Just how luxurious do you want to get with your Wrangler? Is it your prized possession that is awarded every trick piece you can find to put on it? Because we have a doozie to show you, and it might be the very thing that finally gets your friends to agree that money can buy you some things that you just can't build on your own. After lots of research and trial and error, the folks over at the Barker Gang Garage have come up with an electric folding soft top for Jeep TJ Wranglers that gives a bit of luxury to a utilitarian-built vehicle. Besides the wow factor that'll impress your friends, the top offers the easiest, most convenient changeover from an open top to a soft top in less than a minute. With the push of a button, the top folds up or down, with the only other operation being two clamps you have to attach at the windshield.
We couldn't wait to try one out, but we wanted to create a challenge for the Barker Top guys, and see if we could make one fit on a YJ Wrangler. The body lines are very similar, and with some finessing we were wondering if we could get one to fit a pre-'97 Jeep. We talked with Dennis Barker himself, and it turns out that they'd already done just that. We'd be able to make the top fit on a YJ if they changed a few brackets and we did some rollcage fabrication. The rollbar behind the front seats needs to go in a couple of inches on a YJ to make it work, requiring cutting and welding. If you are not willing to attempt this, then please have a skilled fabricator look at it for you. The top bolts onto the stock TJ rollcage without any issue. Other than the cage mods we had Fabworx Off Road make for us, we only had to ream out a couple holes here and there, and line up the windshield brackets, but our install team did pretty well at getting a sweet folding soft top on in just a few hours (not including cage mods).
Keep in mind that this is no top for you crazy few that have the potential to roll your Jeep just on the way into work in the morning. You'd not be happy that you just wrecked such a fine quality top, so we suggest removing it before any hazardous wheeling trips. The top is easy to take off with just a few bolts and can be left at camp while you go wreck your rig, so you can make sure that you can at least close your top up in style, even if you don't have a straight panel left on your Jeep.
The entire soft top is laid...
The entire soft top is laid out, with brackets modified (from Barker) to fit a YJ instead of a TJ. The soft top itself, motors, motorplates, fenderplates, Velcro, side panels, and complete wiring harness and switch are included. All you need are tools and a little know-how.
The biggest issue with putting...
The biggest issue with putting this top on a YJ instead of a TJ is that you'll have to cut down and reweld the rollbar behind the front seats. This YJ owner had a custom rollcage, but he decided to sell it to someone else and start over with a new rollcage, making sure it would work in conjunction with the Barker Top. We mocked up the entire top install before we started fabbing a rollcage so we could take measurements to maximize utility and space.
The motor foot took three...
The motor foot took three buttonhead Allen bolts (included) to mount to the base plate that we already installed in the tub. The two black and red wires coming out of the DC motor attach to the wiring harness via male and female plugs that cannot be mixed up. Barker has already prewired an entire harness with two relays that have opposite polarities, as the motors work in opposite directions (one mounted left, one mounted right, but same motors) to work in conjunction with each other to lower or raise the top.
We mounted the rollbar side...
We mounted the rollbar side panels first to see where we'd need to place the rollbar portion of the cage. We had to drill two holes in the body rails to utilize all the mounting holes. You will also need to cut some Velcro (included) to place (dotted box) on the rail for the Velcro portion of the top. Velcro also attaches the rear window of the Barker top, so you'll need to lay some Velcro on the tailgate as well.
On the YJ Wrangler we bolted...
On the YJ Wrangler we bolted the side mount panels on the body and lined up the chromoly tubing (for the rollcage measurements) to mount to the L side-panel brackets that attach the rollbar side panels. Pictured next to our custom fabbing on the YJ is the side panel bracket going onto a stock TJ rollbar. Under the padding of the stock TJ rollcage are two existing threaded plugs that line directly up with the bracket.
No two YJs were built the...
No two YJs were built the same, so we measured everything carefully and mocked everything up before fabricating any cagework. Here, Jack Arrington is about to bolt these base plates onto the rear of the body tub. The base plate has four holes at the rear that tie into the four factory bolt holes of the rollcage, which are now incorporated. The front of the base plate has a backing plate that sandwiches the body in between using a single bolt that you'll need to drill a hole for.