You might as well start with the doors. Roll down the windows first, because that way you can use the upper frames to lift the doors off their hinges once you have them unbolted and disconnected. Next, you want to remove the retention bolts that are threaded into the bottom of each door hinge. The Torx bit necessary for this is provided. Take special care not to ding the paint when loosening the bolts in the upper hinges; the lower ones have more clearance.
Next, you'll want to move inside and remove the door check rods and straps (which also house the wiring harnesses for the door locks and power windows, if applicable). The kick panel next to each strap pops off with a gentle tug, and the harnesses are connected with small clips. You can easily lean into the footwell to eyeball the connectors; removing them will be straightforward. The front connectors have swiveling retention clips; you need only push the small tabs on the rear connectors. Once you have these disconnected, you can slip the fabric straps off their retaining hooks and stuff the harnesses into the door pockets to keep them from getting banged around.
Now, the only thing keeping you from lifting the door off will be the door check rod. Unbolt it from the body, and the door can be lifted free. Be careful to leave these rods extended. If you accidentally shove them into the door panel, they can be tricky to extract again. Don't worry if you mess this up; you didn't break anything. Just stick a screwdriver through the bolt hole at the end of the arm and grab both sides to pull that sucker right back out. At this point, the doors will lift free. Store them somewhere where they can't slide around or fall over; you don't want to bang them up.
All that is left now is the roof. Start with the front panels, which are incredibly light and easy to remove. Undo the tabs and windshield frame clamps and lift them free; your Jeep should have come with a storage bag for them, but you can stick them with your doors if you like.
Now, it's time for the big enchilada. We strongly encourage you to recruit a friend or family member to help with this. They need only be tall enough to lift the clamshell slightly off the body of your Jeep; physical strength is not necessary. Like the front panels, it's quite light.
Eight Torx bolts are holding this in place. Six are behind the rear seats (you may need to fold down the backs for access depending on what configuration you have); the other two are in the roll hoop above and behind the front seats. They're on top of the circle, so you need to stand in the front footwell (or kneel on one of the front seats) to get to them. They were exposed when you removed the two front panels. Remove all eight bolts, then locate the box with the electrical connection for the rear window/defroster. On the Gladiator, it's behind the back passenger seat at the base of the clamshell. Pop the top off and un-clip the harness.
Your rear shell is now free, and you can simply lift it right off the back of the truck. Note that when you set it down, it will likely tip forward, so plan its storage location accordingly.
And there you have it. With nothing more than the small pocket-sized toolkit included with your Jeep, you've removed the hardtop.
Happy Jeeping, and don't forget to wave!
Next, you'll want to move inside and remove the door check rods and straps (which also house the wiring harnesses for the door locks and power windows, if applicable). The kick panel next to each strap pops off with a gentle tug, and the harnesses are connected with small clips. You can easily lean into the footwell to eyeball the connectors; removing them will be straightforward. The front connectors have swiveling retention clips; you need only push the small tabs on the rear connectors. Once you have these disconnected, you can slip the fabric straps off their retaining hooks and stuff the harnesses into the door pockets to keep them from getting banged around.
Now, the only thing keeping you from lifting the door off will be the door check rod. Unbolt it from the body, and the door can be lifted free. Be careful to leave these rods extended. If you accidentally shove them into the door panel, they can be tricky to extract again. Don't worry if you mess this up; you didn't break anything. Just stick a screwdriver through the bolt hole at the end of the arm and grab both sides to pull that sucker right back out. At this point, the doors will lift free. Store them somewhere where they can't slide around or fall over; you don't want to bang them up.
All that is left now is the roof. Start with the front panels, which are incredibly light and easy to remove. Undo the tabs and windshield frame clamps and lift them free; your Jeep should have come with a storage bag for them, but you can stick them with your doors if you like.
Now, it's time for the big enchilada. We strongly encourage you to recruit a friend or family member to help with this. They need only be tall enough to lift the clamshell slightly off the body of your Jeep; physical strength is not necessary. Like the front panels, it's quite light.
Eight Torx bolts are holding this in place. Six are behind the rear seats (you may need to fold down the backs for access depending on what configuration you have); the other two are in the roll hoop above and behind the front seats. They're on top of the circle, so you need to stand in the front footwell (or kneel on one of the front seats) to get to them. They were exposed when you removed the two front panels. Remove all eight bolts, then locate the box with the electrical connection for the rear window/defroster. On the Gladiator, it's behind the back passenger seat at the base of the clamshell. Pop the top off and un-clip the harness.
Your rear shell is now free, and you can simply lift it right off the back of the truck. Note that when you set it down, it will likely tip forward, so plan its storage location accordingly.
And there you have it. With nothing more than the small pocket-sized toolkit included with your Jeep, you've removed the hardtop.
Happy Jeeping, and don't forget to wave!
