Choping roof on XLT

[naxel86]

I have a '98 XLT and has always been an admirer of the Broncos who could take their tops off in the summer. Would it be feasable to chop my top like in the reaf behind the B pillar? I would almost certainly guess that I would have to make a roll cage for the rear (chopped section) to give it structural support, and cuz id look cool, but again, is this possible without compromising body strength?

 

[BogFather]

well thats funny cause i was just telling the wife thats pretty much what i wanna do with mine as well LMAO. i'd say a roll cage would not only give you that structural strength but also look really really AWESOME.......

 

[naxel86]

well thats funny cause i was just telling the wife thats pretty much what i wanna do with mine as well LMAO.

So how hard would chopping the rear be?

 

[dcarp]

I think there are a few members in the off road section who have done this before (I haven't) but preparation is key. You mentioned running a cage, you might be able to find a custom top manufacturer who can create a snap on top to hook to the cage that would protect you from the elements. You might want to meet with them first to see how much metal they'll need and help you map out where to cut & build the cage.

If I were doing it, these are the steps I would take:
1) strip interior (at minimum headliner, rear seats, carpet).
2) pull windows.
3) re-route any wires that may be in the ceiling (dome light, 3d brake light, etc).
4) Run masking tape along your cut lines (that way shavings won't scratch your paint, and the paint won't spiderweb-hopefully).
5) cut with a sawzall or rotary
6) file cuts to be smooth.
7) Run flex channel (you know the stuff around a sunroof-it comes in alot of colors) along all of the cuts-- If you want to run a headliner up front, you can also use this to attach the headliner across the rear.
8) Build the cage.
9) Deliver to the custom top manufacturer.
10) replace as much of the interior as possible (you'll need to cut down the rear plastic pieces on the sides)
11) Enjoy.

 

[CodePoet]

Msupertec made a custom soft top for his. You will have to put a cage it, you'll loose a ton of structrual support if you don't. Pretty common in the offroad world, do some searching you'll find a decent amount of info