SL/R129: Hard top lift
08-14-2011, 08:42 AM
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Location: San Antonio, TX
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'07 ML 320 CDI
Hard top lift
I wrote this post a while back on another forum that I frequent and I thought that I would copy it off of there and share it with you guys. I sold my R129 a couple of years ago now, but while I owed it I was always searching for a way to get a hard top lift that was affordable, wouldn't damage the top, and that I considered safe. Some of the solutions that I've seen on this and other forums have frankly scared the hell out of me and and wondered if the owners of these cars really realize what they are doing to their vehicle. But I digress.... On to the build
I started this whole project when I found out that a co-worker of mine owns a chop saw specifically for steel.... I'm telling you, it'll slice thru mild steel like a knife thru butter....
I began by cutting a couple pieces of 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" angle and fabricating some tabs made out of 1-1/2" flat steel. I welded the whole shebang together and with the help of another co-worker, we hoisted (pun intended)that bad boy up and mounted it to the ceiling joists above the garage...
Oh, BTW the cord that's hanging down is the controller.... The hoist itself was purchased at Harbor Freight. IIRC the cost was less that $100 including tax.
It's 110V so, running power to it simply consisted of plugging it in at the same location the garage door opener is powered at.
With the way it's mounted, I'm gonna have to back the car in to take the top off. Also due to the low ceiling height I won't be able to leave it up, 'cause the top will be in the way, but that's ok...That's what I have a hard top stand for.
Moving onto the frame itself, I started w/ a bunch of 1"x 2" x 14 ga steel tubing.... Honestly that's about the thinnest stuff I could find in bulk around here... It's a little stout, but it shouldn't be too heavy to use... The extra height of the metal in the 2" dimension actually provides a stiffer section.
Heres where I'm at now. I've cut most all of the pieces and am in the trial fitting stage...
It's essentially a tee frame consisting of two large pieces. The piece with the pads on it will rest against the top while you're installing in, and is the part that's is actually connected to the hoist. The other (longer) piece will rest on the lower piece and will actually lift the top.. I'm making it so that the two pieces bolt together. That way, if I decide to store the frame (or sell it like I did), it'll break down into a couple of manageable pieces. :thumbsup:
The tricky part is making the hinges for the sides...
As you can see, I've still got a little ways to go...
It'll be cool when I'm done though!
Finally got off of my sorry butt and did some more on the lift. I have most everything cut, so it was time to start sticking things together. So back to test fitting and squaring things up, then on to the chicken scratch welding....
This is one of the hinge points...
Test fitting of one of the "L" brackets/pickup points/whatever the hell you want to call 'em....
Weld the seams on all sides.....
All I can say is thank goodness for a grinder. It helps to hide a whole bunch of nasty looking welding!
Now that I have the main components pretty much tacked together, it's time for a test fitting on the car...I can honestly say that I was a little nervous at this point.. I was really hoping that I had measured things right the first time....
The only thing I found on the test fit (so far) is that the "L" thingamajiggies/whatchamacallits just touch the headrests on the seats in the down position.... Nothing a little "trim" w/ a hacksaw wont fix!
This is almost the last post for this project.... The only thing left is to disassemble everything and paint it! :thumbsup: In the meantime, I'm gonna show you guys what was done to get it up to this point...
One of the last things I had to construct was the little brackets that actually hold the lifting pads for the top. They were essentially three pieces of 3/4" steel with two of them cut at a 45 degree angle....
The trick is to get hold them all together while your making them... All it takes is a vice grip and a little constructive tacking w/ your welder...
After you weld them up they're ready to go and your ready to start figuring out how they all fit under your top...
So back to the fitting of the frame to the top, measuring, aligning,cussing, and, and, and... You get the idea.
You finally get 'em where you need them and finish mounting them....
Time to actually see if the silly thing works.... Here's a pic of the entire assy (minus the lifting pads). Kinda looks like a giant spider waiting to pounce on something doesn't it? That or if you're a trekkie, some kind've Klingon Bird of Prey...
So we backed the car in, hooked it up, and crossed our fingers.... Of course figuring out the balance point of the entire assembly was the hardest part... But hey, everyone remembers their rules about static objects (they neither rotate nor translate) from physics right?
Off it goes!!!!!! Simply drive the car out and you're done!!
Here's a shot from underneath to show the pads....
Like I said, still gotta clean everything up and paint it. Then I'm gonna attach some foam stripping on the sides of the "L" brackets to keep them from hitting the rain gutter... Other than that it's all done. I'll post some pics of the completed pieces to show what the final product looks like!
To finish this post off, I did end up putting the foam stripping on and painting the whole assembly black. While I had this, it worked really well and I could take off/put on the top by myself with little or no hassles. Material costs were less that $50 plus welding materials. The frame only touches the top at the pads and does not ruin the weather strips, scratch the paint, or any other bad thing that will screw up the top. I ended up taking a couple of shelf hangers and putting them on the wall so that I could store it out of the way next to the car in the garage. I did already sell this frame here on this forum, so I don't own it anymore. I hope the new owner is enjoying it. I decided to share how I made it as it may inspire some of you to do the same.
Now if I could convince one of you to buy my hard top stand, I would have all of my R129 stuff gone... (Shameless plug)
I started this whole project when I found out that a co-worker of mine owns a chop saw specifically for steel.... I'm telling you, it'll slice thru mild steel like a knife thru butter....
I began by cutting a couple pieces of 1-1/2" x 1-1/2" angle and fabricating some tabs made out of 1-1/2" flat steel. I welded the whole shebang together and with the help of another co-worker, we hoisted (pun intended)that bad boy up and mounted it to the ceiling joists above the garage...
Oh, BTW the cord that's hanging down is the controller.... The hoist itself was purchased at Harbor Freight. IIRC the cost was less that $100 including tax.
It's 110V so, running power to it simply consisted of plugging it in at the same location the garage door opener is powered at.
With the way it's mounted, I'm gonna have to back the car in to take the top off. Also due to the low ceiling height I won't be able to leave it up, 'cause the top will be in the way, but that's ok...That's what I have a hard top stand for.
Moving onto the frame itself, I started w/ a bunch of 1"x 2" x 14 ga steel tubing.... Honestly that's about the thinnest stuff I could find in bulk around here... It's a little stout, but it shouldn't be too heavy to use... The extra height of the metal in the 2" dimension actually provides a stiffer section.
Heres where I'm at now. I've cut most all of the pieces and am in the trial fitting stage...
It's essentially a tee frame consisting of two large pieces. The piece with the pads on it will rest against the top while you're installing in, and is the part that's is actually connected to the hoist. The other (longer) piece will rest on the lower piece and will actually lift the top.. I'm making it so that the two pieces bolt together. That way, if I decide to store the frame (or sell it like I did), it'll break down into a couple of manageable pieces. :thumbsup:
The tricky part is making the hinges for the sides...
As you can see, I've still got a little ways to go...
It'll be cool when I'm done though!
Finally got off of my sorry butt and did some more on the lift. I have most everything cut, so it was time to start sticking things together. So back to test fitting and squaring things up, then on to the chicken scratch welding....
This is one of the hinge points...
Test fitting of one of the "L" brackets/pickup points/whatever the hell you want to call 'em....
Weld the seams on all sides.....
All I can say is thank goodness for a grinder. It helps to hide a whole bunch of nasty looking welding!
Now that I have the main components pretty much tacked together, it's time for a test fitting on the car...I can honestly say that I was a little nervous at this point.. I was really hoping that I had measured things right the first time....
The only thing I found on the test fit (so far) is that the "L" thingamajiggies/whatchamacallits just touch the headrests on the seats in the down position.... Nothing a little "trim" w/ a hacksaw wont fix!
This is almost the last post for this project.... The only thing left is to disassemble everything and paint it! :thumbsup: In the meantime, I'm gonna show you guys what was done to get it up to this point...
One of the last things I had to construct was the little brackets that actually hold the lifting pads for the top. They were essentially three pieces of 3/4" steel with two of them cut at a 45 degree angle....
The trick is to get hold them all together while your making them... All it takes is a vice grip and a little constructive tacking w/ your welder...
After you weld them up they're ready to go and your ready to start figuring out how they all fit under your top...
So back to the fitting of the frame to the top, measuring, aligning,cussing, and, and, and... You get the idea.
You finally get 'em where you need them and finish mounting them....
Time to actually see if the silly thing works.... Here's a pic of the entire assy (minus the lifting pads). Kinda looks like a giant spider waiting to pounce on something doesn't it? That or if you're a trekkie, some kind've Klingon Bird of Prey...
So we backed the car in, hooked it up, and crossed our fingers.... Of course figuring out the balance point of the entire assembly was the hardest part... But hey, everyone remembers their rules about static objects (they neither rotate nor translate) from physics right?
Off it goes!!!!!! Simply drive the car out and you're done!!
Here's a shot from underneath to show the pads....
Like I said, still gotta clean everything up and paint it. Then I'm gonna attach some foam stripping on the sides of the "L" brackets to keep them from hitting the rain gutter... Other than that it's all done. I'll post some pics of the completed pieces to show what the final product looks like!
To finish this post off, I did end up putting the foam stripping on and painting the whole assembly black. While I had this, it worked really well and I could take off/put on the top by myself with little or no hassles. Material costs were less that $50 plus welding materials. The frame only touches the top at the pads and does not ruin the weather strips, scratch the paint, or any other bad thing that will screw up the top. I ended up taking a couple of shelf hangers and putting them on the wall so that I could store it out of the way next to the car in the garage. I did already sell this frame here on this forum, so I don't own it anymore. I hope the new owner is enjoying it. I decided to share how I made it as it may inspire some of you to do the same.
Now if I could convince one of you to buy my hard top stand, I would have all of my R129 stuff gone... (Shameless plug)
Last edited by Roberte; 08-14-2011 at 09:00 AM.
08-22-2011, 05:58 PM
#3
Member
Get two tennis ***** and put a small slit in each one. Then slide them onto the rear lock posts so you won't hit one with your head and spill blood everywhere.
08-31-2011, 08:51 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2008
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2014 Mercedes C250 Coupe, 1998 SL 600 sport
Yes, Thanks for sharing. Too bad you no longer have the car. I did something similar, but I used a old boat hand winch.
RP
RP
