taking the top off

Im seventeen and just bough myself a 1988 bronco so naturally i want to take the top off and have some fun with it. the only problem is that the guy i bought it from told me that if i take the top off i have to worry about leaks when i put it on unless i buy new weather stripping that goes for 500 bucks. so anyone that knows anything about taking the top of and getting it back on tell me what ya know! thanks

I bought my 89 Bronco from the original owner and he said he never had the top off before because he was afraid it would leak.I was afraid of the same thing and for the first three years I owned my Bronco I never took it off.I met up with this guy that had a 96 and took his top off without a problem and he even showed me how the body channels the water away from the interior.So the following spring I took a chance and took it off for the first time.It was great the seals were still like new and when I put it back on after three days we had a major rain storm and I was sitting in the back and not a drop of water came in and I had it off many times in the last two years without ever having a leak(I even washed it with high pressure water didn't have a problem).Some people think about the old T-tops that the cars used to have and their tendency to leak.The only word of advice I would give is when you take the top off, lift it straight up and back so you don't possibly ruin the seals and use like silicone spray on a rag and wipe the seals.If the seals are bad or get damaged you can get them easily and for a reasonable price at places like Jeff's Bronco Graveyard or LMC truck.Well good luck and hopefully you will be enjoying your Bronco *******.

The top is heavy and kind of awkward so you are going to at least need one person to help you (the more the better)and lift it straight up and walk it back and put the top on something like 4X4 blocks of wood.The first time you go to take the top off your going to have to pull up on the back part and go inside and push up on the top to break the seal.The top seal may or may not come off when you do this but don't worry you should be able to slip it back on the body.The weatherstripping came off a few times when the top was off mine so I just used weatherstrip cement and never had a problem since.During the warm weather I usually put maybe six or eight bolts(screws) back in.Make sure you don't overtighten them or you may hear creaking from the top.When I go to take the top off or on,sometimes I lift the back of the top up and have someone put rags or carwash sponges under it so you can work your hands underneath the top to lift it.Good luck!

Good write up broncogrl911! I just finished replacing my seals. As far as I could tell, they were the original seals, lasted 37 years. They were at the stage that they just allowed a little trickle in during hard rains.

definitely don't over do it when tightening the bolts. As with any seal, you should just snug it up. Do the bolts around the top first and the side bolts last, that allows the top to move as you tighten the top bolts.

If need be, you can get the complete top seals for $98.00 plus shipping from Jeff's http://broncograveyard.com/bronco/c-196-weatherstrip-bronco.html

Good luck,

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okay thanks a lot guys this should really help me!

Expect looks of admiration and envy as you drive down the road. I have been taking the tops off for 20 years. Never a leak and I have not been as careful as most. Now have the soft top so my hard top is sitting in the back yard waiting for something. Maybe I will put it back on if, god forbid, I need to replace the truck.

I've only had two problems ever with removing the Bronco tops and leaks. Take care of how you store the top when it's off of the Bronco. Either set it on some old tires or wooden blocks to keep from damaging the seals. And be sure when replacing the top to not pinch the cab seal. The factory hardtop was designed to be removed and replaced without leaking, so a little TLC will keep you going leak-free for years. IF you have a headliner, be wary that it may start to peel from the back where the wind blows in while driving at hwy speed. I put a few screwws back in place after removing the top, then eventually fabbed a piece from the tailgate floor trim to hold the headliner in place with the top off for extended periods. You may find that once the top is off, you may never want to put it back on! My 84 Bronco has been without the hardtop for seven years, and the 78 for the last four. JSM84

In the efforts to remove the tops has anybody ever used something like a duct lift? kinda like a manual operated forklift of sorts. Or this;I have been toying with this idea I have to build a lifting device that would be suspended from the top of my shop (12-14 feet) by a cable through a pulley maybe two and down to a boat winch. The piece that would actually lift the top looking like a "C" with a loop on top for a cable and a cross bar on bottom padded to support the cap on the inside. Typically I have no one to help with heavy lifting such as this so I have to figure out a way to do it by my self. My thinking is this would lift it and store it out of the way so as to prevent dammage.

yo Elmo!

YEP!

here ya go pal;

Lift, one man in a 90

Source: by 90Beater (Topher, Chris) at http://bronco.tophersworld.com/writeup_top_lift.htm





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& Mark did sommething similar,

http://www.icehouse.net/mchristy/topper1.jpg



Lift, one man

Source: by Mark C at http://www.icehouse.net/mchristy/remtop.html

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