FJ40 Rebuild

with the weather turning grey and rainy and probably the last bit of warms days until spring, i finally decided to put the top on the landcruiser. since the garage ceiling is so low (and drywalled), there was no way to use the rafters to hoist the top (not to mention that the landcruiser cant fit through the garage door with the top on, so even if i got it on in the garage, i couldnt get it out again). so i decided to rig up a hoist system to do the trick. this is actually the second generation of the project - the first contraption that i built included pivots and wheels and all kinds of moving parts, but in the end, i didnt trust it to do its job. so i tore it apart and rebuilt this simply set up. with the engine hoist doing most of the work and supporting most of the weight, the front beam just serves to keep the whole thing level. by using a short extension and running the chain up over the hoist (bypassing the hook), i was able to lift the top just about an inch or two higher than it needed to be to clear the landcruiser as i backed it under. then, it was just a matter of slowly lowering into place. i got the corner round window reinstalled, but i didnt get the rear lift-up gate back in yet since the struts that hold it up are bad. i have some replacements coming (gas-charged - fancy), but they wont be here for a few days. until then, the top is on, if a little backless for the time being.