How I raised my top to the roof.(PIC'S)

[BobK]

How I raised my top to the roof.(PIC\'S)

I picked up a 880lb. capacity hoist at Harbor Freight for $70.00,cheap I think.

I welded up a bracket and mounted it in the rafters of my single car garage.

The bracket is made from 1/4" plate and the square tubing is 1.5" square with 1/4" wall thickness.I made cuts in the plate and fed the square tubing through it then welded it all up.

Made some cables from 5/32" aircraft wire cable then raised her to the roof.

Works great and is REAL easy on my back! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[BranndonC]

Re: How I raised my top to the roof.(PIC\'S)

looks nice, i need to figure something similar out for mine so i dont need to find a guy to help me every time i want to remove the top /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

 

[dremu]

Re: How I raised my top to the roof.(PIC\'S)

One word: Sweeeeeeeeeeeeet.

I bought the earlier one of those lifts -- the 220/440 pound one (or 100/200kg variety, for you northerners) -- but mounting it inside the roof peak never occurred to me... hmmm /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif

-- A

 

[Yukon Jack]

Re: How I raised my top to the roof.(PIC\'S)

Pretty sweet - looks like that is a way to make that job easy!

 

[mudslinger97116]

Re: How I raised my top to the roof.(PIC\'S)

great idea i was thinking of using a comealong but power never occured to me /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif.that would open alot of room up on the shop floor.thanks for the pik's and details i'm sure you helped a few of us out. /forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif

 

[kennyw]

Re: How I raised my top to the roof.(PIC\'S)

What are you using to hold it up incase of a winch failure? Something like a safety chain tied to the rafters you could hook up after it is raised would work great I think

 

[clubba68]

Re: How I raised my top to the roof.(PIC\'S)

[ QUOTE ]
What are you using to hold it up incase of a winch failure? Something like a safety chain tied to the rafters you could hook up after it is raised would work great I think

[/ QUOTE ]

And then let the tension out of the winch line.

 

[TONYP]

Re: How I raised my top to the roof.(PIC\'S)

very nice work, can you come over a build me one? /forums/images/graemlins/hack.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grind.gif /forums/images/graemlins/weld.gif

 

[Burt4x4]

Re: How I raised my top to the roof.(PIC\'S)

YYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
Nice BobO

Good seein you agin too /forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif
Burt

 

[BobK]

Re: How I raised my top to the roof.(PIC\'S)

Well I modified my design today.As you can see the cables rubbed up against the sides of the top.I wasn't too crazy about that in the 1st place.Plus it didn't allow me to get the top up as high as I wanted.

SO...this is what I did.
I bought some 1.5",.120 wall square tubeing and made a "I" shaped frame.
Here I am welding it up.

An example of that welding

Painted it up and added some eye bolts.

I then shortend the cables to about 18" long.

Here's how I actually made the cables.
1st I got the appropriate sized ferrules.5/32" in this case.Same size as the cable.

Made sure I used these teardrop looking things(sorry I don't know the name of them).It helps support the loop part of the cable.

I used these 1/4" links to connect the cables to the frames eye bolts.You'll note the working wt of this 1/4" link(600lbs).

I crimped the ferrules onto the cable using my vice and a 1/8" drill bit so it doesn't Flatten the ferrule but make it meet in the middle.

Here's what the crimp looks like.I crimped each side of the ferrule so the "indentation" in the middle is on both sides.

Here I've connected the cables to the top frame.

Then up to the roof again.Except this time it's a good 12"s higher.

I haven't done it yet,but as suggested,I will be adding a safety chain so I can take the tension off the winch.

Thanks for the comments guys.




.

 

[hi pinion]

Re: How I raised my top to the roof.(PIC\'S)

Wow man thats really cool! /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

 

[Burt4x4]

Re: How I raised my top to the roof.(PIC\'S)

Much better BobO /forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif
I like the idea of taking the tension off the winch /forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif
You can weld too /forums/images/graemlins/yikes.gifhehehe J/K
Later

 

[Yukon Jack]

Re: How I raised my top to the roof.(PIC\'S)

Looks like a great improvement. I noticed the cables on the top before and this is a better way for sure.

 

[dremu]

Re: How I raised my top to the roof.(PIC\'S)

I was lucky; I took the factory roof rack off my '74, and put eye bolts of the same diameter into the factory holes... now I have eye bolts at the top level, so no cable scratches. (Not like you could tell with my top /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif)

BTW, BobK, you have a *slight* tendency for overkill in your engineering /forums/images/graemlins/histerical.gif ... which I truly admire. I believe you could tow your truck, in a pinch, with those cables...

-- A

 

[BobK]

Re: How I raised my top to the roof.(PIC\'S)

It's actually my lack of engineering knowledge that makes me always want to go bigger. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Sometimes I do definitley overkill /forums/images/graemlins/peace.gif

 

[Triaged]

Re: How I raised my top to the roof.(PIC\'S)

Looks nice! Reminds me of Greg's "Pullies from Hell" post from many moons ago /forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

I don't think Brandon has any clue about what a full top weighs...with his "having to get a budy over" coment...those half tops weigh nothing and can be moved around by one person.