How To Remove the Hardtop from your Jeep Wrangler JK

How Do I Remove the Hardtop from your Jeep Wrangler JK?

As we are veering into the peak summer seasons with August on the horizon, the thought of sitting in your vehicle in the sweltering hot heat is a major concern for many. Jeep Wrangler owners need not worry about these problems. That is, however, if they know how to remove their Jeep Wrangler hard top.

Thankfully for those of you looking to remove your Jeep Wrangler hardtop ahead of the heat, we have devised a step-by-step guide for you to follow, to ensure a safe and extremely quick removal process. This way, you can spend less time in the garage and more time in the trails and off-road trekking, which is where your wrangler belongs.

Tools required:
T40 Torx
Drill or Ratchet
Wrench
A Friend or a Hardtop Hoist

Prior to beginning the removal process, there are some differences you should be aware of for the varying Jeep Wrangler models - depending upon whether you have a two-door or a four-door Jeep Wrangler (they’re very minor don’t worry). Namely, they are the differences in bolts in the front end of your Jeep vehicle. For the removal of your freedom panels, these are the same regardless of your Jeep doors so this section of your vehicle should make no difference. However, for those of you with a four-door, once you remove the freedom panels on your Jeep, there should be two bolts hidden underneath - this is not the case for the two door Jeep Wranglers.

Moving to the back of the vehicle, you will find 3 more bolts down each side of the Jeep Wrangler, along with an electrical connector and a washer fluid connector that you will have to remove. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to do this safety and efficiently...

1) To begin the installation process, first remove the front panels. Inside, you should have six screws in the cargo area; three up the front and three in the back. To make it easier for yourself, pop out the sun visors so you can reach the latches behind them. Go around and unlatch all six latches.

2) Once you have unscrewed all six latches, start to remove the hardtop by lifting up the panels on both the driver's side and passenger sides

3) Now you can begin the removal of the rear section of the Jeep Wrangler hardtop. This is where your T40 Torx screw comes in handy. Starting with the top, there are two T40 Torx bolts on each corner that need to be removed. Once these have been unscrewed from the Jeep Hardtop, you are now able to move the rear.

4) For the side of the Jeep hardtop, you should see three T40 Torx Bolts on each side of the hardtop, underneath the window. Again, unscrew these in the same format as step 3 in order to completely detach the hardtop from the Jeep Wrangler.

5) Once all the bolts have been removed, you now have to disconnect the electrical connectors and washer fluid connector to complete the removal process accordingly. Whilst this may sound technical, it is actually an extremely easy and quick procedure. Simply, push on the electrical connector and pull it off!

6) Now everything has been removed safely, it's time to take the hardtop completely off your vehicle. This is where you will need to grab a friend for assistance. Each of you standing at either side of the jeep should lift up from the centre of the hardtop and pull back - removing the hardtop securely.

7) Position your Jeep Wrangler hardtop in a safe place whilst it’s not in use. When you’re ready to put the hardtop back on in time for a new adventure or the changing seasons, just reverse the process.

And that’s it! It really is that simple to remove your Jeep Wrangler hardtop. While removing your Jeep Wrangler hardtop may seem like a strenuous task, knowing how to properly take it off can make the process more efficient, safer and cheaper for you, the Jeep Wrangler owner.

If you’re in the process of getting your JK wrangler ready for the summer sunshine, there really is no need to panic over how you can get your jeep wrangler hardtop removed. All you need to do is follow our simple step-by-step guide, grab a friend and a few tools and you can get started on the hardtop removal.