Storing top upright - looking for ideas

[Shimmy]

i'm currently storing my bronco top in a storage unit down the street. rates are doubling so im looking to move out. my buddy has graciously offered his shop as a place to store the top.

i never use my hardtop and im thinking of storing it in an upright position. has anyone built a box/frame for it out of wood? looking for ideas/pics, tips, do and donts. what seems to work best in everyone's experience.

storing it from the ceiling isn't an option for us at the moment.

pic below not an early bronco top and not what i'm totally visioning but would like to store it upright... probably liftgate on the bottom or even removed?

 

[BronCowie]

I did this a few years ago with my custom half cab, but I'm sure it would work with a full size top.

I took two flat moving dollies and cut some plywood, married them to make a large flat dolly to fit my top sitting vertically. Added a couple of blocks to stabilze the load, strapped it down, and it work perfectly. This took up a pretty small foot print in my garage and was very easy to move around wherever I wanted it.

 

[BigB]

Not sure how the top will like all the weight pressed down against the lift gate and corners. The top is like a wet noodle once off.

The only way I could see it working is if you had a solid upright each side that you could bolt both sides of the top to securely. And so that the rear corners were off the bottom of your contraption.

You could have the frame on its side, bolt the top down and then stand it all up at once. Be a ball ache otherwise.

 

[gnsteam]

Maybe a fixture similar to this jig. That my top is mounted in. To facilitate working on the headliner. You could make it more compact with a better base on one end. And maybe add casters as BronCowie did on his. The top is bolted to the fixture with bolts through the bed and front mounting holes in the top.

 

[DirtDonk]

And that box frame that yours is in could be stood on its end. It looks like too. Without any trouble.
At the very least, I like to support the top from spreading with straps through the stake or stake pockets, and through the front two mounting holes.
But best would be a lightweight wood frame in a rectangular pattern bolted to the main side bolts in just a couple of places. Rear corner front corner. Leave the front holes alone, unless you want to get really sturdy and extend your frame to the front.
It’s actually pretty stout, and the liftgate and rear corners are probably the strongest portion other than the very front windshield bolting flange.
I really like the dolly ideas. And those could easily be integrated into a simple framework that holds it upright.
Use moving blankets, or better yet a couple of layers of carpet to cushion and keep it from scraping.
Reason I say carpet, is modern moving blankets deteriorate quickly. Cheap imported crap.
I have moving blankets that I’ve been using since the 60s in my garage. Every new one I’ve bought from Harbor freight or anywhere else, has started dematerializing within a year.
Even one that I left in the bag has practically turned to dust!

 

[chuck1022]

Here was the idea I stole from someone else and tell everyone I thought of it

 

[ba123]

Yeah, I wrote somewhere about the crate that I made kinda similar to that upside down box but mine is right side up.

I put wheels on it both on the bottom as well as on the heavy end so it will stand upright.

Ah, here it is:

Hardtop Storage Crate

I’ve seen lots of threads on storage crates but really nothing with pics or thoughts about what will work and what won’t… So, starting my own. I picked up my nice painted hardtop yesterday and I don’t have a ton of room to keep it. I could probably make room and hoist it to the ceiling but I...

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