Blazer top storage/hoist examples?

[cstanley]

would anyone be willing to share their tips, tricks, and pics of their TMS (Top Management Solutions?)

I'm trying to figure out how to manage this. attachments to the top, the supports, "lean-to" storage, space-saving storage, one-man removal, etc?

thanks everyone

[bouncytruck]

I built a simple system I found online at http://home.pacbell.net/jls-dls/RemoveTop.html. It's low tech, works great, cheap to build and I can remove and put the top on by myself. I do have to pull the rear seat and the spare tire to drive out from under it, but other than that there isn't any extra work involved.

The downside is that the top hangs at just that level and you can't park the truck under it.

Apparently I don't have the pictures of the top hanging in the garage on this computer, but what I did looks a lot like what is in the link. I didn't use pulleys, rather I just went with the eyebolts. From what I could see, there was no reason for the pulleys since it doesn't move. Additionally, heavy duty pulleys are expensive. I also didn't put eyebolts into the 2x4's. I just ran the rope through a large fenderwasher and tied it off. I didn't want to take the chance of the eye bolt scratching my truck when removing the 2x4s. I've used it two summers now without any problems.

[LUV2XCLR8]

The one I'm buying -> http://www.hoister.com/selection.php

[bouncytruck]

Luv, I don't see any in that list that will handle enough weight..

Here's another one made for Jeeps. http://www.langeoriginals.com/
I thought about one of these, but in the end, my system was less than $15.

[LUV2XCLR8]

I'm gonna get the 200lb model, I think it will handle the weight

[VinceY]

Here's the best one I have seen.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=159221

[gringoloco]

+1 for bouncytruck's plan. I've got $24 in mine. Had to run another two 2x4s in the ceiling. Takes about 30min to install or remove my top by myself.

-Chris

[-Greg72]

I've got a gallery in my .sig link called "Pulleys from Hell"

http://www.norcalbigdawgs.net/Gallery/album70


Pretty cheap to do, but I learned the hard way to put all the pulleys/bolt in "double shear" for the kind of forces involved.

Teaser Pic:

[bouncytruck]

Looks nice greg. What do you have the front of the rigging attached to on the top? Did you have to get heavy duty pulleys?

Haven't seen you around in a while.

[LUV2XCLR8]

Originally Posted by -Greg72

I've got a gallery in my .sig link called "Pulleys from Hell"

Man that is very cool, how much you got in it?

How does it attach at the front exactly? (Pic)

Where did you get all of the supplies?

Do you have that all on paper?

[meathead95]

heres another one. about like bobbyk's http://www.genuinehotrod.com/PartDetail.asp?PartId=6326

[cstanley]

so is the general consensus to suspend the top? anybody ever seen a leaner?

[bouncytruck]

Originally Posted by LUV2XCLR8

Man that is very cool, how much you got in it?

How does it attach at the front exactly? (Pic)

Where did you get all of the supplies?

Do you have that all on paper?

LUV, you forgot to ask the most important question - WILL YOU MAKE ME ONE?

[LUV2XCLR8]

Originally Posted by bouncytruck

LUV, you forgot to ask the most important question - WILL YOU MAKE ME ONE?

Didn't want to come on too strong in the 1st reply

[-Greg72]

Originally Posted by LUV2XCLR8

Man that is very cool, how much you got in it?

How does it attach at the front exactly? (Pic)

Where did you get all of the supplies?

Do you have that all on paper?

The front attachment point is a carribeaner (sp?) attached to a small section of chain that I bolt between the two front holddowns in the top (the ones above the rearview mirror). If the top was nicer (or in v.3 of the design) I might do something more clever that would not potentially chip or damage that part of the top (the chain links kind of abrate the fiberglass). Basically though, the top is lifted by a single point in the front and the dual ropes in the back.

Supplies are cheap and really common. About 18" of chain at each end (used to give me some adjustment capability to do final "leveling" of top) some decent load rating nylon rope, and some bulk pulleys from the local OSH / Home Depot type place. The ratcheting crank may have been a Harbor Freight thing, I dont really recall....but it came with the strap included. It was probably a $20 item, if even that much.

All tolled, it's probably less than $40 in materials....the only real gotchas were the first time around when I put the pulleys in single-shear and the bolts tweaked HARD and looked like they would break off.

The second item was setting the crank too high on the wall.....the lower the crank is, the greater the amount of lift you get with the strap and crank assy. Pretty easy to figure out, once you're sensitive to the issue.

The final annoyance is that if you don't keep some weight on the ropes up front (the non-2x4 end) the rope tends to fall off the pulley and get wedged into the assembly. Adding a couple pounds of weight at the end of the rope would keep it under enough tension even when the top was not in the fixture. You can see in one of the photos, I simply added a small 5 Lb dumbell plate to deal with that. Not elegant.....but again I was only on version 2 of the design.


.

[2wdBlazer]

I have a stand in my yard. Back in, lift top with your back. Have wife slide in support boards, Drive out.

[Pyro 72K5]

I used an electric winch and took some square tubing and made a lift by welding it together. Then I took some 3/8 inch flat stock and heated it and bent it to make a hook on the bottom leaving a flat section so the top could sit on it. On the top part of the flat stock I also bent the top so I could slide it into the tubing. I did this on all four corners. I drilled a hole in the square tubing and welded a nut on the top. I was then able to slide the square stock into the tubing and used a bolt to hold it tight. The trick is getting the weight right so when you lift it it stays level. It works out great for me. I can take it off alone and store it in the ceiling of my garage.

[dopeslap]

Sounds like a great set up Pyro 72K5. How about posting a picture?

[BUDDY]

Whilest I would never say anything bad about the way some of you guys are doing this, I want to say that it doesn't have to be real complicated. I did this all the way through college & it worked beautifully.

What you need:

1) A garage, or shed, or what ever that's tall enough to get you're blazer in, and deep enough that when you back into it, the garage door comes about halfway over the hood.

2) Open rafters or yellow bicycle storage hooks.

3) A four-pack of ATV hold-down rachet straps. (1000 lb capacity is more than enough. Walmart has them for 20.00.

That's all the stuff you need. Here's the procedure:

Back into you're garage, (shed, whatever).

Open you're rear hatch, & leave open.

Attach you're bicycle hooks to the ceiling just outside of the four corners of you're top. If you have open rafters you can skip this step.

Remove all of the hardware that attaches the top to the blazer.

Run one of the ATV straps throught the "cab" section of the top, (above the front seats), maybe you roll down the windows to make it a little easier. Attach one hook from either end of the ATV strap to the hook above the driver's door in the ceiling, (or wrap it around the rafter & hook it on itself), and the other end to the hook above the passenger door.

Pull the slack out of the ATV strap & slowly rachet the top up about 3 inches in the front, so that it is clear of the windshield frame.

Go to the rear of the truck.

Take another of the ATV straps, hook it to the ceiling, lift one corner of the top, & hook the other end of the strap into a hole for mounting the top to the blazer, and repeat on the other side.

Pull the slack out of both of the rear straps, and slowly rachet each corner up about 3 inches so that the top is clear of the bedrails. It may swing a little, but it will settle itself.

Drive out of the garage.

So in about 30 minutes, you have the top suspended in the garage & you can still park in there in case of inclement weather. I did this every summer while in college & it worked like a charm. Never had any issues with it at all, except for bumping my head on it a few times going through the garage.

Best of all, it only costs 30-40 bucks IF you have to buy the bicycle hooks too.

HTH,

Buddy

[desertrat]

Geez Buddy you make it sound so easy. That will save me millions of dollars when I cancel my order for a tower crane!

[LUV2XCLR8]

[krue]

[BUDDY]

Originally Posted by desertrat

Geez Buddy you make it sound so easy. That will save me millions of dollars when I cancel my order for a tower crane!

Nice!!

I love the write-ups that were posted, but I just never thought it needed that much time.

BTW this procedure will also work with Jeeps, old land cruisers, scouts, even broncos. I know, I know, but I'm an equal opportunity problem solver.

Just because we're better than them doesn't mean we shouldn't help them.

Later,

Buddy

[Pyro 72K5]

dopeslap

I do not have a camera that I can place pictures in my computer with. But I will try and find a way to post some for you.

Pyro 72K5

[cstanley]

could something like this work?
http://www.bestop.com/index.php?s=54