Does anyone have a good idea how to remove your hardtop on a late model bronco solo and effeciently so I could put back on solo too. Maybe with an overhead winch system to suspend it, any ideas, my wife refuses to help me anymore...

 

Get a new wife

 

Thats one option...

 

I know a guy who got one of those hard top (for a convertible car) removal systems for his garage. Its basically a hand-crank winch with a few straps of thick nylon or something. You go ahead and remove the bolts holding it on, then you connect each strap by a hook to each corner of the top, then crank it up until you are clear of the rear end. Only problem it you would have to have a tall ceiling in your garage to get enough clearance for the winch.
Bama

 

Sorry I take back that last statement. I went and looked at it, and it is a wall mounted winch with a pulley over the car, with four straps to connect to the top. Sorry, I forgot to ask him where he got it. I figure any major Auto supplier can get one for you.
Bama

 

Was going to build a setup like the one mentioned with a boat winch and a couple of cargo straps etc.. But since I lifted the truck, it doesn't even fit in the garage, much less leave me room to pull the top off. So I am relegated to getting the wife or brother to assist. Steve83 has claimed on several occassions that he routinely removes and installs his SOLO. I have yet to question him as to just how he accomplishes this feat.

 

It would have been nice, and maybe ford will consider this if they ever get off there asses and start building the greatest truck ever again, but if they would have put some friction handles, like every other convertable in the world has, instead of all those damn bolts for the top removal, with maybe a lighter weight top also, or offered a soft top option out of the factory, why offer a removable top if ya have to go thru hell and highwater to remove it?

 

I have a feeling Ford didn't really consider the top "removeable" like we do, certainly not to the extent that the top of a car like a miata or new T-bird is removeable. It was probably just easier for them to manufacture back when trucks could be trucks and not tall cars. You won't see this setup on a new SUV anytime soon because of the squeaks and rattles you get with having that large hunk of fiberglass squirming around back there. Too loud for the yuppies.

 

and because of these yuppies and soccer moms, they discontinued the Bronco for explorers and expeditions, boy that excursion didn't last long did it?

 

why did they drop the Excursion? I just figured they were sick of getting reamed for producin a gas guzzling bohemouth during a time of war with the 2nd largest oil producing nation in the world. Too many people saying we should conserve oil and there they are producing a vehicle that neelessly consumes it...

what was the reason Ford gave?

 

yo,

Mark's one man process:
http://www.icehouse.net/mchristy/remtop.html

and Frogger's (ken's) top removal site with many pics:
http://froggmann.3iii.net/Tech/Topremoval.htm

 

My friend had a 79 Bronco and he used 6 bungy cords to hold the hard top in his garage. He had it set up to where they would lift the hardtop about 6 inches once all 6 bungy cords were connected. It worked out pretty well.

 

Why did they drop the Excursion? It had NOTHING to do with the war in Iraq. Maybe because they weren't selling enough of them?

 

i have an 86 bronco that i take the top on and off more than somebody with a convertible it takes 5-10 minutes for me to do it by myself and i am 17

to take it off i back into an area (like a garage)
remove bolts , and then use my back to push up on it then my arms to push it back .then keeping it on both rails i push it to the floor and stand it up aginst the wall .

to put it on i back up to it than put 1 2x4 across sideways the 2 sides line it up get in the bad and easily pull it up onto ith then get off behind and push forward ,rmove the 2x4 by slidning it out and put bolst in and i am done.

sounds complicated but 5-10 min for me .

pm any ?'s

 

Iced Bronco,

I have only one question to your method. How do you keep from scuffing the crap out of the rear corners of the truck right above the tail lights? I have accidently slid the top over this painted section once or twice and scuffed those corners bad enough to warrant getting out the clear coat and the buffer. I had considered attaching heavy felt to the lower edge of the top where it meets the bed rails in an effort to prevent this but I am skeptical about how worthy it would be in top removal/installation processes.

Oh and the Bronco won't come back with the top like that because todays "soccer moms" and "cell phone drivers" are too lazy to even consider removing such a component from their vehicles. Look at all the "SUV's" that have seats that fold with a push of a button, or windows, doors, tailgates, etc. that require nothing more than pushing a button. No, the days of having to actually lift a finger to enjoy your car are gone. And the "posers" who drive 4WD vehicles because its the "trendy" thing to do can all go fall in a ditch and wonder how to engage that 4WD system that they paid extra for and have no earthly idea how to use. These are the same people who drive like blithering idiots when the roads turn to utter chaos in the winter time because "I have 4 wheel drive, it doesn't matter". Someone need to tell them that 4WD doesn't mean squat on ice. Its stopping that you need to worry about and EVERY car, truck and van out there today has 4 wheel STOP. Ok, time for Greystreak to get off his soapbox.