UPDATE: Adding to this post, there are a few examples of DJ-3As with wide windowed hardtops. It’s possible they were just using the CJ-5 hardtops. http://www.ewillys.com/2021/02/10/photos-of-a-1956-rhd-dj3a/
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Original post from March 17, 2020:
The small rear window can be seen on the back of the top at the left top of this 1956 DJ-3A brochure.
Mike raised a question the other day, which resulted in us learning something new. He was viewing the launch-brochure for the DJ-3A when he noticed that the Koenig-manufactured hardtop was illustrated with a small rear window. Up to that point, Mike and I and several other folks were under the impression that all these tops had the same size rear window, but in fact that was false.
Instead, it appears that in 1955, through 1946(?) and possibly into 1957, Jeep used a small window in the back of the top, before moving to a larger one. Especially with the DJ-3As, with their lack of side windows, that small window would have made backing up difficult, as it would have been hard to see anything behind the driver.
Here are the four types of hardtops of this style identified so far.
- This top was available as early as 1955. This photo is a 1955 press photo showing a CJ-5 with the small window in the back. The CJ-5 version of the top also came with side windows. The image below is also available on eBay.
- It’s not clear when the transition occurred, but in late 1956 or in 1957 the top began arriving with a much larger window as seen in this photo.
- Though an early photo of the DJ-3A with this style of top showed it with windows, the production version was manufactured without side windows.
This photo shows the same jeep from the side. You can see the lack of side windows.
- This image shows a 1964 hardtop on a DJ-3A with the larger window.
This photo shows the solid sides:
