HMMWV Helmet Top or SlantBack

[Hummer Guy]

I will want to make my humvee a 4 man when I get it or some point down the future. What should I go for? A helmet top or slant back? I really like the slant back because its heavy duty and hard to get any dings in it, but I heard it leaks a lot. For the helmet top, it seems like its made of plastic but I'm not really sure. Are these helmet tops as heavy duty as the slant back? Also, which will you go with, the slant back or helmet top?

 

[Milcommoguy]

I have the Helmet Top. I find it good for my needs. Side tool box / storage and lock the whole truck up like a big fat station wagon. A little bit noisy, typical HumV.

I don't think ?? they were too popular 10 years back or readily available. Now that a few are showing up everyone want to be cool like me LOL. Can be expensive and shipping is crazy $$$ and a good way to have the fiberglass "B"supports busted. Takes a bit to get use to. Heavy too. 420 Lbs

SEE > http://amtechcorp.com/legacy4door.php

Leaks ? Leaks spelled backwards is HumV. You might stay dry or a little drier IMO. If your subject to melting HumV is not for you. IMO when the HumV come out to play in bad weather / rain / snow someone is getting wet and likely cold.

Slant back. The guys like them and can't say much except MORE expensive. Lot of parts and pieces to make it happen.

Everybody wants to go topless, CAMO

 

[Hummer Guy]

I have the Helmet Top. I find it good for my needs. Side tool box / storage and lock the whole truck up like a big fat station wagon. A little bit noisy, typical HumV.

I don't think ?? they were too popular 10 years back or readily available. Now that a few are showing up everyone want to be cool like me LOL. Can be expensive and shipping is crazy $$$ and a good way to have the fiberglass "B"supports busted. Takes a bit to get use to. Heavy too. 420 Lbs

SEE > http://amtechcorp.com/legacy4door.php

Leaks ? Leaks spelled backwards is HumV. You might stay dry or a little drier IMO. If your subject to melting HumV is not for you. IMO when the HumV come out to play in bad weather / rain / snow someone is getting wet and likely cold.

Slant back. The guys like them and can't say much except MORE expensive. Lot of parts and pieces to make it happen.

Everybody wants to go topless, CAMO

Pretty interesting, some of the tops on this site I didn't know exist. I'm sure a lot of them are very expensive but interesting to know

The one I won at auction is the 2 door variant with the huge back top, I like it but prefer a 4 seater

 

[papakb]

One of the nicest things about the HMMWV is the number of variations out there. Two door, four door, no door, high back, low back, no back, slant back, helmut top, radio box,ambulance. Basically you can turn it into anything you want it to be. Cam is correct though that no matter what you end up with none of them are going to be as dry as a Mazda Miata. More like an old English MG. If your head doesn't get wet then your feet will. Or the seat of your pants. Any way you look at it have fun with whatever you end up with. They're loud, uncomfortable on long trips but on the good side, they will give you plenty of opportunities to work on your mechanical and electrical skills!

 

[Coug]

Part of it depends on your end goal.
Slant back is great if you have a turret install in your future, and have $10-15k to spend now (along with another $5k when you want to do the turret)
Slant back does tend to leak like a sieve though.
You're looking at a day or three to install it all depending on your level of mechanical ability, tools, and how many people doing it.

Helmet Hard Top (amtech hard top) is a LOT less work to install, a lot lighter, and a lot less complicated. The fiberglass is very sturdy (except for those two little strips coming down at the B-pillar). I believe the roof is rated for a 500 lb load.
You're looking at a couple of hours to install it, and the removal is just as quick if you decide you want to go without a top for an event or something. There should be 4 rings on the top to use for lifting it, if you have overhead beams available.
I installed and removed the one on my truck (a mid height version, so 2 feet taller than the one everyone is familiar with) by myself in a couple hours with some ratchet straps, a tree, some 2x4's, rope, a snatch block, and something to pull the rope, in my case a farm tractor, but any vehicle would have worked.
With 4 decently strong guys you can just pick them up and set them in place.


The main thing I dislike about the slant back is the amount of space you lose in comparison to the HHT. That and how much it leaks (I live in Western Washington where it likes to rain most of the year)


Oh, and since the slant back is all steel, you can burn yourself on it if left in the sun too long, and the insulation on the inside will likely need replaced.
The HHT being fiberglass has a lot less heat transfer, and while it gets hot, it isn't the same "instantly burn yourself" type of heat transfer that steel is.

 

[Action]

And, if the helmet top keeps the factory b-pillar in place, you could install 2-man rear curtain in winter to try and keep heat in the cab.

 

[Maxjeep1]

I really like this. I don’t know what it would take to piece it together or if it’s available. I don’t want a hole or ring or any of those expensive parts. I believe this is a M1165? I have seen a few sexy helmet tops also

 

[Lawdog734]

The slantback is the classic, iconic HMMWV look that most of the general public thinks about when you say HMMWV. I was with heavy-guns during my time in service, so have plenty of time in crappy weather with the slantback and what everybody says is true - it's barely a roof really. I've got the gunroof on my GMV and have it there to keep my vehicle "correct". Take the downside of the slantback and now remove the sponsons and rear hatch and you've made the weather integrity even worse. I don't dislike my setup at all, but it's definitely not a rainy day driver either. Being steel, it's the more robust of the roof arrangements. Given the significant weight of the full slantback setup, there's going to be a degridation in performance compared to other roof options. If you have a 3-speed truck, it'll really turn it into a pig.

The HHT is really practical as it allows you to do a lot more with the interior of your vehicle than the slantback does. While not iconic, it still has a "cool" look to it. It's not even close to as heavy as a gun roof, so performance of the truck really doesn't suffer.

Probably my favorite HMMWV look is the 3 color camo with softtop that covers the cabin and bed area - it's really practical for the reason I stated above regarding the HHT, looks great and is lighter in weight than both of the above. With that said, you have to look at the long-term effects of the environment on a softtop if you're not going to keep it protected from the sun and soaking in the rain/snow, etc. as they'll eventually deteriorate and supply for replacements are so-so. The HHT gives you the plusses of the softtop design but with added longevity.

 

[eaw46]

I like this top. Lots of room it does not leak. It looks great and its semi bulletproof.

 

[eaw46]

Mine also has extra heat and AC.

 

[jkcondrey]

I had a helmet top at one point. I really liked it for what it was. Good storage, much less leaks than a slantback kit, easily repairable. I picked it up and drove it home upside down on the back of my truck at the time. Took five of us guys from work to flip it and set it back on the hmmwv. Didn't have access to a backhoe or tree for a winch at that time. Exciting...

 

[Coug]

the HHT also gives more headroom. Not usually an issue in these trucks, but sometimes it's nice, or it gives room up above your head to install more stuff like stereo or camera system displays or whatnot.