Hi all,

I wanted to get the hardtop off and on my new 1993 SL500, and store the top in my garage.

My initial problem was how to do this - store it on a cart or on a hoist? And did I really need a hoist? Why not borrow someone to help me put it on a storage cart each time... that would be a lot cheaper.

After a lot of thought and seeing other posts on this forum, I decided that storing the hardtop on a hoist was the way to go - and it proved to be right. Because:

- It freed up the limited ground storage space in my 2-car garage. I don't like stuff lying around anyhow.

- Storing it on the hoist meant it would always be available... it didn't have to be taken off the cart and connected up again each time I wanted to put it on again. That looked like a lot of work and needed 2 people too.

- Having a hoist meant that I wasn't calling on friends and neighbors to help me lift or replace the top. And there was always the risk someone else might drop it...a $5,000 crash on a $60,000 car! That would certainly strain a friendship!

So, after a great deal of pondering, I splashed out on a manual hardtop hoist sold by my local MB dealership, and fitted it today. It came at a price - US$800 - but when I saw the quality, that amount of money for a simple winch arrangement didn't seem so bad.

I had also looked at electric winches, but they didn't seem to offer the same amount of support for the hardtop. Many were using nylon straps which I thought might stretch or damage the rubber seals.

The best part was that this one was specifically authorised by Mercedes, and they assured me the hardtop could be stored over summer or longer on it without any damage or twisting.

The hoist works by having a long 'T' bar support the hardtop from underneath at the lugs at the front, and by a variable single support at the back. The winch is bolted on to the wall next to the car, and 2 pulleys take the winch wire over the center of the car roof. The wire is connected to the center of gravity on the 'T' bar, and the whole lot winched into the air.

It took me several hours to fit, and the hardest part was drilling holes in the big steel 'I' beam that runs the width of the garage, to hold the 2 pulleys.

Once that was done I connected it up and the rest was relatively easy. It sits above my Daimler (last photo) only because that car is the longest and needs to be on the right-hand side of the garage. Because wall length cabinets are on the left-hand side it means I can't put the winch on that wall for supporting it over the SL500.

The steps were pretty much this simple:

1) Release the hardtop and position the car under the center pulley.
2) Place the hoist 'T' bar on the hardtop with the prongs fitting into the front lugs. Fit the rear connection to the 'T' bar and bottom of the roof.
3) Connect the pulley wire and wind the hardtop off the car with one hand while supporting the top with the other.
4) Secure the top from swinging with elastic bands and hooks. Stow the handle.

I was really surprised at how easy it is to operate. The winch gearing is very low and gives me precise control, but is fast enough to raise the hardtop to the beam in about 45 seconds.

And the workmanship is superb. This is a finely engineered item that will last as long as the car, will not rust and needs no maintenance. Strongly recommended.

Photos that follow are self-explanatory.

Ken Silver
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~1993 SL500, glistening black/grey on black leather, in the shop Monday for facelift painting lower body.
~1991 Daimler, shiny grey on grey leather, best in country! (But almost unused since SL500 arrived)
~1991 Miata MX5, sparkling BRG on tan leather, wife's (and my polishing)
~1992 Honda US s/wagon, black/grey
Ex 350SL, 230E, 280E (and a lot of other makes not nearly as nice)