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Hardtop Carrier Instructions

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Brosky

Brosky

Great Pumpkin
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I decided to take the pictures for the carrier off of the hardtop page and start a new page for the carrier. That way it will be easily updated with modification ideas as time goes on.

My thanks again to Shawn for allowing me to post his efforts on my site and here.

Hardtop Carrier Design
 
Paul, thanks to you and your pals for archiving and posting the Six Tech manual. I've never even heard of it before, so it'll make for some interesting reading later...
 
Kevin,

We were all happy to do it. I didn't do much of anything except create a page and upload the files to my web hosting server.

I hope that all who use it find it of interest.

The internet and these forums sure make it a lot easier to troubleshot and modify these cars than it was ten years ago.
 
Elegant storage solution!

One pal rigged an overhead pulley and lifting points system for his (albiet Elan) hardtop. Outta the way and quick to lower and install single-handed.

Brosky said:
<Respectful snippage> The internet and these forums sure make it a lot easier to troubleshot and modify these cars than it was ten years ago.
Click to expand...

Amen! Back inna Dark Ages it was only experience and the Braille Method! If the manuals were NLA, you were on your own. Big Healeys were a pain for us. Scant info layin' about for 'em then.

We did a total resto on a DB 2/4 drophead back then, phone calls and the mail were the only "sources" of info gathering... took nearly a year to do that thing properly.

Parts were another issue. :shocked:
 
DrEntropy said:
One pal rigged an overhead pulley and lifting points system for his (albiet Elan) hardtop. Outta the way and quick to lower and install single-handed.
Click to expand...

I use 6 foot moving straps - sewn nylon straps 2" wide with a sewn loop on each end - hooked to a $6 HF rope hoist to store my tractor cab. It's simple and stores up and out of the way.

No offense Paul but that (nicely built) wooden rig takes up too much valuable floor space for my shop. Maybe just a little over built unless the top weighs several hundred lbs.

Another advantage of the overhead hoist is that you can gently set the top back on the car by yourself.
 
I just followed the instructions and had plenty of scrap lumber around as the house was being remodeled.

Space can always be an issue, but at only 3 feet wide and 22 inches deep, it really doesn't have that big of a footprint.
 
I have my tractor backhoe on a homebuilt dolly that sits in the corner of my shop. It's heavy (~1500lbs), almost too heavy to roll around. But space here there and everywhere is a premium. That's why I suggested a hoist.

You did a nice job Paul.
 
I woulda built something like that Paul if I had the room in my garage

instead I did this and cover it with a sheet

DSC03184-1.jpg
 
Doc, I love that new avatar. Nice hat and shirt.

Bill, I almost went that route from a picture that you had sent me a few years ago.

Peter, I have a jogged in section of a wall in my garage that allows me to store it there, or I'd probably be airborne, like Bill.
 
PeterK said:
Another advantage of the overhead hoist is that you can gently set the top back on the car by yourself.
Click to expand...


When I built the prototype, a hoist system was not feasible. So far in all of my garages, the space over the car has to be kept clear for the garage door. Even if the ceiling was high enough to clear a hardtop in a sling above an open garage door, the garage door track was in the way. Sometimes you have no choice but to put removable hardtop on a rack to store off to the side.
When I was selling my hardtop, people on the 6-Pack site saw the rack and wanted the plans for how I built it. I had to go out with a pad, paper and tape measure to draw up the plans. It was built with left over lumber from other projects, there was never an official set of plans, I just built it as I went with a couple of quick measurements. The only pieces that I went out and purchased were the casters. After it was built, I could have modified it but there was no need, it did its job very well. Along with the hardtop, my rack held a couple of sets of fender covers, some towels, extension cords and trouble lights.
The rack could have been built much less substantially if I had only planned on holding the hard top itself on it. Keeping the footprint in mind, I made sure it did more than just hold the hardtop. I was able to store items below it and on other parts of the rack as well. Plus the casters allowed it to be easily repositioned whenever I needed to for cleaning, rearranging etc... That rack design was built solely for my intended purposes. I was flattered and a little surprised when so many people on the 6-Pack list wanted copies of the design so they could build something similar to hold their own hard tops. That prototype rack still lives, it is now holding a hard top for a TR3, with no modifications to be able to do so.
 
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