C1 fritzi hartop hoist

[Valeria H.]

I am trying to get a winch installed in my garage to be able to place the hardtop onto my car without outside assistance. Does it matter if the winch is installed along side of the car or in front of the car. I have a 3 car garage that has 5 large windows with one of them directly in front of the nose of the car. I would like the winch apparatus installed along side of the drivers side. Would/should there be a problem with this?
Valeria

[Steven B.]

Re: C1 fritzi hartop hoist

I assume you are talking about the pulley. It should be directly above the hardtop so lifting and lowering can be a straight up or down movement. If taking the top off you can lift it, back the car out, lower the top and store it, then bring the car back into its spot. If you are speaking about the crank to raise and lower the top I installed one on the wall directly across from the drivers door so I can see to manuever the top into position.

'Hope that helps.

Steve

[Bruce B.]

Re: C1 fritzi hartop hoist

I have a lower priced one which uses pulleys with no crank. Good design because you can pull or release the rope while standing next to the car and move the hardtop around.
But the downside I have seen with most systems is that they push on the rubber weatherstrip/molding and it can be damaged if you leave the hardtop on the lift for any length of time.
My wife always helps when we remove or install the top.

[Gerry P.]

Re: C1 fritzi hartop hoist

Below are pictures of how I store my hardtop which hangs from the ceiling. Taking it off or putting it back on is made easier by utilizing my car lift although it can still be accomplished by one person (with longer ropes). I put the two insulated bars under the top and then raise it with ropes. The bars I use under the top are 3/4" x 5' electrical conduit (from Lowes $3ea). To avoid damaging the weatherstripping, I drilled holes in the rear conduit crossbar and installed 1/4" X 3" carriage bolts which go through the hardtop side fastener brackets. The bolts have threads all the way to the bottom end so I could secure the bolt to the conduit. I then added a nut below and to the top of the "hardtop" side fasteners (the lower nut supports the weight of the top thereby protecting the weatherstrip). The top rests on the front bar which is not attached to the bar. I covered the conduit with pipe insulation (also came from Lowes for approx $2) and it works well for keeping the deck lid from being scratched when maneuvering the top. I hang the top from two additional conduit pipes which are supported from the ceiling in such a manner that I can move them side to side or front to back to align with the car. I have to push them back a couple of feet to keep the top clear of the car when the softtop is up. The support tracks for the upper bars are made of 1x2 furring strips and are attached to the ceiling (screwed into the ceiling joists with lag bolts). I've sandwiched 1 1/2" spacers (I used 1" pvc pipe as spacers) between the furring strips and ceiling to allow the bars to be moved about.

[Valeria H.]

Re: C1 fritzi hartop hoist

Wow, I'm impressed! That is a great setup. Thanks for all the great input as always.
Valeria

[Roger W.]

Re: C1 fritzi hartop hoist

Wow! What a great set up. Right now I have a peice of wood across the bottom of the front on my hard top. Your design is much better.

[Valeria H.]

Re: C1 fritzi hartop hoist

I really had not intended to permanently store my hardtop hoisted from the ceiling and purchased a hartop rack that I was going to install on the garage wall. Is this feasible or will I do more damage to the really expensive hardtop I just purchased?
Valeria

[Bruce B.]

Re: C1 fritzi hartop hoist

If you store the hardtop on a rack, be sure it is stored with the front edge down.
If you store with the rear window down you can ruin the hardtop.

[Gerry P.]

Re: C1 fritzi hartop hoist

Valerie - I would think you could store the top on the garage wall as long has you as you didn't put undue pressure on the wrong points. There have been previous threads on the issue with varying opinions. I hung mine from the ceiling as I have limited space in my garage. I also tried to hang it in a manner which: 1. Allowed me to attach or remove the top by myself, 2. doesn't put undue pressure on the weather stripping and 3. doesn't contribute to any undue warping. Good luck.
Gerry Phillips

[Roger W.]

Re: C1 fritzi hartop hoist

What about the padded carrier that CC sells? It is designed to store the top with the window down

[Valeria H.]

Re: C1 fritzi hartop hoist

Gerry, That is exactly where I would like my hardtop to live. I was concerned about reports of wheatherstriping damage from dangling from the ceiling for long time frames. I am planning on placing the hardtop rack on the garage wall this Friday and really wanted some feedback about pros and cons of storing up top of the hoist vs hoisting to the rack on the wall. I know the rack will need to have padding reinforcement if this is the plan I choose to persue. Thoughts on this issue are more than welcome.
Valeria

[Gerry P.]

Re: C1 fritzi hartop hoist

Valerie - I was not concerned about the weatherstripping drooping as much as it becoming compressed by the hoist hooks. That is why I designed my rear bar so that the top rests on the top's side fastener's instead of the weatherstripping. Also, since the top is supported by the fasteners, I am hoping it is supported in the same manner as it would be on the car and thus keep it from warping.
Gerry