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Hardtop Hoist

3/19/00 -- I remember how fortunate I felt that my car came with an original steel factory hardtop. While I never plan on driving the car with it on, I know it will come in handy someday when I'm leaving my car to be worked on somewhere. For instance, when I'm having the body work done. I'd also like to fit the top whenever I wash the car, but the days of driving in the rain are over -- San Diego sunshine is all that's going to touch this classic '67 Spitfire.

Even though I'm quite fortunate to have a garage large enough to accomodate three vehicles, the storage space is at premium. Two walls are covered with closing cabinets and shelves. The third remaining wall contains my workbench and a large picture window. For the last couple of months, I've had the hardtop leaning against one of the cabinet walls, making access to that cabinet a real chore. Inevitably, I'd bump into the rear window glass with something, including the door of my Spitfire. I felt it was only a matter of time before I damaged the top, which is in remarkably fine condition with the exception of the rear glass seal which the PO painted over.

My solution was to create a pulley/hoist system to suspend the hardtop from the ceiling, directly above the Spitfire. That way, I can even lower it onto the car by myself if need be, but when the hard top isn't called for, it will be stowed out of the way.

The hoist consisted of a wall cleat, 25' length of 3/8" rope, two 3/8" pulleys, a large quick-release closed hook, two 3/8" open-loop hooks that screw into the ceiling joists, two steel rings and four nylon tie-down straps. The pulleys hang from the 3/8" open loop hooks (with the small openings oriented towards the opposite direction from the stress). The rope has the large quick-release closed hook on its' end, secured by a rope clamp which was hammered down to crimp and secure the rope; the two steel rings connect to that large quick-release closed hook and the hooks for the tie down straps connect to the rings. I ran the tie down straps in a criss-cross pattern under the top and lashed down with a wall cleat.

I have no experience with ever doing this kind of thing before and hope that by wrapping the rope around the wall cleat several times in a repeating figure-8 pattern, that it will hold fast. It seems to be working quite well -- but if I should make some sort of a tricky sailor knot in the rope, I hope someone will e-mail me and tell me how to do it. I don't need for the steel top to come crashing down on my car in the middle of the night! All of the parts for this project can be found at your local hardware store and took about an hour to assemble. Tools: Stud finder, Drill (to drill pilot holes for the ceiling anchors), screwdriver, hammer.

Please. Always wear your seatbelt while driving -- and that goes double for your children if you have any.

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