Fitting my Acme Fiberglass Hardtop

Ok... need some help, and maybe some pictures from others that have the same top. I just bought an Acme top for my CJ5 from Craigslist. Here's a picture of the owner had on craigslist, clearly a pre 76 CJ5,
However, he said the top was for a 76 - up CJ5.

Now I'm trying to fit the top to my 74 CJ5, and it just doesn't seem to be fitting quite right. Let me add that I also have a later CJ5 / CJ7 windshield that I'm ready to swap on if needed. I would actually prefer to swap the new windshield on. I sat the "new" style windshield on the Jeep, and the top still doesn't seem to fit correctly with that on it. I'm stumped. What top do I have?

My top has all the edges "finished" as opposed to some of the models that have the open fiberglass ends. The sides of the top have the spots where the draw latches are supposed to be mounted that attach it to the body of the Jeep. Can anyone that has a top take a picture of the way the top connects to the windshield on both pre and post 76 tops. Can anyone tell me if this is fitting correctly for a pre-76 top? I just doesn't look right to me. It looks like it should sit down lower on the top, but the factory soft top channel would prevent that. Am I supposed to cut off the soft top header channel on the front of the windshield?

Here are some pictures of my top...

 

IM seem you will need to put the later windsheild ...

 

On my hard top There are 6 holes to fix it in the windshield. I see no holes on your Acme, so probabbly there is something inside to attach it.
Maybe you can imagine something with wood. it is easy to work and strong enough (oak).

 

Looks like it would set down further on the windshield frame if the channel for the soft top was removed. But I know these are welded on and removal wouldn't be easy.

 

I think the 76 and up windshield is narrower at the top and I think the angle of the windshield is relaxed. Looks like a better fit if you converted to the newer windshield.

 

cant tell from picture on CL . but would it fit over the soft top channel then slide back. it looks like it fit the jeep it came off of .stock windshield . have you tried it without the visors

 

I've got a thread going over on JeepForum.com too, http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f8/help-me-get-my-acme-top-fit-correctly-1433390/

nsargeant was very helpful in letting me know that he had to remove his soft top channel on the windshield to get his top to fit correctly. I believe he is on this forum as well.

Well I fitted the 76-up windshield this morning, and after looking at the fitment, it's clearly a pre-76 hardtop. The fit is WAY off with the late windshield frame. I took a bunch of pictures, too many to post. They are on my picasa acct here AcmeCJ5Hardtop


These probably show how bad the fitment is the best





So, now that I'm convinced that my top is an early top, I have to decide how to get it to fit correctly. This pictures shows how far down I need the top to sit to get a good fitment of the door to the top.



Like nsargeant mentioned, he cut his soft top channel off his windshield. I would rather not remove the channel, as I would like the ability to install a soft top or bikini top for the summer months. Here is what I think my solution will be. Instead of removing the soft top channel, I'm planning on trimming the hard top, to fit down around the channel.



Does anyone foresee any issues or problems with this solution?

 

Did you try the top with the older windsheild and the visor and all the hardware off?

 

I've tried fitting the top with the newer 76-up windshield, and the 72-75 windshield. My Jeep is a 74. The visor isn't actually hitting anything on the top, even though it looks like it might be in the pictures.

 

ApexWrangler,

I have the same exact problem you have. I too have a 74 and Acme top. How do you plan to mount the upper door hinge on the windshield hinge bracket? My doors conflict with the windshield hinge. Any ideas?

 

Which is more rare? An Acme hardtop for a pre-76 CJ5 or a windshield frame? You can buy reproduction windshield frames. You can also cut off the soft top channel and make it removable for use with a soft top. But I have seen precious few Acme tops for an early CJ5. I know which one I'd rather cut.

 

:iagree:

 

TahoeJarrett, here's how I plan to mount my body side door hinges


Then I'll move the top hinge on the door down. I want to repair the fiberglass on the door anyhow, so patching the old holes and drilling newer lower mounting holes isn't a big deal. This will allow me to run a bestop supertop with bestop soft doors in the summer months, as I'll be using their instructions to locate the hinges on the body. I believe the top hinge is 5 inches down from the cowl, and the bottom hinge is 15 inches down from the cowl.

I think the original solution from ACME was to remove the lower bolt on the windshield hinge and attache the door hinge there, drilling a hole for the upper hole in the door hinge. I found this example of a nice fitting top on a pre 76 CJ showing the upper door hinge on top of the windshield hinge.


Also, as you can see, this top is sitting very nicely on the Jeep with the windshield soft top channel still intact.



The top sits flush with the body tub, and the door gaps look uniform. I'd love to get my top to fit like that!

TahoeJarrett do you have any pictures of your Jeep with the top on it? Examples of how good / bad the fitment is?

As far as removing the windshield soft top channel, I'd really rather not. There are a few good examples of Jeeps showing the pre 76 ACME top fitting very nicely with the channel intact. This is really how I'd like to get my top to fit. I would really love to see how the top sits on the windshield from the interior. It appears to be molded inside so the top can sit flush on the top of the windshield frame. This would require the top to sit down lower though, either by removing the channel, or trimming the top. If anyone has pictures showing the inside view that would be awesome!

 

No pics showing the Acme sitting on the Jeep. I did have similar issues you pointed out in the first post. I thought one could buy a second windshield and remove the channel. Then when you convert to the Acme, switch out the windshield. Just a thought. Nice pic. Hope mine will have similar fit when I get to messing with the Acme. Currently running a soft top.

 

How about turning the top upside down on something soft and trying to fit the loose windshield to it without trying to juggle the pieces.
It might show where the conflict is. I wouldn't think you should need to cut the top or channel based on the pictures.
I would try several times before breaking out the grinder.

On my mongrel Postal top, I undo the hinges from the tub and get the top centered, then line up the bolts and snug them down.

Regarding moving the upper door hinge down, I like the idea of matching it to the soft top hinges.
Might want to add a sheet metal backer from where it is, to where you want it. Certainly ACME put it high for a reason, leverage comes to mind.

 

I think you're on the right track when you copy the fitment shown on the blue Jeep with the black top. I'd mount the doors without the top, then shim the windshield so the angle of the door matches the angle of the windshield. The angle of the windshield can vary some depending on the condition of the cowl seal. Adding a little extra rubber from an inner tube or such, to change the tilt-back, is not uncommon.

Once the doors fit right, I'd set the top on and see what the position of the front edge is wrt the top of the windshield.

I would also follow the example and drill the windshield hinges to accept the Acme hinge halves, rather than modifying the door.

 

Mr Gangrene Jeans, I thought about trying that. But I just don't see how the top can sit any lower on the windshield without trimming it a bit.

If you look at the side shot of the blue CJ, it looks like the rain gutter above the door is slightly tapered up for the last inch or so before the windshield. Where as if you look at the side shot of my Jeep the top is perfectly straight where the drip rail is.

I would venture a guess, that when you could buy the ACME top new, you may have had to trim the excess front lip back, depending on what year 55-75 CJ you had. What with Jeeps history of using "whatever happened to be laying around" for parts and different parts being found on different years, and the crossover from Willys to AMC, I would make a bet that the soft top channel on the windshield probably moved slightly up or down depending on when the windshield frame was manufactured.

Whom ever originally bought my top, may have not needed to trim the top to get it to fit their Jeep, or maybe they simply just didn't care about the poor fit.

I'm not thinking about removing a lot of material, but simply tracing the curvature of my windshield channel on say a cardboard template, then transfer that to mark to the front edge of the top, about a 1/2" up from where the bottom front edge is now.

 

Is it possible that you are missing some thick weatherstrip between the top and tub, that would raise the rear and change the angle at the door.

 

The weather stripping is in place on the lip that the hardtop sits on the tub. From the inside, the lip sits about 1/4" - 1/3" above the tub due to the thick weather stripping. That makes the outside of the bottom edge of the hard top sit just above the body line on the tub. It also aligns the mounting tab on the door striker so that it meets the tub of the Jeep and will just slightly compress the weather stripping when bolted down.

 

Looking at your pictures, looks like the visor hardware is keeping the top from sliding forward far enough to sit where it should. Take off the visors and try!