Bestop Bikini    (click thumbnails for close up)

We wanted to have a quick and easy way to keep light rain and bright sun off of our heads while we were out.  One option was to just put the soft top back up without the windows.  While this was a no cost option, it was more time consuming because we have chosen to leave the Duster on all the time.  I went with the drill style header for the bikini because I wanted to be able to get the soft top up without any additional tools (the no drill header requires you to unbolt it every time you put the soft top back up).  The installation of the Bikini took a lot longer than I expected it would.  Drilling the windshield header wasn't too bad.  A total of 10 - 1/8" holes spaced across the top edge of the header create the mounting points for the two piece header channel.  The instructions supplied are self explanatory.  I've included pics only so someone considering the drill header can decide if they want to tackle this install.  The first shot shows the windshield frame without anything attached (fig. 1).  The header installs above the clamp locations and just even with the top of the soft top gasket (fig. 2).  You have to drill 5 holes for each header piece.  (Fig. 3) shows the drivers side with the mounting holes drilled.  While installing the header on the passenger side I turned the head of of one of the screws (fig. 4).  The screws that Bestop supplies are not very high quality.  I recommend going to your favorite hardware store and getting some good quality stainless screws to replace them.  The real problem with the supplied screws is that the phillips slot in the head is not very deep.  Even with a good screwdriver, it is almost impossible to get them to turn and cut the threads without slipping in the slot, starting to strip the head out.  My solution, which worked on the other screws is to start the screws, getting them to where they start to grab.  Once I had the screws started, I grabbed their little heads with my Vice-Grips and applied a slow, even, turn to them.  After one full turn, you will feel the screws become much easier to turn because the threads have been cut.  I then removed the vice grips and tightened the screws the remainder of the way with a screwdriver.  Remember to move evenly across the channel, and just tighten a little at a time until so the header snugs up in an even fashion.  The other challenge with the drill style header is that it is 2 separate pieces, requiring the install to be juuust right, so the slots are even and the header strip can slide in easily.  Getting mine lined up was not bad.  Just take your time, mark the very center of the holes you will drill and be sure to drill perpendicular to the windshield frame.  This will help to keep the bit from wandering.  OK, 45 min. later, the header is installed and now just a couple of minutes to strap the bikini on, right?...  Wrong.  The bikini has straps that wrap around the middle bar of the sport bar, behind your head.  The straps need to fit between the sport bar and the soundbar.  Unfortunately, DC installs the soundbar so that it is tight against the sport bar.  This prevents you from being able to slide the straps and buckles between the two.  The best way to fix this is to remove the sport bar and notch out the mounting slots on its frame, allowing the sport bar to slide back (about 1/8" worked for me).  On the soundbar, pull up the velcro flaps that wrap around the sides of the sport bar.  Next, you'll need a #40 torx bit to get the soundbar bolts off.  Once you have the bolts of, unplug the soundbar wiring (speakers and dome light) from the drivers side harness at the top.  Once everything is undone, the sportbar can be lifted off.  I set mine in the grass to prevent the speaker grilles from getting scuffed up.  I then took a 1/2" bit and chewed out the mounting slots.  I only opened mine up about 1/8", which allowed enough room for the bikini straps and buckles to slide between the sound bar and sportbar.  Refit the soundbar, check that you have enough clearance for the straps/buckles, then tighten the soundbar back down.  Once this has been done, the bikini can be fitted in 2-3 min.  Our intent is to not have it on unless it's going to be a scorching day.  If we see clouds on the horizon, we'll pull over and cover our heads in case we get caught in the rain.  One downside I see is that the soft top clamps don't' snug up against the windshield frame the way they did prior to the retaining channel install.  It's not the same clamp in these photos, but the drivers side has not been installed (fig. 5) and the passengers side has (fig. 6).  Note the difference in how close the clamp is to the windshield frame when closed.  At first, this looked like a problem, but the final 1/2" of movement in the clamp doesn't move the top and the sun visors will keep the latches snug enough.  Overall, I'm pleased with this, and I'm sure it will be great once the dead of summer sets in.  One big benefit is that we'll run this when we go off road to prevent trees and limbs from popping us.  I'd rather mess up a $40 bikini than a $400 soft top, and a brief trip through the woods yesterday confirmed that low hanging branches will drag across the top of the Jeep.  Cost $60 ($20 - header, $40 - bikini); time to install retaining channel and re-drill soundbar mounts: 1 hour and 30 min.

fig. 1     fig. 2     fig. 3    

fig. 4     fig. 5     fig. 6