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what nifty fasteners or bolts are you guys using to secure your tops?

dieselndixie

dieselndixie

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I need a better solution for my 1989 k5 top. The Blazer rotates livin in the garage and in the driveway. And I try to leave the top off as much as possible, but only when its stayin in the garage. I already use only 80% of the bolts, and not the 2 from the bottom side. But, I know you guys have come up with something quick and easy.

on my motorcycles, i have been able to use 1/4 turn dzus bolts. Is there anything in that realm for our tops?
 
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you gotta sweet talk me a little before we discuss how my top comes off

I think the fastest way to take a top off, other than tequila, is go with a soft top. You can try studding the mounts, drill a hole for a hitchpin in the shank, and hold it down that way. But it wont be tight at all.
 
soft top...maybe one day. for now, its the perfect top for camping for me. I just wish I could get it all bolted on and off faster and easier. atleast with something my cordless drill can reach or something. what about "wingnut" style bolts that could be finger tightened and released?
 
The stock bolts work great. For me, there is no quick way to remove/install the top. When it comes off in April, it'll stay off till Thanksgiving. But I removed all carpet and rear side panels and just slide the seats forward when it rains. I do want to make some sort of bikini top for it to cover from the cab top to the rear roll bar though.
 
I still use the stock bolts. I just try to speed it up by using a drill. My time saving is in the mounts I added to the top and winch and pulleys mounted in the garage. I think the ton of fasteners is to keep the seal along the length of the bedrail. You could try adding some 1" box tubing across the bolt holes and below the bedrail and then just run a couple of bolts through the whole thing on each side.
 
dieselndixie said:
what about "wingnut" style bolts that could be finger tightened and released?
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Maybe try it all "finger tight" and see if it squeaks or leaks. You could always weld a large wing nut to an old socket and use it on the stock bolts.
 
Have you thought about these?

http://www.destaco.com/products.asp...al+Handle+Hold-Down+Clamps&Category_2=Compact

or these?

http://www.destaco.com/products.asp...&Category_2=DE%2DSTA%2DCO%AE+Toggle+Lock+Plus

Only partially joking. You might be able to replace some of the fasteners with some small ones of them.

I would have to see one of the tops to be sure, but if you had a long line of bolts, you might be able to make a heavy bar with pins welded on where each bolt was, and clamp down the whole length with one or two clamps.

I have six small stainless steel versions of the first ones holding down the hatch to the back bilge of my boat.

When I got it, it had about 12 screws holding it down. The bilge pump shorted out and I saw smoke coming out when I was 15 miles from shore.

I killed the batteries, threw out a sea anchor to hold me into the waves while I started taking out screws as fast as I could.

No fire, and all I had to do was cut the wire to keep it from smoking again, but I swore I would never have to take those screws out again.

Now, I can flip up the handles and have the hatch off in about 6 seconds.
 
Hmm, is everyone currently using the security torx head bolts that it came with? If I switched to a regular bolt, it would be alot easier I think.
 
dieselndixie said:
Hmm, is everyone currently using the security torx head bolts that it came with? If I switched to a regular bolt, it would be alot easier I think.
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Well that's the key right there. Mine are a 12 or 13mm hex head and I use a cordless drill with a 1/4 drive socket. Zips them all in/out when needed. When the top comes off I put the bolts back in to the body with some spray lube and snug them down just enough not to hear the nuts rattling in the body. When the top goes on they get lubed again and tighten the cab ones first and the bed rails after. This pulls the top tight to the cab before cinching it down to the bed.
 
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My 89 has the security torx too LAME like some stealing the top was a big deal or something :haha:
 
yeah, and some of mine had the little rod in the center of the torx head BENT! what a freakin pain.

Now I see why most of yall thought I was just being lame. If these were bolts, it would be alot easier....they WILL be bolts by this weekend.
 
The two bolts that go up from underneath the bedrails are usually discarded after the first removal of the top. That goes double for the torx head ones.
 
anyone know off the top of their head what size bolts are needed? I can check when I get home, just figured if yall had the bolt sizes, I would pick them up on the way home.
 
The bolts are 5/16" x 18 tpi, and the bedrail ones are roughly 1.5" long. I think the ones into the back of the cab are 2.5" long.

I used to run the top two cab bolts, and two per bed rail. One at the front and one at the rear. No squeaks or leaks... :dunno: I definitely never wheeled it hard like that though. I usually went topless from April to mid October though which coincided with the wheeling I did most often.

The hardtop bolts are pointy tipped to make em easier to get started, so you might prefer to put up a wanted ad for some stock, non security topper bolts. There should be enough of those floating around among us CK5ers that they should be easy to find.

Rene
 
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