Removing The Jeep Gladiator's Doors and Hardtop

The Jeep Gladiator is the only mid-size pickup truck on the market today that is also a convertible. Just like the Wranglers of the past, the Jeep Gladiator comes with a set of removable doors and roof, allowing you to enjoy an open-air experience. If you want to open up your Gladiator and have a wonderful open-air trucking experience, then Matt from CJ Off-Road will show you how to remove your doors and hardtop.

Overall, this process isn’t that complicated, but it can seem daunting at first. There aren’t many tools needed besides the Gladiator door and hardtop removal kit, which includes a small wrench and two sizes of torx bits.

Removing Jeep Gladiator Doors

Removing the Gladiator's doors is easy, and it can be done in a matter of minutes without the help of anyone else.

Step One: Disconnecting Electronics

Before you begin removing the doors of your Jeep Gladiator, be sure to roll the door’s window down. Not only will this give you a good handle on the door once you are removing it from the truck, but it will also protect the glass upon removal.

First off, open the door, and locate the kick panel at the base of the door by the lower hinge. Once this is removed, the cable that is connecting the door to the Gladiator itself needs to be removed. Before you begin to do that, the limiting strap needs to be pulled back to show the cable’s connector. The wiring connection can be removed by pulling the small red tab, then pushing and flipping the white section up.

There are similar cables on the rear doors, but the cable connecting them is a tad less complex than the one on the front doors. Be sure to disconnect those as well when you are removing the rear doors.

Step Two: Disconnecting the Door Stop

Just like in the JL Wrangler, Jeep Gladiators come with a doorstop that keeps the door in place in various positions. This will need to be removed. This requires the smaller torx bit to remove. The doorstop is on the bottom of the door, right above the hinge. After this is unscrewed, it’s recommended that you screw the removed torx bolt back into the slot (with the stop removed of course) to avoid misplacing it.

Step Three: Unscrewing the Hinge Bolts

At this step in the process, the things really holding the door to the Gladiator are going to be removed. Underneath both of the hinges are torx bolts that require the larger torx bit from the Gladiator door and hardtop removal kit. There are two of these, one near the bottom, and once near the top.

Note: All of the pieces removed from the doors can be placed in the under-seat storage cubby located beneath the driver’s side rear seat.

Step Four: Removing the Door

Now the literal door removal occurs. With nothing locking the door in place on your Gladiator, all you have to do is lift the door straight up, and carry it away from the truck. These doors are made of aluminum, so they aren’t excessively heavy. While it’s easily possible to remove the Gladiator’s door by yourself, you should ask for help if you have any doubts.

Now that the doors are removed, all you have to do is find a safe place for them. If you plan on removing your doors from your garage, then building a door hanger is a great way to store them when they are not in use. Additionally, a bike lock can be very useful if you plan on removing your Gladiator’s doors on the road.

Once the factory doors have been removed, a nice set of tube or safari doors would really up your Gladiator's convertible game.

How to Remove Jeep Gladiator Hardtop

Removing the Jeep Gladiator's roof is also simple, like removing the doors, but there is more physical effort required. Besides the door and hardtop removal kit, you will definitely need some assistance to remove your Gladiator’s roof.

Step One: Removing Front Panels

First off, the hardtop panels immediately above the front seats can be quickly removed. There are a series of latches holding these panels in place. After undoing each of these latches, each panel can be easily slid out of place and removed.

Step Two: Unscrewing Roll Cage Bolts

To remove the hardtop, another set of torx bolts needs to be removed. These are located on the rear of Gladiator’s cab near the roll cage. These also require the larger torx bit in order to be removed.

Step Three: Detaching Rear Cables

On the back driver’s side corner of the hardtop above the rear seats, there is another power box that is concealing some wires that need to be disconnected in order to remove the back section of the hardtop. This is accessible by folding down the back seat and removing the cover concealing the wires underneath.

A red clip should be visible on the cable. This should be pulled backward, revealing a black section that, when depressed, allows the cable to be removed. At this point, the cable can just hang loose. Additionally, the power box can be reattached so that it stays in place.

Step Four: Unscrewing the Rear Torx Bolts

At this point, 6 torx bolts need to be removed from the lower back seam of the hardtop. Once these are removed, nothing is holding the hardtop in place and it is ready to be removed.

Step Five: Lifting Off the Top

To get the hardtop removed, you will need a partner. What you have to do is first lift the top straight up, and carry it back over the Gladiator’s bed. While there are ways to do this alone with a hoist or other tools, it’s much safer and more reliable to remove the hardtop with the assistance of a friend.

At this point, the uniqueness of the Gladiator is as clear as day. It’s a convertible pickup truck. With the top and doors off, you get a clear view of the JT’s bed in the rear. If you want an even more open-air experience, then you could fold down the windshield as well.