C4 Removable Hardtop Storage

Hi Group. I will be removing the hardtop from my 1993 for the first time
soon. ( I just bought it) Should I buy the Hardtop Hoist & Storage
System, Universal Transporter or the Hardtop or Roof Panel Carrier? All
about the same price. Any direction would be apprieciated. Mike.

Mike Cenni wrote:
> Hi Group. I will be removing the hardtop from my 1993 for the first time
> soon. ( I just bought it) Should I buy the Hardtop Hoist & Storage
> System, Universal Transporter or the Hardtop or Roof Panel Carrier? All
> about the same price. Any direction would be apprieciated. Mike.
>
>

If the car frame isn't cross braced, pull the top and take a drive to
assess ride and handling. Then decide on how and where you'll use the
car with the panel removed. There's consensus here that a 30 mph
boulevard cruise is the most aggressive we get with an un-braced &
topless C4. Dad holds it down to 25 mph and even then expresses panic
and distain! (:-)

When either car goes on a weekend trip my wife and I travel with the
panel on the car. At destination the luggage comes out and, weather
permitting, the panel gets snapped into the cargo area. I occasionally
commute with the panel off--stowed in the cargo area.

Keep the rear hatch & weatherstrip lubed. I chewed up the strip on the
C4 on one weekend trip by failing this basic of C4 maintenance.

Since you manually handle the top when on the road or during a cruise,
there's not much reason for having a hoist to handle it at home unless
it's a disability issue.

My wife sewed a nylon sack for each car. This keeps dust off the extra
top when it's stored on the wall in the garage. She also made a quilted
pocket pad to place on each top when its stowed in the car. This
protects it from the inevitable camera case or shopping bag that gets
tossed in the rear. (My bride shops.) The quilted cloth folds up more
compactly than do the commercial vinyl sacks & pads. Also, cloth
doesn't 'gas-out' on a warm day to stink up the car or put haze on the
hatch window.

--
PJ
'89 Hookercar '02 e-blu 6-spd coupe

I may not have been clear on my question. I have a 1993 convertible. It
has, as an option, the full removable hardtop from the factory. I do not
have a coupe with targa tops. My previous Vette was my 1986 convertible
Indy Pace Car Edition. I didn't have extra bracing or the removable hardtop
for it and I never had a "flex" problem. I'm leaning toward the rolling
rack type.
Mike.
"Dad" > wrote in message
.. .
>
> "PJ" > wrote in message
> news:Qb75g.60022$gE.17180@dukeread06...
>> Mike Cenni wrote:
>> > Hi Group. I will be removing the hardtop from my 1993 for the first
> time
>> > soon. ( I just bought it) Should I buy the Hardtop Hoist & Storage
>> > System, Universal Transporter or the Hardtop or Roof Panel Carrier?
>> > All
>> > about the same price. Any direction would be apprieciated. Mike.
>> >
>> >
>>
>> If the car frame isn't cross braced, pull the top and take a drive to
>> assess ride and handling. Then decide on how and where you'll use the
>> car with the panel removed. There's consensus here that a 30 mph
>> boulevard cruise is the most aggressive we get with an un-braced &
>> topless C4. Dad holds it down to 25 mph and even then expresses panic
>> and distain! (:-)
>>
>> When either car goes on a weekend trip my wife and I travel with the
>> panel on the car. At destination the luggage comes out and, weather
>> permitting, the panel gets snapped into the cargo area. I occasionally
>> commute with the panel off--stowed in the cargo area.
>>
>> Keep the rear hatch & weatherstrip lubed. I chewed up the strip on the
>> C4 on one weekend trip by failing this basic of C4 maintenance.
>>
>> Since you manually handle the top when on the road or during a cruise,
>> there's not much reason for having a hoist to handle it at home unless
>> it's a disability issue.
>>
>> My wife sewed a nylon sack for each car. This keeps dust off the extra
>> top when it's stored on the wall in the garage. She also made a quilted
>> pocket pad to place on each top when its stowed in the car. This
>> protects it from the inevitable camera case or shopping bag that gets
>> tossed in the rear. (My bride shops.) The quilted cloth folds up more
>> compactly than do the commercial vinyl sacks & pads. Also, cloth
>> doesn't 'gas-out' on a warm day to stink up the car or put haze on the
>> hatch window.
>> --
>> PJ
>> '89 Hookercar '02 e-blu 6-spd coupe
>
> As always a well thought out answer PJ, just one omission. When you
> replace
> the panel do it on a level spot and pay attention to the toqure
> specification. This replacement effort may be the last time you will ever
> have it off.
>
> Dad - Shiver me timbers as they say on the wooder corvettes.
>
>

"PJ" > wrote in message
news:Qb75g.60022$gE.17180@dukeread06...
> Mike Cenni wrote:
> > Hi Group. I will be removing the hardtop from my 1993 for the first
time
> > soon. ( I just bought it) Should I buy the Hardtop Hoist & Storage
> > System, Universal Transporter or the Hardtop or Roof Panel Carrier? All
> > about the same price. Any direction would be apprieciated. Mike.
> >
> >
>
> If the car frame isn't cross braced, pull the top and take a drive to
> assess ride and handling. Then decide on how and where you'll use the
> car with the panel removed. There's consensus here that a 30 mph
> boulevard cruise is the most aggressive we get with an un-braced &
> topless C4. Dad holds it down to 25 mph and even then expresses panic
> and distain! (:-)
>
> When either car goes on a weekend trip my wife and I travel with the
> panel on the car. At destination the luggage comes out and, weather
> permitting, the panel gets snapped into the cargo area. I occasionally
> commute with the panel off--stowed in the cargo area.
>
> Keep the rear hatch & weatherstrip lubed. I chewed up the strip on the
> C4 on one weekend trip by failing this basic of C4 maintenance.
>
> Since you manually handle the top when on the road or during a cruise,
> there's not much reason for having a hoist to handle it at home unless
> it's a disability issue.
>
> My wife sewed a nylon sack for each car. This keeps dust off the extra
> top when it's stored on the wall in the garage. She also made a quilted
> pocket pad to place on each top when its stowed in the car. This
> protects it from the inevitable camera case or shopping bag that gets
> tossed in the rear. (My bride shops.) The quilted cloth folds up more
> compactly than do the commercial vinyl sacks & pads. Also, cloth
> doesn't 'gas-out' on a warm day to stink up the car or put haze on the
> hatch window.
> --
> PJ
> '89 Hookercar '02 e-blu 6-spd coupe

As always a well thought out answer PJ, just one omission. When you replace
the panel do it on a level spot and pay attention to the toqure
specification. This replacement effort may be the last time you will ever
have it off.

Dad - Shiver me timbers as they say on the wooder corvettes.

Mike Cenni wrote:
> I may not have been clear on my question. I have a 1993 convertible. It
> has, as an option, the full removable hardtop from the factory. I do not
> have a coupe with targa tops. My previous Vette was my 1986 convertible
> Indy Pace Car Edition. I didn't have extra bracing or the removable hardtop
> for it and I never had a "flex" problem. I'm leaning toward the rolling
> rack type.
> Mike.

Sorry for the round-about and sorry to drag you through the foibles of
targa owners. The convertible frames were braced from the factory --
It's aftermarket for the coupes.

I agree on the rolling rack if you've got floor space. I tried overhead
storage with an MGA hardtop and still have scars from bumping my head on
it when the car was out of the garage. You'll do far less 'muscling' of
the top with the rack.

--
PJ
'89 Hookercar '02 e-blu coupe

On Sun, 30 Apr 2006 21:14:16 GMT, "Mike Cenni" >
wrote:

>I may not have been clear on my question. I have a 1993 convertible. It
>has, as an option, the full removable hardtop from the factory. I do not
>have a coupe with targa tops. My previous Vette was my 1986 convertible
>Indy Pace Car Edition. I didn't have extra bracing or the removable hardtop
>for it and I never had a "flex" problem. I'm leaning toward the rolling
>rack type.
>Mike.

I had a hard top for my 72....sold it because I never used it once I
started using the car only in the summer... BUT I just had it
suspended from the ceiling on pulleys... out of the way ... which was
important for me..... Honestly I did not even cover it...just let it
hang...

Actually was thinking about buying a hardtop for my newly acquired C5
BUT...the cost was more then I was willing to pay, I would not be
using it much if at all, and storing it would again take up too much
space...

Bob G.
64 72 & 98 Converts, 76 & 79 Coupes

"Bob G." > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 30 Apr 2006 21:14:16 GMT, "Mike Cenni" >
> wrote:
>
>>I may not have been clear on my question. I have a 1993 convertible. It
>>has, as an option, the full removable hardtop from the factory. ......
>>I'm leaning >>toward the rolling rack type.
>>Mike.
>
> I had a hard top for my 72....sold it because I never used it once I
> started using the car only in the summer... BUT I just had it
> suspended from the ceiling on pulleys... out of the way ... which was
> important for me..... Honestly I did not even cover it...just let it
> hang...
>
> Actually was thinking about buying a hardtop for my newly acquired C5
> BUT...the cost was more then I was willing to pay, I would not be
> using it much if at all, and storing it would again take up too much
> space...

The rolling rack could requires many more "touches", with removal (I take it
that you won't always have help) with something from above, maybe moving the
car to get the rack under the lid, then moving the rolling rack and top and
returning the car to its parking spot. The more you move things around the
greater the chance for new scratches/bumps!

If you lift and store with pulleys that's it, you get to walk away........
and the top is pretty safe "up there" as long as you have enough room
overhead.

I had a 65 and took the top on and off quite a bit depending on what I was
doing, weather, etc. I loved my home grown lift in the rafters. Worked for
me.


brian

Old & in the way...., or somebody so disguised, wrote the following at
or about 5/1/2006 11:12 AM:
> "Bob G." > wrote in message
> ...
>> On Sun, 30 Apr 2006 21:14:16 GMT, "Mike Cenni" >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I may not have been clear on my question. I have a 1993 convertible. It
>>> has, as an option, the full removable hardtop from the factory. ......
>>> I'm leaning >>toward the rolling rack type.

[snip]
> If you lift and store with pulleys that's it, you get to walk away........
> and the top is pretty safe "up there" as long as you have enough room
> overhead.
>
> I had a 65 and took the top on and off quite a bit depending on what I was
> doing, weather, etc. I loved my home grown lift in the rafters. Worked for
> me.

Homemade and handy works for me with the hardtop for my '94 convertible.
While I usually have help or will wait until I do, I have, on two
separate occasions, removed and replaced the top solo. No way that's
going to happen without the overhead storage routine.

As one or two others have mentioned, the headroom is a problem but once
you've got that licked, overhead's the best way to go in my opinion.
No wasted floor space and it's going to be really difficult for anything
that could damage the top to make contact with it "up there."