Sky One touch roof removal

[Colorado392]

The back glass comes off fairly easily. just a few hinge screws and the connector. It is in the video. Seems fairly doable, just a little awkward when the last screw is coming out.

My mistake, same dude, different video. Here it is:

Thanks for posting this. I've seen some of the other videos where the full SOT comes off.

While I've not previously owned and removed a hard top, I have driven various convertibles. The SOT is not the full convertible experience, but the convenience is hard to argue. I can see where removing the back glass (along with the side panels) will make the experience more enjoyable. I'll have to try this.

 

[Dral97]

The back glass comes off fairly easily. just a few hinge screws and the connector. It is in the video. Seems fairly doable, just a little awkward when the last screw is coming out.

My mistake, same dude, different video. Here it is:

I've seen that before. I'd drop the glass for sure. lol.

 

[Turboencabulator]

Did you post this video? I want to do the same with mine for the summer.

Hey @Lancet03 I did remove the SOT this summer. Here are some tips and tricks for anyone who is interested in doing the same:

Tips and Tricks for removing the Sky one Touch top (SOT)

Can you remove the SOT? Yes, absolutely.
It's just 22 bolts and 4 parts to take it off (Roof, back glass and 2 side windows). Brandon Haneline already has a great video detailing the process.

The biggest issue is storage. The windows are easy to keep in the included storage bag but the roof panel is big and kinda heavy, and the back window is awkward and everything is painted and easy to scratch. I built an electric driven hoist in my garage for the roof using Harkin hoist I had laying around. This also required some framing and swapping the garage door opener to a side mounted unit to keep the roof hoist area clear. For the back glass I built a storage box out of parts from the box the soft-top came in. This is defiantly a process I would just do once at the start of summer and then go back to the SOT at the end of summer.

Once you take out the 11 bolts on each side holding the roof down it is easy to lift off. There are 2 index pins on the back and front of each side that help align the roof for installation. If you're wanting to instal the soft top like I did you have to remove these pins on the front L & R side to be able to latch the soft top closed. Each side has a small bolt under the visor that needs to be removed and is easy to overlook. You'll end up with 9 bolts per side which I put into a foam block to keep them organized.

Next to remove the rear glass you remove some plastic covers to access the 2 bolts holding it to the body tub on each side but you need to be vary careful because once you remove the bolts the only thing holding it in place is a few alignment pins. On the driver's there is an electrical disconnect and the washer fluid disconnect. I wanted to attach the loose hoses somewhere but there is no connection bracket on SOT jeeps. So I bought the plastic cap and just left it hanging down there.

With everything off you'll end up with 22 bolts total. When I reinstalled them I was super careful with the torque on the fiberglass, only used about 7 N m of torque even though I had read that up to 12 N m is ok. So now I wanted to install my soft top.

Tips and Tricks for installing a factory soft top on Sky one Touch top (SOT) jeep.

Can you instal a factory soft top on a jeep that came with a SOT? Yes, absolutely!

First I had to remove the front SOT Index pin using a set of 10mm and 16mm wrenches. Now you need some parts. You'll need a Jeep JL Wrangler windshield header trim part, you need to make sure its from a soft top jeep with the cutouts for the soft top latches, and if possible from a jeep with the forward windshield camera option. I got mine on eBay for $65. Then you'll also need a set of Mopar Front Latch Brackets (68290476AA & 68290477AA) (both driver and passenger side) with two bolts each. I got mine on eBay as a package for $40.

Now you have to modify the soft top windshield header trim to fit the SOT Auto Open/Close button. On the back of the trim panel a plastic frame has been pre-molded to allow for this button to be installed but the trim needs the switch location to be cut out. This is a case for a Dremel tool and some patience. I made a tracing of the hole shape then went to work. The switch has a small bezel so it will hide some rough edges but the switch is flat and the trim is curved so it will not fit perfectly. On the actual SOT trim piece there is a small raised area molded into the plastic that compensates for this curve and fits the switch perfectly. But it's close enough for Jeep quality. (Below you can see the process with the new soft-top replacement trim part on top and the existing SOT trim piece removed and on the bottom for reference.)

I didn't mess with the wire harness at all, just unplugged the trim components such as the SOT open/close button and the SOS/Assist switch. After I was done cutting out the SOT switch I reinstalled everything just as the factory had it. With this new visor trim installed I can switch from SOT to a soft top and not have to make any changes. I added the half doors and I called it done. Honestly the SOT is so nice I am not sure I would recommend doing all this work, but if you absolutely need some summertime soft top Jeep in your life then this is defiantly doable.

I hope this is helpful!

 

[Marksman]

Hey @Lancet03 I did remove the SOT this summer. Here are some tips and tricks for anyone who is interested in doing the same:

Tips and Tricks for removing the Sky one Touch top (SOT)

Can you remove the SOT? Yes, absolutely. It's just 22 bolts and 4 parts to take it off (Roof, back glass and 2 side windows). Brandon Haneline already has a great video detailing the process.

The biggest issue is storage. The windows are easy to keep in the included storage bag but the roof panel is big and kinda heavy, and the back window is awkward and everything is painted and easy to scratch. I built an electric driven hoist in my garage for the roof using Harkin hoist I had laying around. This also required some framing and swapping the garage door opener to a side mounted unit to keep the roof hoist area clear. For the back glass I built a storage box out of parts from the box the soft-top came in. This is defiantly a process I would just do at the start of summer and then go back to the SOT at the end of summer.
View attachment 25134
Once you take out the 11 bolts on each side holding the roof down it is easy to lift off. There are 2 index pins on the back and front of each side that help align the roof for installation. If your wanting to instal the soft top like I did you have to remove these pins on the front L & R side to be able to latch the soft top closed. Each side has a small bolt under the visor that needs to be removed and is easy to overlook. You'll end up with 9 bolts per side which I put into a foam block to keep them organized.
View attachment 25135
View attachment 25136
Next to remove the rear glass you remove some plastic covers to access the 2 bolts holding it to the body tub on each side but you need to be vary careful because once you remove the bolts the only thing holding it in place is a few alignment pins. On the driver's there is an electrical disconnect and the washer fluid disconnect. I wanted to attach the loose hoses somewhere but there is no connection bracket on SOT jeeps. So I bought the plastic cap and just left it hanging down there.
View attachment 25137
With everything off you'll end up with 22 bolts total. When I reinstalled them I was super careful with the torque on the fiberglass, only used about 7 N m of torque even though I had read that up to 12 N m is ok. So now I wanted to install my soft top.

Tips and Tricks for installing a factory soft top on Sky one Touch top (SOT) jeep.

Can you instal a factory soft top on a jeep that came with a SOT? Yes, absolutely! First I had to remove the front SOT Index pin using a set of 10mm and 16mm wrenches. Now you need some parts. You'll need a Jeep JL Wrangler windshield header trim part, you need to make sure its from a soft top jeep with the cutouts for the soft top latches, and if possible from a jeep with the forward windshield camera option. I got mine on eBay for $65. Then you'll also need a set of Mopar Front Latch Brackets (68290476AA & 68290477AA) (both driver and passenger side) with two bolts each. I got mine on eBay as a package for $40.
View attachment 25140
Now you have to modify the soft top windshield header trim to fit the SOT Auto Open/Close button. On the back of the trim panel the plastic has been molded to allow for this button to be installed but the trim needs to be cut out. This is a case for a Dremel tool and some patience. I made a tracing of the hole shape then went to work. The switch has a small bezel so it will hide some rough edges but the switch is flat and the trim is curved so it will not fit perfectly on the actual SOT trim piece there is a raised area that compensates for this curve. But it's close enough for Jeep quality.
View attachment 25141View attachment 25142
I didn't mess with the wire harness at all, just unplugged the trim components such as the SOT open/close button etc. After I was done cutting out the SOT switch I reinstalled everything just as the factory had it. With this new visor trim installed I can switch from SOT to a soft top and not have to make any changes. I added the half doors and I called it done. Honestly the SOT is so nice I am not sure I would recommend doing all this work, but if you need some summertime soft top Jeep in your life then this is defiantly doable.
View attachment 25143
I hope this is helpful!

As always, great write-up!

 

[TheBeast23]

As always, great write-up!

Amazing Attention to detail - Nice Job

 

[Damnright]

That is good to know, thanks. I wonder how hard it will be to buy/attach the missing bars?
I ordered the sky one touch power top with the half doors so that I can run soft top / half-doors in the summer and sky one touch power top / full-doors in the winter here in the Midwest.
View attachment 2561

The one thing my wife has pointed out (repeatedly) is how few Wranglers we pass on the road that have their top down. She felt that with the sky one touch power top we would use it a lot more than the freedom panels.
Well once my 392 shows up in the garage I plan on posting a video on the process of converting a sky one touch power top to a soft top for the summer. Until then if anyone has any tips let me know.

Jlwranglerforums.com has some good threads on people removing other tops for SOT as well as the other way around. I would highly advise reading those. Some threads list all the steps and all part numbers needed for swap. After reading through them a year or so ago I passed on the idea. It was anything but straight forward given the parts specific to the SOT. However, starting from that may be easier.

 

[Turboencabulator]

Jlwranglerforums.com has some good threads on people removing other tops for SOT as well as the other way around. I would highly advise reading those. Some threads list all the steps and all part numbers needed for swap. After reading through them a year or so ago I passed on the idea. It was anything but straight forward given the parts specific to the SOT. However, starting from that may be easier.

Going from SOT to topless or soft top is straight forward and I only needed 3 parts:
1. Windshield Molding Mopar# 6TA60TX7AF $109 used on eBay or $268 new
2. Right Bracket Latch Mopar# 68290476AA $15 used on eBay or $24 new
3. Left Bracket Latch Mopar# 68290477AA $15 used on eBay or $24 new

Going from a soft top or a freedom hard top to a SOT.... that is not straight forward.

I guess the point is if you want a SOT order it from the factory that way. Personally, I think the SOT is a total game changer, I use it every single day. But I also always really wanted an old school Jeep with a soft top. When I ordered my 392 I went factory SOT and reckoned I could make it into a soft top later on. There wasn't much info on how to actually go about doing that, just a lot of guesses and helpful suggestions on the web. So I figured I would post some details on how I went about it to help out.

As a side note I bought Windshield Molding part # 6NS39TX7AD which fits but doesn't have the tabs that fit into the forward camera housing. The one I listed above (6TA60TX7AF) does have those two clips. Not a big deal but if I was doing it over I think that one would be a better choice.

 

[tkraak]

Finally pulled the SOT off. Easy enough in the end. Thanks again to everyone who contributed to this thread.

@Turboencabulator ... you happened to have the part number for the wire harness cover?

 

[station378]

I’ve got the Sky One-Touch on my 392 and it’s great functionally, but if removable panels are a priority, the standard roof definitely wins. The Sky roof isn’t something you just pop off removing it is more of a semi-permanent job and not something you’ll want to do regularly. Most people treat it as fixed and just use the power function instead.
If you really want the classic open-top / easy removal vibe, you’ll probably be happier sticking with the standard hardtop. The Sky roof is awesome for convenience, just not for full modular removal.