Supposed to snow in the high country tomorrow, thought I would go play around in it a little bit. So I decided that tonight I would take my soft top off and put the hard top on. Not an easy task to do alone, but managed just fine. That is until I went to bolt the hard top back on to the jeep. Had a cup sitting on my shelf that said "hard top bolts" on it, but when I picked it up, it was empty!!

Why on earth would I have taken them out of the cup, and more importantly, where would I have put them?? Two hours of searching through the garage left me with no good answers to either of those questions. So, here is my dilemma. The closest jeep dealer is about 45 minutes away, while the closest hardware store is only 2. Still, after an extensive online search, I couldn't find the size of the bolts that go to the top. Does anybody happen to know what size bolts they are so that I can get new ones, finish putting my top on and go play tomorrow 5 minutes after the hardware store opens??

 

Getting old sucks, doesn't it?

Anyway, I figured this out by comparing against my tap and dies set, so be careful (you don't want to strip something). Ask your hardware store if you can test-try a 8x1.25 mm, 30 mm long screw. Put a flat washer on the screw. That should come close to duplicating your missing hardware.

BTW: When something is missing from my garage, I usually blame it on my 18-year old son.

 

Only being 25, I have to admit that since my Dad always blamed it on me when I lived in his house, I just still haven't 'grown out of it' yet.

Anyhow, I thought I had lucked out when I went to the hardware store and the size you gave me worked perfectly. Bad part was that I remembered that I had a meeting this morning, and so I won't be able to head to the hills until tomorrow.

 

Hah! See, I knew it!

 

Go to Home Depot to buy it. Don't buy the OEM bolts because you will have a heart attack when you will see the price...

 

Stop by your local Fastenal store:
http://www.fastenal.com/web/products...ex?sku=0141334

 

Put my mine in the pocket of my seat cover. I think they are still there, but I have a little more time till the snow flies. For $.29, I'm thinking just grab a few for my cigar box in the garage.

 

Just remember to buy Torx bolts. Otherwise your torx bits might gather too much dust. I also heard that Jeep roll-bars tend to reject anything that is not torx. Just like when a body rejects a donor organ. Don't upset the natural order.

Before I forget... make sure the new bolts are "hummer" free(Wiki -> Cruelty free). The result would be devastating! ! ! ! !

 

Same thing happened to me, the top and bolts were in a locked storage for three mths. When I went to get my top the bolts had vanished. That was 6 mths ago and still no bolts.

 

I made the mistake of putting them in the rear cubby. Got wet, and the bolts got some rust on them.

Was able to clean them and they're still being used, but I'm considering some stainless ones or the hand-turn ones from Cooltec. At least they're stainless so they should be alright.

Another option if you aren't in a rush. Cheers.