he doesn't lie like you!! That how works in the real world!!

 

As an inspection mechanic, I can tell you (at least in Pa.) it's not against the law to ride @ with out doors.
Tops, hard -er- soft were a option, therfore not part of the OEM of a jeep til what?? mid 70's
But When someone comes into my shop wide open (as it were), I ADVISE them to,
1) Always wear seat belts, (It's ill-eagle in Pa. NOT to), (if your jeep didn't come with on from the factory back in the day, add a set).
2) get a strap to go across the door opening.
I saw a newer jeep with a metal bar(s) frame 1/2 door that was cool.
But worse case, get a tie down strap and bolt it to one side and a "D" ring on the other to keep you in.
Cops like normal people, don't know everything (not like us "Jeep Owners")
If you bust his ***, you win the battle, but lose the war, if'n you get my drift!
Joe
Just an old guys 2 cents