from the "Damn I'm Stupid" dept...

[Walrus]

Well, I hate to report how stupid I can be, but maybe it will prevent someone else from the same mistake.

I made myself a block and tackle rig to remove my hardtop on my 88 560 the other day. In tests, it performed perfectly. The harness i made supported the top in 4 places, and held great. The block rig picked up the weight perfectly. The problem that presented itself was as I was officially lifting the top. I was going to only lift the top a few inches (lucky for me that is all I did), and drive out from underneath. Then i was going to set the top down for storage. Alas, I forget to consider how heavy the thing actually was. Also, I decided not to use a whinch, allowing I could lift the top and secure the rope to a 2x4, strategically placed (nailed) to the studs on my garage /shop wall. All went well until I attempted to belay the rope on the aforementioned 2x4. Just as the full weight applied to the 2x4, it came rocketing away from the wall, dropping my top right onto the car (seems the 2x4 pulled away from where it was attached, nearly striking me square in the face).

Thankfully, the damage is slight and can be easily repaired. The pin that holds the rear of the top gouged the paint for about 3 inches, and created a slight dent which I can massage out easily enough. The top did not sustain any damage, nor did anything else on the car (as I mentioned earlier, I had only lifted the top a couple of inches to allow for clearance to drive away). My ego; however, suffered nearly irrepairable damage.

Another case of pennywise and dollar foolish!

Lucky you didn't get injured!

[Litton]

You're not alone. My first attempt with the hoist did exactly the same thing. Luckly, I was still holding onto the rope and it didn't fall far enough to hit the car.

Pic attached of my storage. Pulled up tight to the roof and then four hold down straps attached to hooks in the rafters. I will be adding a cleat to hold the rope to the cabinets on the left as soon as I get to a marine store.

[Walrus]

Nice! What brand of hardware do you have (I am referring to the black bar which grasps the top)?

I made a rope harness with clips (about 3 inches wide) which hook under each side just behind the hold-down latch, under the center of the back, and up front in the center of the front edge. These held perfectly, even after the fall.

All four converge at one point above the top at as near to the balance point as I could arrange. The hoist then hooked via 3/8 "S" hook to the bottom pulley of my rig.

I made one mistake and only used two pulleys, a block with a becket on top, and a single block on bottom. I probably should have used a 2-part block and becket on top, and a two-part on bottom for a lot less effort!

[dougmcp]

Great job on the lift with the photo from Litton. Mine is similar. I used an old ski rack that clipped to the drip rails (a utility rack would work too) and then bought a light boat winch with cable from Harbor Freight for $15 and I've been a happy camper for about 7 years.

[Litton]

My hoist is a store bought one that came with the car...made by SL tops or something like that. It's a 4-part(?) block and tackle. I think they go for about $100.00 or so. I tried storing it on the floor but as you know it is a very awkward package that takes a lot of dedicated floor space that most of us don't have available in our garages.

FYI, the top is kind of a head thumper but no a problem as the car is typically there anyhow.

[Steve Gutman]

Walrus, it sounds like it could have gone a lot worse. I usually err on the way-overbuilt side. Before I start, my hard top situation is to use a 3-fall block-and-tackle that I tie off to one of those nautical blocks. THen I hoist it up to put ropes around ceiling joists and boards for the top to sit on. It works, but that's it. The hoist was from a Jeep. The balance of the top on this T-bar is the tough part. It's a bear to wrestle with the top. Even with the hoist. I think it weighs 165 lbs. Every year I do it alone and have had some pretty ugly experiences, but I'm getting better. I have some dents in my trunk lid, I think from the PO. In '99 I brought the top up stairs to my condo (with help from my girlfriend, now wife) and have the scratches to prove it.

I tride to get away with using a 6"x4x4 block, the tall way, on the saddle of my jack. The car rolled and I smashed the oil pan of my wife's Honda Del Sol. I dinged the pick-up too. To save money I bought an aftermarket oil pan, it's different and the holes don't quite line up. Damn I'm Stupid...

[cbdo]

I did a DIY top hoist also, but slightly differently. It's a 4:1 tackle using sailing gear, the weakest component being rated for about 350 pounds load. There's no winch, but the line is tied off to a jam cleat for immediate control, then to a standard cleat for secure-until-released safety. There's an angle iron secured to three joists that forms the attachment point on the garage ceiling. Like one of the others here, an old ski rack attached to the drip moldings secures the top to the hoist. And after installing all the hardware, doing the math on loads and adding a fudge factor, I set the bar a bit above fingertip height and hung my own avoirdupois from the hoist for a few minutes before entrusting the significantly-more-valuable top to it; I figured if it felt totally secure with my 205#, the top's 95# or so would be safe!

[Walrus]

I may just have to try again... after the wounds (of my busted ego) are healed. For now, the top rests gingerly against the wall of my garage out of harms (?) way. My son came home from college on his spring break just in time to help me remove it properly. Near 75F in Alabama this weekend! Just HAD to get the roof raised, if you know what I mean!

Thanks for all the replies, sympathy, and ideas...

[Boudreaux]

Wow. Sorry to hear about the eye-popping, jaw dropping experiences you guys have had with your home-made winches for the hardtop removal. I'm about to get rid of mine. It is a Fritz manual hardtop hoist and is still in the box. I thought I'd mention it here before I post it on the "For Sale" boards. Please see the attached photo or the web-link.

http://home.earthlink.net/~boudreaux_8/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/fritzi01.jpg

The first offer for $175 (FREE SHIPPING IN USA ONLY) gets it.

Thanks.