Hardtop Lift Project
 

So, a while back, I posted about a lift (hoist? crane? whatever!) for hubby's 911 hardtop. I was hoping to buy one for his birthday, and leave it at that.

But, NOOOOO, you guys wouldn't let me just buy it, :D, you started suggesting various DIY options, including bicycle hoists, etc. I made the mistake of mentioning this to hubs. He got a faraway look in his eyes . . .

A couple of days later, a kayak lift showed up from Amazon. Apparently, the hardtops weigh about 85 lbs, which exceeds the recommended 50 lbs of most bike lifts. The kayak lifts are rated for 100-125 lbs, depending on model.

So now I'm out another birthday present idea,:rolleyes: but turns out it works great. Cost about $50 as opposed to the usual $200 hardtop lift (hoist?, crane?).

Thought I'd pass it along and say thank you, guys, for the great idea! :cheers:

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1367678136.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1367678295.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1367678318.jpg

Looks great. Been thinking about doing something similar. Any chance you can post a link to the hoist you ordered. Much appreciated.

Sweet! Glad you and the hubby went DIY, we are rubbing off on you:eek:

It's a two-parter, a hoist and a winch;

Kayak & Canoe Lift Hoist Kayak For Garage / Canoe Hoists 100 lb Capacity Lifetime Warranty by RAD Sportz - Amazon.com

Reese Towpower 74337 600 Pound Capacity Winch : Amazon.com : Automotive

Thanks! Hubby has always been very DIY; drywall, electrical, appliances, tile, etc. Just last week he replaced the drain motor in the dishwasher. This forum has encouraged him to expand his talents to the car and that's cool. :D Last month he changed his turn signal bulb (why do you have to take out the ENTIRE headlight?).

Thanks so much. Much appreciated. Will order The parts and give it a go!

Hey, you could take off the handle off that winch and put a pulley on there instead. There's room on top of that 2x4 to mount an old furnace motor... see where I'm going?

can we get more details regarding the nylon straps he used? what size? where did he buy them from? what lengths?

excellent!

Kayak lift is on its way!

Nice idea - well done - I would go with a little ATV winch if the crank is too much work for you Mart_T
Way less chance of your top becoming part of the ceiling structure.

MasterLock 2955AT 12-Volt DC Utility and ATV Winch - JCCayer.com

You would want an electric "lift" not a "winch". The lift will lock a winch does not. Ask me how I know!

A winch can be designed to using a pulley system. You can use one of the cheap winches from harbor freight and a good rope. With a pulley system. Pretty much incorporating a cheap normal lift system that you would do manually, but using a winch to raise the roof. It has been my plan but money is tight right now so I havent.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1444204550.jpg
Sorry for the crewed drawing. But pretty much this is it. Winch will be mounted to the wall in an easy location. Use as many pulleys as you see fit to accomplish the same results in your own garage. My garage, I see it only needing about 2. Use a pre built mount for your roof, or build your own to attach to the hook of the Winch Rope. Due to the light weight of the roof you wont need to use anything special for the rope. Just be sure to level the roof on your mounts when its in the air so it wont flip around and damage your car or the roof, same way you would any other way. As the roof is in the air where you would like it, you can use masking tape on the rope to "label" where you wish your inline loop to be. This loop will be the type of rope loop that even if it comes loose, it will not just fall apart and drop the roof. If you don't know how to tie any of these, I'm sure you can ask an elder lol, my dad has taught me plenty. IF not, google how to tie a Loop. Drop your payload, detatch from the pulleys and at the location of the masking tape and cast your loop. If you are unsure to the integrity, you can use superglue on the knot to provide a tight bond/knot. After you tie your loop and are satisfied with its integrity, use a decent sized hook to screw into a stud in your garage. Should only be about 12" above your winch on the same stud.

JUST BE SURE, your loop is far enough away from your first pulley, to allow the roof to be completely lowered onto the car. This really should not be an issue as long as you don't install a pulley really close to your Winch. The locations I provided in the pic should suffice without any issues.

When done, you will be able to power the winch to :dance:raise the roof:dance: and when your loop reaches the hook, place the loop through the hook and then reverse the winch just a tad. Not soo much as to unravel the winch, but enough to release the weight from the winch itself.

Cost should be no more than 100 dollars when done. This is making your own harness to attach to the roof, hooks, pulleys, winch, rope etc.

This specific system has been done by lots of people. I've seen it done for a few S2K people local to myself. Its super easy to operate, a child could do it if needed. But please don't let your children operate it lol. Its not a toy and even tho the winch has proven itself on the trail, I wouldn't trust any of the install to the weight of a child.

I hope these instructions were simple to read.


***EDIT*** I also forgot to mention, The cable system of the winch can easily be replaced by a rope of equal thickness. They are just clamped into the shaft. The cable is perfect for heavier weight, but harder to use and setup properly. The Rope can still withstand decent weight, but the roof is not heavy at all. Any one of us can carry it by ourselves. And Harbor Freight Winches are much cheaper than the one Duezzer displayed. There are reviews on it throughout multiple offroad websites, its perfect for this application, not soo much for winching a vehicle out of a sticky spot.
http://www.harborfreight.com/2500-lb-ATVUtility-Electric-Winch-with-Wireless-Remote-Control-61297.html

I believe the straps came with the kayak lift.

It vaguely sounds like you're suggesting more work, which I'm pretty sure is not going to happen. :D And we're in the South, so not sure what is this "furnace" motor you speak of.

Is it sad that I like the old Kraftwerk songs from the '70's?

Darkstar,

Thanks for all the detail and drawings, that's very cool!

Hubbs has moved on to other Porsche projects (3D printing a little holder for his giant iPhone case that fits in one of the dashboard cubby-thingies) so our pitiful winch/hoist/lift/top-holder :confused: is what it is, at least for a while.

Great! Thanks for all the info. The Kayak lift came in yesterday. Now looking into a hoist/winch.

This may work out very will for me - Both my wife and daughter have Jeep Wrangles and I need to build a lift system for those tops -

Drawing is good but could you make it with a Jeep JK 2 door and a Jeep TJ 2 door?

Just kidding.