Questions about refurbishing hardtop

[Snukulu]

Finally cracking and getting a hardtop to get more winter use. I'm not expecting to find one in pristine condition. The threads/pics I've found on here have all been restoring black, which hides a lot, I think.
1. Has anyone refurbished a tan / khaki one? Info/pics? What paint and color did you use?
2. What *is* the correct color for carpets, hardtop etc. For a 2000 TJ in Forest Green Pearl? Info I found says Dark Tan but aftermarket stuff I see is: khaki, tan saddle tan, spice...
3. What would you use to fill in any chips/dings before painting?
4. Some of the tops I'm seeing have the defroster/rear wiper. Is it difficult to wire that in?
TIA

 

[SSTJ]

Hello,

I recently picked up a 97 hard top to go with my 97 SE. I've read that the color code for the 97 hard tops was "LTB". Looks to me like SEM 15173 may be a close match.

You can find many threads on here about how well you can restore original color with nothing more than hot water, magic eraser, and Flood "Penetrol".

There is also a How-To article somewhere on here, I think by @Chris, that outlines all the OEM wiring.

 

[deserteagle56]

I can only address the type of paint to use.

My Jeep came with a black hard top. I hated it. Here in the desert sun it would get so hot it would burn your hand. Since the body of the Jeep was white I opted to just paint the hard top white also. Prepped the roof by thoroughly cleaning it, first with soap and water and then with acetone. If I remember correctly it took about 7 cans of Krylon Fusion white paint to do a good job, The Krylon Fusion is specifically designed to paint plastic - most other paints will not stick to plastic.

That was some 10 years ago. The paint job still looks good.

Before:

After:

 

[TJ4Jim]

Finally cracking and getting a hardtop to get more winter use. I'm not expecting to find one in pristine condition. The threads/pics I've found on here have all been restoring black, which hides a lot, I think.
1. Has anyone refurbished a tan / khaki one? Info/pics? What paint and color did you use?
2. What *is* the correct color for carpets, hardtop etc. For a 2000 TJ in Forest Green Pearl? Info I found says Dark Tan but aftermarket stuff I see is: khaki, tan saddle tan, spice...
3. What would you use to fill in any chips/dings before painting?
4. Some of the tops I'm seeing have the defroster/rear wiper. Is it difficult to wire that in?
TIA

View attachment 571935

View attachment 571936

Was your Jeep delivered with a hardtop, does your HT wiring exist. At the drivers side inside rear corner there will be a large harness and plug for lighting, defrost and wiper if it was factory equipped.

 

[SSTJ]

There is also a How-To article somewhere on here, I think by @Chris, that outlines all the OEM wiring.

Oops, it was by @Jamison C, here.

 

[zebra12]

@Jamison C made one look great with penetrol

​

Post in thread 'Jalapeño; an extra spicy build'

Nov 19, 2020

Ok so a fun update. My jeep came with dual tops and since it's getting colder out, and I probably won't have the soft top down that much till spring, I decided to put the hardtop on. It's in great shape but the paint was horribly faded and oxidized. I had kicked around the idea of painting it but right now I can't justify the cost of the paint, even if I did it myself. So I decided to go the $10 Penetrol route.

Some faded photos:

Most people wipe the penetrol on, let it sit for a couple minutes, then wipe it off and buff it. I tried that , but my top...

• Jamison C

• 

 

[Snukulu]

I can only address the type of paint to use.

My Jeep came with a black hard top. I hated it. Here in the desert sun it would get so hot it would burn your hand. Since the body of the Jeep was white I opted to just paint the hard top white also. Prepped the roof by thoroughly cleaning it, first with soap and water and then with acetone. If I remember correctly it took about 7 cans of Krylon Fusion white paint to do a good job, The Krylon Fusion is specifically designed to paint plastic - most other paints will not stick to plastic.

That was some 10 years ago. The paint job still looks good.

Before:
View attachment 572060

After:
View attachment 572061

WOW - stunning!! And thanks!

 

[Snukulu]

Hello,

I recently picked up a 97 hard top to go with my 97 SE. I've read that the color code for the 97 hard tops was "LTB". Looks to me like SEM 15173 may be a close match.

You can find many threads on here about how well you can restore original color with nothing more than hot water, magic eraser, and Flood "Penetrol".

There is also a How-To article somewhere on here, I think by @Chris, that outlines all the OEM wiring.

Thanks!!

 

[Snukulu]

Was your Jeep delivered with a hardtop, does your HT wiring exist. At the drivers side inside rear corner there will be a large harness and plug for lighting, defrost and wiper if it was factory equipped.

Delivered with soft top and half doors. (I'm the second owner; have the window sticker). I checked for the harness anyway, it's not there.

 

[Snukulu]

@Jamison C made one look great with penetrol

​

Post in thread 'Jalapeño; an extra spicy build'

Nov 19, 2020

Ok so a fun update. My jeep came with dual tops and since it's getting colder out, and I probably won't have the soft top down that much till spring, I decided to put the hardtop on. It's in great shape but the paint was horribly faded and oxidized. I had kicked around the idea of painting it but right now I can't justify the cost of the paint, even if I did it myself. So I decided to go the $10 Penetrol route.

Some faded photos:

Most people wipe the penetrol on, let it sit for a couple minutes, then wipe it off and buff it. I tried that , but my top...

• Jamison C

• 

THANKS so much for finding this for me! Hugely helpful.

Oops, it was by @Jamison C, here.

Awesome, thanks, printed it out for *next* project

 

[Snukulu]

UPDATE: Bought a spice hardtop from a 97 today in very nice shape, except for dirt and a few spider families. Was able to confirm that my soft top and hard uppers are "Dark Tan" (not tan, khaki, or spice). It's going to clean up beautifully, but the spice won't match my hard uppers so I'm going to spray it Dark Tan. This may be a dumb question, but once I give it a thorough cleaning, there's NO reason to use the Penetrol since I'm going to paint it a different color, right? I'm assuming Penetrol would keep new paint from adhering. Just wondering if there was any benefit to fully restoring the original color before changing it.

 

[SSTJ]

I think you want to stay away from Penetrol if you're going to paint it a new color.

p.s. That's a lot of work just to match half-uppers. Are you committed to those?

 

[Snukulu]

Kind of, because they match the dark tan soft top. So current thought is restore hardtop to spice and get a second set of hard uppers to match that. And so it begins $$$$$

 

[SSTJ]

Kind of, because they match the dark tan soft top. So current thought is restore hardtop to spice and get a second set of hard uppers to match that. And so it begins $$$$$

Or a set of full doors! I found a set off a 97 and I plan to run those in winter with the hardtop.

 

[Snukulu]

Someone else said it here recently... full doors make me feel claustrophobic LOVE my half doors. Here's before and after a good exterior cleaning. It uncovered some surface scratches but looks SO much better.

 

[DuckNut]

No, don't use Penetrol.

Fix any imperfections in the top and prep for paint.