The Smittybilt Standard Top 90801 is the simplest top Smittybilt makes: a black vinyl panel that covers the front seats of a 1987 to 1991 Jeep Wrangler YJ, tucks into the windshield channel at the front and straps to the roll bar at the back. No bows, no frame, no windows, about an hour to fit the first time and a couple of minutes after that. It sits at the bottom of a lineup that runs from this one-piece sun shade up to a 29 pound bowless top with tinted windows and a fiberglass hardtop, and the right choice depends on how much of the Jeep you want covered and how much weather you expect. This guide covers what the 90801 is, what it needs, how it goes on, and how every other Smittybilt top differs from it.
Key takeaways
- The 90801 is a bikini-style top for the front seats only, in black vinyl, for the 1987 to 1991 YJ; the same top in black denim is part 90815, and the 92815 covers the 1992 to 1995 YJ.
- It needs the windshield channel. A YJ that came with a soft top already has one; a hardtop-only YJ needs Smittybilt channel 90101, sold separately. The TJ and JK versions use a Smittybilt header (90104, 90105 or 90106) instead.
- Strapless front, strapped rear: the front edge folds into the channel, the rear corners buckle around the rear roll bar, Velcro wraps the side bars and one center strap runs under the central bar to the windshield footman loop. Smittybilt’s install guide allows about one hour.
- The lineup, in order of coverage: Standard Top (front seats), Extended Top and Extended Brief Top (front and rear seats), Extended Mesh and Cloak mesh (shade with airflow), Bowless Combo (a full top with removable windows), Premium and OEM Replacement soft tops (full tops with windows and doors), and the Safari fiberglass hardtop.
- Warranty: Smittybilt’s Advantage Warranty covers soft tops and soft goods for one year unless a product lists more; the Premium Replacement tops list two years and the Safari hardtop five.
What the Standard Top 90801 is
Smittybilt calls this family the Standard Top, and most owners call it a bikini top or a brief. It is a single panel of coated fabric with a hemmed front edge, two rear corner straps with buckles, Velcro side straps and a center strap, and nothing else: no bows, no door surrounds, no windows. Smittybilt lists the 90801 for the 1987 to 1991 Wrangler YJ with front-seat coverage, a strapless front edge, and the note that hardtop models need windshield channel 90101. The weight is about four pounds, which is the point of it: on a hot day the Jeep is open, and when the sun or a shower arrives the top goes on in minutes without the doors, windows or frame of a full top.
The vinyl matters for two reasons. It sheds water better than the denim-weave fabric Smittybilt uses on the later 90815, and it is stiffer, so it needs warmth to lay flat: Smittybilt’s own instructions say to leave it in the sun for an hour so it is above 70 degrees before fitting, because a cold vinyl panel will not stretch to its strap points without wrinkles. Vinyl also cracks along a fold if it is stored cold and creased, which is why the care notes on the product page say to fold it dry and keep it out of the sun when it is off the Jeep.
- Fits: 1987 to 1991 Jeep Wrangler YJ. The sibling parts are the 90815 (same years, black denim) and the 92815 (1992 to 1995 YJ, black denim, Smittybilt’s listing carries the same channel note). The earlier vinyl Standard Tops, 90501 and 90701, cover the CJ-era Jeeps and the first YJs; check the fitment on each.
- Coverage: front seats, to the central roll bar. Rear passengers and the cargo area stay open.
- Attachment: front edge into the windshield channel, rear corner straps around the rear side bars to their buckles, Velcro straps around the side bars, one center strap under the central bar forward to the footman loop at the top of the windshield.
- Needs: a windshield channel. Soft-top YJs have the factory one; a hardtop-only YJ needs channel 90101. Nothing else.
- Warranty: Smittybilt Advantage, one year on soft tops.
Installing it
Smittybilt’s installation sheet for the 90801 is one page, and the whole job is adjustment rather than assembly. The steps, in order:
- Warm the top. Lay it in the sun for an hour; the instructions want it above 70 degrees before it goes on.
- Windshield channel. Fold the front edge over and feed the fold into the channel, working from one side of the windshield to the other. On a hardtop-only Jeep the 90101 channel bolts to the windshield frame first.
- Rear corners. Lay the back of the top over the central roll bar, run each rear corner strap around the rear side bar and click it into its buckle.
- Side straps. Wrap the Velcro straps around the side bars and press them closed.
- Center strap. Run it around the rear and under the central bar, forward to the footman loop near the top center of the windshield, through its buckle, and pull it snug.
- Tension. Readjust the Velcro and tighten every strap until the panel is wrinkle-free. Recheck after the first drive; new straps settle.
That is the same procedure for every Standard Top on the YJ and the CJ. The TJ version, 93335, works differently at the front: instead of a channel it clamps to a Smittybilt quick-detach header, part 90104, and Smittybilt’s page notes it fits the 1997 to 2002 TJ but will not work on 2003 to 2006 TJs with the overhead sound pods. The JK Standard and Extended Tops use header 90105.
The rest of the Smittybilt lineup, and how each one differs
Every Smittybilt top for the Wrangler is a variation on three questions: how much of the Jeep is covered, how it attaches, and whether it has windows. The 90801 answers front seats, channel and straps, none. Here is each family against that.
Extended Top: the same idea, over the rear seats too
The Extended Top is the Standard Top with another two feet of fabric. It covers the front and rear seats, attaches at the front the same way (header 90104 on the TJ, 90105 on the JK), and at the back it hooks to the rear sport bar with J-clips rather than wrapping the roll bar with straps. Smittybilt lists the TJ version at seven pounds, against four for a Standard Top. It is the right top for a Jeep that carries passengers in the back, and the wrong one for anyone who wants the rear open: the panel ends at the sport bar, so the cargo area is still exposed. The JK gets it in two-door and four-door lengths, and the black denim 93615 and black diamond 93635 cover the TJ.
Extended Brief Top: the Extended Top with buckles at the back
The Extended Brief Top covers the same area as the Extended Top and is made, in Smittybilt’s words, from the same materials as the Standard Top. The difference is at the rear, where it uses J-clips and buckles together, and at the front, where it goes into a windshield channel like the 90801 rather than a quick-detach header. In practice it is the tighter-fitting of the two extended tops and the one to pick when the Jeep runs without doors in wind, because the buckles let you tension it. It comes for the TJ, the two-door JK and the four-door JK.
Extended Mesh and Cloak: shade without the heat
A vinyl or denim top keeps rain out and heat in. Smittybilt’s two mesh tops go the other way. The Extended Mesh Top is a UV-treated mesh panel over front and rear seats with heavy-duty nylon webbing, reinforced stitching and nylon buckles; it drops the sun load and lets air move through the cab, and it installs without drilling. The Cloak Extended Mesh Top is the denser version: a PVC-coated mesh that Smittybilt says adds privacy and cuts wind noise, fitted with T-handle bungee cords, offered for the TJ, the two-door JK and the JK Unlimited, as its product page describes. Neither keeps rain out; both weigh almost nothing and pack smaller than the 90801.
Summer Top Bundle: the half-cab kit
If the question is “what do I need to run the Jeep open all summer”, Smittybilt packages the answer. The Summer Top Bundle is a half-cab kit: a Standard brief top over the front seats, a tonneau cover over the rear, an Outback wind breaker behind the front seats to stop the wind coming back into the cab, and the windshield header the brief top needs. It is the Standard Top idea finished off, and for a TJ it is what a 90801 owner on a YJ builds piece by piece with a tonneau and a wind breaker from the tops and door accessories section.
Bowless Combo Top: a full top that turns into an extended top
The Bowless Combo Top is Smittybilt’s answer to the full soft top for owners who hate the bow frame. It is a marine-grade, vinyl-coated fabric in the OEM diamond pattern with sealed seams, self-correcting zippers and 30 mil DOT-approved tinted vinyl windows, held by a heavy-duty hook-and-loop system with no factory bow hardware. With the side and rear windows zipped out it becomes an extended top, which is the “combo”; with them in, it is a primary top for rain. It needs Smittybilt header 90106, will not work with the factory header channel, and needs factory or OE-style door surrounds and a tailgate bar. The two-door JK version weighs 29 pounds, seven times the 90801, and that is the trade: everything the Standard Top leaves open, closed.
Premium and OEM Replacement soft tops: the full tops
These replace the factory soft top on its own frame, so they are the opposite end of the lineup from a strap-on panel. The Premium Replacement Soft Top uses a 30 ounce three-layer fabric that Smittybilt says is 24 percent thicker than the original, UV-protected and rot-resistant thread, double-stitched seams, large zippers and 40 mil tinted DOT vinyl windows, with a two-year limited warranty rather than the one-year soft goods term. The TJ version includes the upper soft doors; the JK versions (9076235 for the two-door, ProT3k 9086235 for the Unlimited) do not, and none include hardware, which is why they are sold as replacements for a Jeep whose frame is still good. Smittybilt’s OEM Replacement Soft Top with tinted windows is the lighter-fabric version of the same thing for the YJ, TJ and JK. The Replacement Soft Tops in the 98 series are the Suzuki Samurai and Sidekick equivalents.
Safari hardtop: the other end of the range
For completeness: Smittybilt also builds a hardtop. The Safari Top is a one-piece hand-laid honeycomb fiberglass shell for the two-door and four-door JK, with DOT safety glass at 31 percent tint, overhead portal windows, a carpet headliner, up to 5.5 inches of extra headroom, a five-year warranty and a Made in the U.S.A. label. It has no upper doors and is built for the Defender rack to bolt on without drilling. It shares nothing with the 90801 except the brand, and it is the choice for a Jeep that is a daily driver in a cold climate.
Side by side
| Top | Coverage | Front attachment | Rear attachment | Windows | Weight (maker figure) | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Top (90801, 90815, 92815, 93335) | Front seats | Windshield channel (YJ, CJ); header 90104 (TJ) | Corner straps and buckles, Velcro, center strap | None | 4 lb | 1 year |
| Extended Top (93615, 93635, 94135, 94535) | Front and rear seats | Header 90104 (TJ), 90105 (JK) | J-clips to the sport bar | None | 7 lb (TJ) | 1 year |
| Extended Brief Top (93735, 94235, 94635) | Front and rear seats | Windshield channel | J-clips and buckles | None | not listed | 1 year |
| Extended Mesh / Cloak (93600, 94600, 95100, 95600) | Front and rear seats, shade only | Header or channel, sold separately | Buckles / T-handle bungees | None | not listed | 1 year |
| Summer Top Bundle (SEAL series) | Front seats plus tonneau | Header included | Straps; tonneau over the rear | None | not listed | 1 year |
| Bowless Combo (9073235, 9973235) | Full top, or extended with windows out | Header 90106 | Hook-and-loop, no bows | 30 mil tinted DOT vinyl, removable | 29 lb (two-door JK) | 1 year |
| Premium Replacement (9974235, 9076235, 9086235) | Full top on the factory frame | Factory header | Factory frame and tailgate bar | 40 mil tinted DOT vinyl | not listed | 2 years |
| Safari hardtop (517702, 518702) | Full, fiberglass | Factory hardtop mounts | Factory hardtop mounts | DOT glass, 31% tint | not listed | 5 years |
Which one to buy
- A YJ that lives open in summer: the 90801 if you want vinyl, the 90815 if you want the denim weave; add a tonneau and a wind breaker from tops and door accessories and you have the half-cab setup.
- Passengers in the back: an Extended Top on the TJ or JK, or the Extended Brief if the Jeep runs doorless and you want buckles to tension it.
- Desert heat: the Extended Mesh or the Cloak; shade and airflow, no rain cover.
- Rain but no bow frame: the Bowless Combo, which also does the extended-top job with the windows out.
- A worn-out factory soft top: the Premium Replacement on the existing frame.
- Winter daily driver: the Safari hardtop.
The verdict on the 90801
The Standard Top 90801 is the right top for exactly one job, and it does that job well: shade and light weather over the front seats of a 1987 to 1991 YJ, on and off in minutes, four pounds in the back when it is off. It is not a rain top and it is not a two-row top. Buy it with the 90101 channel if the Jeep came with a hardtop, warm it before the first fit, and store it flat and dry. If the Jeep carries people in the back, step up to the Extended Top; if it needs to keep rain out, nothing short of the Bowless Combo or a replacement full top will do it.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Smittybilt 90801 fit a hardtop Jeep Wrangler YJ?
Yes, with one extra part. A YJ sold with a hardtop has no windshield channel for a soft top to tuck into, so Smittybilt requires its windshield channel 90101, which bolts to the windshield frame. A YJ that came with a factory soft top already has the channel and needs nothing else.
What is the difference between the Smittybilt Standard Top and the Extended Top?
Coverage and the rear attachment. The Standard Top covers the front seats and straps to the roll bar behind them. The Extended Top runs over the rear seats as well and hooks to the rear sport bar with J-clips. Both leave the cargo area open and neither has windows.
Is the 90801 vinyl or denim?
Vinyl. The 90801 is the black vinyl Standard Top for the 1987 to 1991 YJ; the 90815 is the same top in black denim, and the 92815 is the denim version for the 1992 to 1995 YJ. Vinyl sheds water better and needs to be warm to fit without wrinkles; denim is softer and folds smaller.
How long is the warranty on Smittybilt soft tops?
Smittybilt’s Advantage Warranty covers soft tops and other soft goods for one year unless a product lists a longer term. The Premium Replacement soft tops list two years and the Safari fiberglass hardtop five.
Will a Standard Top keep rain out?
Light rain over the front seats, yes; the cab is otherwise open at the sides and back, so wind-driven rain comes in. For a dry Jeep you need a top with sides and windows: the Bowless Combo, a Premium or OEM Replacement soft top, or a hardtop.
Every top on this page is in the soft tops and brief tops sections, with the channels, headers and storage boots under soft top hardware and storage boots, and the Safari under hardtops. The Wrangler YJ, TJ, JK and CJ-7 pages list every part fitted to each by model year.
Sources
- Smittybilt: Standard Top, Denim Black, 1992 to 1995 YJ (92815)
- Smittybilt: Standard Top, Black Diamond, 1997 to 2002 TJ (93335)
- Smittybilt: Extended Top, Black Diamond, 1997 to 2006 TJ (93635)
- Smittybilt: Bowless Combo Top with tinted windows, 2007 to 2018 JK (9073235)
- Smittybilt: Cloak Extended Mesh Top, 1997 to 2006 TJ (95600)
- Smittybilt Advantage Warranty terms
- Smittybilt installation sheet for the 90801 Standard Top (steps summarized above); product specifications from the catalog listings linked in the text.
