tried searching, but too many results came back....

i'm thinking about getting a hardtop...question is, can it be put on and removed by one person? i'm talking about a factory hardtop.

thanks
-t

 

Yes if you have a hardtop hoist. Pretty awkward trying to put it on by yourself without a hoist and one slip can cause a lot of damage.

 

i meant without the hoist.

 

If you have really long arms and somewhat strong maybe. I was forced to buy a hoist because I knew I couldn't do it by myself.

 

ok. thanks.

 

where do you get a hardtop hoist from? & what's it look like?

 

Yes, it can be done but you have to be careful and having a bit of strength is beneficial.
Park in an area that you have clearance to have the doors fully open.
Pick up the hardtop by placing your hands at the far rear of the side window openings and your body under the hardtop.
Lift it up and over your head. This will be a bit dificult, there is more weight behind you then in front, so use some strenght to balance it.
Walk over to your car and get in with the hardtop above your head.
Line it up correctly and lower it down onto your car. Be careful, one slip up can cause thousands of dollars in damage.

 

I have a hardtop and I can't imagine putting it on alone. It's not heavy, but too bulky for one person. You really have to have long arms. I don't think it's worth the risk of damaging the car and top. I modified a bicyle ceiling hoist for my hardtop hoist.

 

If you're relatively strong it can be done with one person but it's not real easy. As Hyperpm stated, one slip and you've got a problem. This is how I do it:

First, put something on the driver's seat like some towels, magazines and more towels. That way you don't stretch the leather when you kneel down on it. Leave the door wide open and make sure the latches are open behind the seats.

Apply Shin-Etzu grease on the seals so they don't squeak.

You need to lift the hardtop from underneath. Grab the center of the front edge with your left hand from underneath, and the center top of the rear window frame with your right hand. Lift it up, get a good balance over your head, and carry it over to the car.

Put your right knee on the padded seat, and center the top over the car. Carefully lower the top down, making sure the rear pins go into the latches. This is difficult because you can't see the latches, and you have to twist your body to get the top and your body in place. Use the front latch locations to guide the rear pins in place. If the front latches are lined up correctly, then the rear pins will fall into the latches.

Close the latches, and you're done.

To take the hardtop off, just reverse the process.

Another method (which I haven't tried yet) is to stack a bunch of stuff on the seat, sit down backwards and lean back while lowering the top onto the car. You don't twist your body nearly as much that way. but if you lose your balance, you've got scratches and dents.

Although I do this myself, I admit that I am meticulous to a fault (a.k.a. anal), and I am extremely careful and tedious doing this so that I don't make a mistake. Strength is needed not only to lift the hardtop, but to keep it steady.

I'm only doing it this way until I get a hardtop hoist installed. It's too risky to do it this way all the time.

 

You guys have more cajones than I do. I would NEVER try to put on or take off my HT by myself (I don't have a hoist). Maybe I'm a wimp, but its just too risky IMO. I can just about see one of the mounting pins going through the sheet metal.