When packing a short wheel base Jeep for adventure, many Jeepers have learned to pack tight and strap it down right. One way to assist in this endeavor is with the use of eye bolts. They are sturdy, comparatively inexpensive, generally do not require any tools to secure and can serve several purposes.

Located at the front of the Tuffy Speaker Box on the rear wheel well, this stainless steel eye bolt is mounted in a secure and useful position for strapping down an additional ice chest or the fire pit we carry during desert expeditions.

The idea of using the eye bolts came to mind out of necessity. When installing the hard top on the CJ-7 one winter, I was missing several of the originally-equipped Torx bolts that many Jeeps use to secure the hard top. Before going out and laying down the cash on just any bolt to fill the void, I put the old brain to work on just what kind of bolt I could get the most benefit from. The answer was the eye bolt.

Although every Jeeper should have male and female Torx sockets stashed away in their Jeep's tool box for a variety of needs, Torx bolts for the hard top are cumbersome and inefficient when considering the use of eye bolts.

First, it's easy to twist the eye bolts securely in place. If you set it up right, you do not need any tools to secure the back end of the hard top. But the best feature of the eye bolt is its ability to be used as an anchor point throughout the rail of your Jeep. With or without the hard top on, this comes in handy when strapping down the contents of your Jeep.

When securing the hard top, be sure to use body washers, which are wide and spread the clamping pressure over a larger area than do smaller washers. Using smaller washers will eventually lead to chips and cracks in your hard top, especially if your Jeep is used in extreme winds or ruff and twisted trail conditions.

Safety Is The Chief Concern

Not only does strapping your gear down help keep thieves at bay, but it also helps keep the contents of your Jeep from becoming airborne objects when traversing the trail. Sure, you don't want objects flung from your Jeep into the unknown, but you sure as heck don't want any of those object hurled toward your head when having the time of your life, bouncing down the trail.

The point is: Stick around. Strap it down.

The Nuts and Bolts

Well, now that we have the ability to keep the contents of our Jeeps organized and in place at the end of the day, let's get down to the kind of bolt to buy and wrap this baby article up.

I opted to use 1" diameter by 1-1/2" long eye bolts. Although the 1" diameter eyes are only large enough for one tie down hook, it is small enough to easily secure the hard top in place.

Here are the eye bolts mounted on the topless CJ-7.

Like many of the bolts I replace on my Jeep, I've chosen stainless steel for this project. Stainless is strong and does not rust.

Though since I do not have the ability to weld stainless, I've chosen to use regular steel nut. The idea is to weld a rectangular washer to the nut so that you can easily screw it on to the eye bolt without having to use a wrench. The rectangular shape lodges the nut into the channel beneath the bed rail and keeps it from turning when tightening the eye bolt. This added feature makes securing the eye bolt easy and alleviates the need for tools.