My family and I moved back in the fall.   One of the "fun" things about this (and there were many...) was the uninstalling and shipping of the hard top hoist and associated parts.  As I took it apart, I made mental note of the details I had considered when I installed it the previous year.  I put the parts carefully away and more or less forgot about it until I finally had enough spare time to undertake the installation in my new home.  More than two months later than usual.

This was complicated by one of those classic American Phenomena - the cluttered garage.  Layered over the usual junk was the added junk from the resident motor head, aspiring carpenter and home handyman, and of course the disorganization of a displaced home because of the move.  In short, the big job was not the installation of the hoist, it was the identification, location, evacuation and sterilization of the garage itself.  This task seems to be one of those "never ending" tasks for me, and this installment took a couple hours.

I set the soft top aside, still packed in the box I created for the move, along with the hoist parts and soft top windows.   Then I took on the use of a "stud finder" to locate a joist that would support 140+ pounds, not to mention the lag bolt that I was planning to screw in for that purpose.  As luck would have it, the joist lined up perfectly with the center of the garage and also on a true course with the overhead light and light socket installed in the ceiling... 

This meant that I was going to be placing significant faith in the accuracy of the stud finder, and when setting the pilot hole for the lag bolt, I could drill into a 120VAC feed...  Do not undertake either of these considerations lightly.  If the lag bolt is not anchored to something substantial, my top could end up being little chunks of glass on a bed of fresh fiberglass birds nest.   And even if I hit the joist, I could be knocked off the step ladder by a nice tasty shot of Edison's revenge (He wanted homes to be powered by DC because AC was "unsafe" - after all, it's what they use in the electric chair...).

As evidenced by the fact that this piece is written in the past tense, you can probably surmise that I succeeded in avoiding the juice.  And you will see from the pictures that the top indeed is supported by the joist that I am assuming is where my stud finder placed it.  Let's hope there is no addenum to this write-up along these lines.

With power and support for the overhead pulley located and the pulley properly installed, I turned my attention to the installation of the winch (AKA hand crank).  The crank is a boat trailer winch that I bought at a trailer store.  The same unit is also sold in Lowes, Home Depot, and Wal*Mart.  The problem came with attaching it to the wall.  When I installed it at the last home, I built a frame across a couple of the studs that were exposed (rustic barn) and used lag bolts to secure the winch.

 

 

This time I was more fortunate to have a beautifully finished garage (shoot, they even stucco'd the ceiling...) with no exposed joists or studs.  So I located a stud on the wall to attach the winch.  Only now I had a problem.  The crank handle is so long that the winch base must be set off the wall far enough to allow the crank to operate.

I made a trip to Lowe's and bought an angle support that is used for constructing joists.  I placed a single 2 x 4 beneath it, locating it to the studs with 3" exterior wood screws.  Then I drilled pilot holes for my 1/2" lag bolt and bolted it to the wall stud through the 2 x 4.   Next I bolted the winch to the bracket.  Of course I had made sure that the winch on wall and the pulley on the ceiling were in alignment.  I had previously made sure that the line between the winch and the pulley did not interfere with the top when it was hanging from the support.

I fixed a mistake I had made when constructing the support frame by placing weights on one side until it was balanced and hung nice and flat.  A heavy pipe joint on one side had created an imbalance that required this.

The lacing of the supporting cord was already fixed from when I first built the hoist.  Basically, I used 300 pound test synthetic line, some threaded chain links and some cable clamps to make the basic frame that holds the top.  I tied lines on to the frame that thread through the front and rear of the top on each side and support it when hoisted.

Now, I was ready to start removing the hard top.  But first I had to remove the roof rack.   This is further complicated by the standard cargo that is stored there (Hi-Lift Jack and three tool boxes full of readiness items), and the CB antenna that needs to be disconnected.  On top of all that, the rack base is heavy enough that it requires two tall adults to manage it.  Or so I thought.

One arrives at creative solutions when necessary.  I had tried all manner of removing the rack alone over the years.   What I finally arrived at this time worked the best of many partial solutions I have tried in the past.  First, I unbolted the uprights from the top rear, and swung the rack back to a completely flipped back position, propped up on spare tires and wheels, two on each side under the bottom of the rack, and supported at the top by the wall over the entrance to the garage.  In this position, I was easily able to remove the CB antenna connection and two remaining bolts holding the rack to the rear uprights.  I had already cleaned out the tool boxes and removed the Hi-Lift before flipping the rack back.

Next I moved the Jeep out of the way and flipped the rack down on top of my boys' Radio Flyer Wagons.  I put one wagon on the front and one on the back.  Then my five-year-old and I "drove" the rack out of the way.

From here on out, it was what most people have to do to remove the hard top and install the soft top.  I backed into the garage and got the Jeep under the hoist.  I unbolted the six fasteners, disconnected the wiper, washer, and two clips up front.  Then I tied the top to the hoist frame, lifted up on the front of the top on each side to break the seal.  Then I cranked the top into the air.  If this was all I had to do, it would have only taken 10 minutes.   But my life has never been that uncomplicated...

I drove the Jeep back outside and went back to check the hoist and mountings for safety.  No major issues surfaced.   The lag bolt in the ceiling joist was not moving an inch, had not bent, and was secure.  The winch mount was solid and stable.  It looked great!  The line that I used was not stretching, frayed or in danger of breaking.

I turned my attention to installing the soft top.  The soft top disconnects spared me the troubles with the factory ones.  One of the clevis clips had gone missing from the move.

I made a mental note to get a couple spares the next time I go to Lowe's.  The top came out of the moving box in the same condition I put it in.  I had cleaned it thoroughly before packing it and carefully rolled the windows to keep them from kinking.

The top went right on.  Mission accomplished.  Or maybe I should say, Part I complete.

What was left was to restore the contents of the garage to a better organization.  I will spare the details as it is not really part of the main task...