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Salad Beachwood top fit? |
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Nick_ 
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 Topic: Salad Beachwood top fit?Posted: 19 May 2015 at 12:52am |
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The other day I went to a WWII Reenactment and a gentleman there had a slat grille MB with a Beachwood summer top. He's going to buy a whole new set so his seats match, and offered the current one to me. I have a 3A, and there are some top bows on Craigslist right now for a 2A. I know the CJ windshields are 2" taller. Will all of these salad ingredients work together?
MB Beachwood top CJ2A bows CJ3A Jeep |
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Lee MN
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Posted: 19 May 2015 at 1:07am |
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stock 2A and 3A bows are not that different and you would gain nothing with 2A bows. You need MB-GPW bows and required mounting brackets, you would also need the buttons for a MB windshield frame to mount the top as your 3A has a channel to mount the front of the top. May be easier to have the top altered to fit the channel. Go for it!
Lee 
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LEE
44 GPW-The Perfected Willys 49 2A “If you wait, you only get older” 67 M715 American Made Rolling History |
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Nick_
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Posted: 19 May 2015 at 1:16am |
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Lee,
What would be the difference between 2A and military top bows? The seller doesn't have any small hardware so I would have to buy or build some. |
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rocketeer
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Posted: 19 May 2015 at 1:50am |
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The difference between civvy and military is like day and night.
Here's military (ignore the rollbar):  Here's the civvy:  |
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Nick_
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Posted: 19 May 2015 at 2:50am |
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Oh wow, that is a huge difference. Would it be worth trying to "field mod" the CJ bows into a miltary style? The right bows will cost me more than the top and I don't think I can justify that expense right now.
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WeeWilly
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Posted: 19 May 2015 at 4:08pm |
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You could make the modern top bows for the early jeeps work since they mount to a single bracket on top of the jeep body rails similar to the military.
Jim |
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47 CJ2A (Ranch Hand) 48 CJ2A, 48 Willys truck, T3C 3782, M274 (Military Mule)
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rocketeer
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Posted: 19 May 2015 at 4:25pm |
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Just curious, what "modern top bows" do you have in mind?
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WeeWilly
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Posted: 19 May 2015 at 4:30pm |
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I bought a top I believe it was a Best Top a few years ago that had them. It was made so you could fold the top down for a convertible and not have to take it off.
Jim |
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47 CJ2A (Ranch Hand) 48 CJ2A, 48 Willys truck, T3C 3782, M274 (Military Mule)
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rocketeer
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Posted: 19 May 2015 at 5:06pm |
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The problem as I see it is that tops are made to fit specific bows. Now you may be able to jury rig something that the top will hang on but it's never going to fit right unless you use the bows it was designed to fit. I have a WWII summer top on my CJ3A. I installed the military bows to fit it up. As was mentioned above, if you have a CJ3A type windshield it uses an entirely different method to attach a top to the windshield. It would be necessary to either modify the top or modify the windshield to get it to attach. The back end of a military top cinches down through metal loops on the rear panel. A CJ has a tailgate, not a rear panel, and it's not likely, although possible, the loops will line up. The top panel has attachment points designed for military bows and don't look to me like they will line up with civvy bows. Also note civvy bows are slightly curved while military bows are flat. Just a few issues I see with trying to fit up a military top using civvy bows.
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rocketeer
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Posted: 19 May 2015 at 5:09pm |
On a CJ2A? |
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WeeWilly
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Posted: 19 May 2015 at 5:27pm |
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I was just suggesting that a set of bows could be made to work and wasn't saying they would be authentic since Nick was thinking of putting a military top on a CJ any way. With it being a summer top it wouldn't take to many mods and adjustments to make it fit and look good.
Jim |
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47 CJ2A (Ranch Hand) 48 CJ2A, 48 Willys truck, T3C 3782, M274 (Military Mule)
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Nick_
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Posted: 21 May 2015 at 3:39pm |
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I see what you guys are saying. I found an M38 on craigslist that's been hacked up, but it has top bows. Should I try to buy those bows?
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rocketeer
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Posted: 21 May 2015 at 4:08pm |
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You should be able to make those work if you can get them.
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jpet
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Posted: 21 May 2015 at 4:10pm |
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A set of Best top bows may work since they are flat across the top. they may need to be lengthened or shortened. As Rocketeer said, the footman loops in the rear are different. A CJ has 6 and a g503 has 5.
The biggest hurdle to overcome, IMO, is the windshield. As was expressed earlier, the MB has 10 round grommets to attach to a straight top windshield and the 3A has a coping slot and the top of the windshield has an arch. It is not flat across the top like a g503. Even if you installed 10 capstans across the top of your 3A windshield, the fabric will not match the profile of the arched top. If you proceed, post pics plz.
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CJ2A #29110 "General Willys"
MB #204827 "BAM BAM" "We do what we can, and we try what we can't" |
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Nick_
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Posted: 21 May 2015 at 4:24pm |
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jpet, I have a non-script 2A repro windshield to use with this top. I don't think I made that clear in my post, but my Jeep is going to be militarized. I believe with these bows I should be set.
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Nick_
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Posted: 22 May 2015 at 6:10am |
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Today I went and stopped to see the Jeep with bows since it was only 20 minutes away from my house. They wouldn't sell me just the bows...so I took the whole thing
  The bows are CJ2a-style, right? It confused me because of the way they're setup on the Jeep with the folding style mount. See how the bows are mounted? It's actually a decent M38. Overdrive, lockout hubs, Chevy 350. Not gonna keep it though.   |
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rocnroll
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Posted: 22 May 2015 at 8:25am |
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Those look like aftermarket bows to me....Bestop, etc.
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'47 CJ2A PU
'48 CJ2A Lefty "Common sense is not that common" |
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rocketeer
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Posted: 22 May 2015 at 12:31pm |
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Agree, they aren't M-38 bows. Here's what M-38 bows look like and how they attach.
  Edited by rocketeer - 22 May 2015 at 12:40pm |
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WeeWilly wrote: