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removing hard top

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suthrnchvyguy89

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i know there have been many questions about how to take off the hard top on a k5 but could we start a thread with all the steps and good tips/ info on it and then sticky it?

my main question is where exactly are the "hidden" bolts that hold it down? i think i read somewhere they are way back in the rear corners behind the interior panels, but i just wanna make sure before i go through all the trouble...

edit- btw this is for an '89
 
suthrnchvyguy89 said:
my main question is where exactly are the "hidden" bolts that hold it down? i think i read somewhere they are way back in the rear corners behind the interior panels, but i just wanna make sure before i go through all the trouble...

edit- btw this is for an '89
Click to expand...

Yep. They are indeed.

-- A
 
unhook wires for roof (found on drivers side front corner by drivers seat but on wall of truck)

unbolt

take out hidden bolt and throw away


your done
 
BranndonC is correct - as you stated also - the hidden bolt is behind the interior panel at the rear corners. Pull them out and toss 'em. All the other ones are obvious and as previously stated, don't forget the dome light wires behind the little panel on the driver's side. If it hasn't been off before it might be stuck, just stand in the back and push up with your back. You will need help getting it off the truck - they are pretty heavy - alot more than a P/U cap. I had mine off today - 10 minutes to remove and 15 to put it back on. I used my 1/4 air ratchet to do the work.
 
Then you need to find a good place to store it where it won't become either a big shelf or a hiding place for little creatures.
 
thanks for the replies yall

have any of yall figured out any ways to keep a tarp on it temporarily when its raining? cuz im hoping to keep mine off the majority of the summer, and id like to not have to constantly take it on and off.
 
The easiest way I've thought of is to find a crappy hard top, cut it so all that is left is the strip that bolts to the truck, screw some snaps into it, and make a canvas cover that you can snap to it. Otherwise, just throw a tarp over the whole truck and tie it down.
 
i agree, toss the stupid rear bolts. i've found any more than 4 longs for the vertical front section and 3 shorts in each side is overkill. nut-driver stuck in a cordless drill makes the bolting/unbolting job fast and easy.

to move a stuck top, lay in the rear seat, put your feet against the top, and push. requires some flexibility, but i find it easy. i usually back it into the garage and attach it to ropes on the joists, then drive out. but, i have lifted it straight up from inside and just walked it off a few times. the bulk is what makes it tricky, not so much the weight, imo. putting it back on alone is much harder. propping some long 2x8's on the bed rails, setting the top on them, and shoving it up isn't too bad. tried it recently.
 
hang it with pulleys

from the garage ceiling. If you mark the floor, park on the marks each time to remove and install, then it's really easy with one person.

Fred
 
I took mine off a few times...

I took the top off my 72 K5 I had long ago alone more than once--that SOB was heavy,being a "full" top all the way to the windsheild!--I did my best hermit crab imitation to get it off--just put my back up against the "ceiling" and lifted,and shoved 2x4's under it that were wider than the bed,so if I went "off course" or had to reposition for a better lift I would not drop it and wreck it!--

-Since I had a chevy pickup too,I simply put 2 2x4's across the pickup bed too,backed it up to the K5 tailgate to tailgate,and got under the cap and walked it into the pickup's bed!--since they are the same width,it fits right on,--only its a foot or two too short to use as a truck cap...made it a lot easier not having to lower it to the ground,or lift it back up alone,and you only need to lift it a few inches to clear the 2x4's..I also used a retaining wall the same height as my bed the same way,just backed up to it,and walked the top off onto the lawn...

I had the luxury of a Reese factory built truck cap hoist my brother bought from a trailer place that sold truck caps when they went under..--its similar to an engine crane,but had a wider base that would straddle the truck,and it had a hand winch to lift the top,and air filled tires like a mini-bike would use--it was pretty neat,I used it to load motors and other heavy stuff in my truck a lot--we eventually sold it--(dumb move on my part to let it go!)..now I have a "swingset" thing on casters made of heavy schedule 40 pipe that once was at a city playground I use as a "gantry" crane to lift stuff up with a winch--its probably the most useful thing in the yard right now!...

I tried leaving my top off and set it on huge "sawhorses" I made from 2x10's--but every time I took it off,it was like doing a rain dance--we got heavy thunderstorms nearly EVERY day I had no roof!---that plus all the effort of taking it on and off like a yo-yo convinced me I liked it with the roof ON better--no sun and windburn,or headaches from sun glare,and earaches from the wind--plus a gust of wind toppled it over once and cracked it pretty bad--that was the end of my "convertible"!--but I admit,it IS much more FUN with no roof on sunny days!... :crazy:
 
I think you're talking about a torx bit. The older K5's didn't have them but I think the newer ones used torx head bolts.
 
It's actually a "tamper proof" torx bolt. You can get the bit for them at any hardware store, they just cost more.
 
Yeah, sure does. I believe their argument was that it would prevent thefts. Like somebody would make away with a 200 pound top in the first place. Whatever. Another thing to remember is try to support the top the way it is supported on the vehicle when storing it. Way back in the day my dad had a top crack from supporting it in the middle and not along the rails.
 
rATTLES..

My 71 K5 used to rattle a lot worse with no roof--in fact a few times the doors popped open when I drove over speed bumps slow!(and my floors were 16 gauge galvanized,very beefy!)
..I eventually found someone to bend me up a "roll bar" similar to the oem one only made of pipe,that helped considerably with the "loose" feeling the truck got when the roof was off..I thought about adding some bracing to stiffen the body up even more,but I decided I didn't drive it long enough without a roof to justify all the labor and time...you CAN tell the difference right away in how much "stiffer" the body gets with the roof ON!..

And yes,the roofs are a bit fragile if left unnsupported or if they get dropped--like an eggshell,they crack kinda easy....gotta pick them up evenly too,too much pressure in one spot and its crack city..my 71's top had a sunroof hacked into it--it weakened the snot out of it,you could watch it flutter as you drove on the interstate!--and made taking the roof off more challenging too,without cracking it any worse... :crazy:
 
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