Just about every Jeep owner in the world is looking for more storage space in order to carry more stuff while traveling. Bestop offers a universal fiberglass rack—see photo no. 2—that can be matched with various Bestop mounting bracket kits, which can be used to mount the rack inside and/or outside on various models of Jeeps.

Over the years, we’ve posted articles on Bestop’s universal rack and storage rack, and you can also mount the rack outside your Jeep above the spare tire, but this time we’re moving the rack back inside the Jeep to increase its “floor space.”

As we said, the Universal Tray (PN 4144401) can be used in combination with either a Bestop Lower Rack Bracket (PN 4143701) system—which is the bracket we used for this article—or a Tailgate Rack Bracket (PN 4141101) system. The tray can hold up to 75 pounds of gear on either mounting system, it has recessed I-bolts to anchor tie-down straps, and it is made of a polymer material. The rack is lighter than steel, has high-impact resistance, can stand up to just about anything, and it won’t rust. With the proper straps and/or bungee cords, this allows items to be stored in the tray within the interior of the Wrangler for reduced wind buffeting and easier access.

As we said earlier, the tray can also be used with several other Bestop rack-mounting bracket systems (41406, 41407, 41411, or 41412). In our case, the Lower Cargo Bracket System features a no-drill, bolt-on installation and uses your Jeep’s original OEM roll bars for secure, solid mounting with two descending arms that suspend the Universal Tray over the cargo area—adding more floor space (all hardware and instructions are included).

You’ll notice right away that Bestop does not list the Lower Cargo Bracket System for the LJ models, just for the TJ models. We’ll show you how to change that easily with just two drilled holes. On a TJ it is a no-drill install; on an LJ you’ll need to drill just two holes.

Author’s note: We also believe that with longer descending arms, the backseat can be reinstalled in an LJ because the tray would be located below the seat top; however, we haven’t verified this yet.

Living in Arizona, we really enjoy going lidless for much of the year. However, also because of the Arizona sun, we need protection from its rays. For this we turned to the Bestop Bikini Top, which is available in several models—CJ, TJ, LJ, JK, and JKU. The part number for the LJ model is 5254435. The super-easy installation is the same for both the TJ and LJ. The Bikini Top keeps the direct sun off of us while leaving both sides and the rear completely open and breezy.

Source List:
Bestop
http://www.bestop.com/

Summit Racing
http://www.summitracing.com/