DIY Guide to Removing the Soft Top and Installing the Hard Top by Yourself

[BobN - USAF]

2023 Big Bend, rear locker, mid package and the dual top option. Updated with modular bumper, winch and replaced the plastic rear bumper with a Fab Four. Neither top is exceptionally heavy but the soft top assembly weighs in at 101.96 pounds. That's more than I like to throw around in an awkward shape with the potential of metal on point contact. I've tried various ways of getting the top on and off. First time on, after using a winch setup to remove the hard top, a friend came over after work and we set it in place.

When it came time to replace, I mounted a kayak winch system https://amzn.to/3WKCz0c At the time I ordered there wasn't a 4 pack so I ordered two of them. Used the kayak straps as slings to go around the rear of the top and one strap on each side of the front (the base just before it pivots). This worked okay, but it was a pain fooling with four leads that would lock but were finicky. I liked how my electric winch mounted in the rafters was able to remove the hard top and lower it into place. So I bought another winch.

I went to Home Depot and bought a 8 foot length of steel channel tubing, mounted that into the rafters then hooked up the winch https://amzn.to/3Z4kWeD The remote just hangs down so I tie it up so it won't hit the Bronco. I also bought the J-Barr system. https://j-barr.com/products/j-barr-ford-bronco-hardtop-removal-hoist-and-storage-system $450 seems a lot for a steel bar and a couple of straps. However, it is well thought out and $450 is pretty cheap compared to replacing your hard top that falls off my Rube Goldberg contraption. So the hard top is settled.

The Soft top, I bought ANOTHER winch because the hard top is hanging around on my first winch. Mounted the winch the same way in a different spot. The trick here was finding something that would work similar to the J-Barr without spending another $450 dollars.


Something that works for me:
One, 4 foot of 2 inch square tube https://amzn.to/3X5PIlR
Four, large carabiner, https://amzn.to/3WPlDFT I only used two
One set of four eyebolts 3/8"x 4", https://amzn.to/46RGRr1 came as a pack of four, used three of them
Two, gambrels, https://amzn.to/46Mt0lO
Twelve pack, 2 inch tubing plugs, https://amzn.to/4dmerYB Only used two. Not really needed but I figured it would fancy up my home-made get up.
Four, kayak straps, previously purchased in earlier attempt.

I drilled holes about 1.5 inches or so away from each end. The eye bolts are oriented down. Then I drilled two holes in the bar about 1/3 of the way from one end. The two holes are spaced a few inches apart. I new that the rear gambrel was going to have most of the weight so in an attempt to keep it level under load. As luck would have it the first hole I tried ended up working. After it was put together I slapped some high gloss paint on it. Used the carabiners to connect the gambrels.

Using it. Remove your soft top window panels and store. Fold the top all the way back. Remove the 6 bolts that hold the assembly to the Bronco. Hook the tube to the winch. Put a towel in the middle of the folded top so that the tube is pointing to the front of the Bronco. Take your Kayak straps and wrap around the fold top and connect the strap loops to the gambrel. Do this for the driver and passenger side. For the front gambrel use the straps and run them thru the front of the top at each corner. Be sure to avoid any plastic parts. Hook to the gambrel, one on each side. I put towels or blankets around the roll bar to mitigate against scratches. Slowly winch away until the soft top clears the Bronco. Drive the Bronco from underneath the soft top.

Set up issues. The only problem I had is that the all of the straps did not want to stay looped onto the gambrel. If you loose tension on one side it can come off. The good news is that only one of the strap loops came off. There are two per side and the other loops in the straps are "locked" into place on the top so they don't come loose. I think a clamp is all I need to put on the gambrel ends to keep the loops from coming off unexpectedly.

Storage. I bought a cart https://amzn.to/4fIMQCF and with a couple of boards placed in the cart to provide some support, I place the empty soft top shipping platform on the cart. I position the cart in place and lower the top onto the platform. This way I can roll it around my barn instead of dragging the dang thing like the first couple of times.

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[flashpunk]

Question for you, since you've presumably removed and installed the soft top a few times:
- have you found that it can be mis-aligned when installed causing the top to not be as tight as it should be?

 

[GroovyGeek]

I wish I could even contemplate this. My garage door is not tall enough to drive the Bronco through.

 

[BobN - USAF]

Question for you, since you've presumably removed and installed the soft top a few times:
- have you found that it can be mis-aligned when installed causing the top to not be as tight as it should be?

I think that the 6 bolts in the cargo sides are the key. Make sure that the assembly sets right on the pins and that should be fine. The other area I experienced were the center brackets on the roll bar. Because I had a dual top, these appeared to have been just slapped on at the factory. I didn't realize that I needed to adjust these for the first install. What was going on? The center catches were not locking. These very first time it did appear that the top was "crooked" and didn't want to seat and lock at the front. Once I adjusted the center brackets and made sure the cargo area pins were correct it was a breeze.

 

[BobN - USAF]

I wish I could even contemplate this. My garage door is not tall enough to drive the Bronco through.

I feel your pain. I wouldn't have been able to do this in the attached garage. I had Morton Buildings come at and built me a barn and office right after I retired. Before I even seriously thought about a Bronco. I used it to house my 1942 Ford GPW (jeep) and my then owned 2020 Colorado ZR2 Bison diesel. That truck was a little beast and more capable then my 23 Big Bend. But I love the Bronco much better.

 

[flashpunk]

I think that the 6 bolts in the cargo sides are the key. Make sure that the assembly sets right on the pins and that should be fine. The other area I experienced were the center brackets on the roll bar. Because I had a dual top, these appeared to have been just slapped on at the factory. I didn't realize that I needed to adjust these for the first install. What was going on? The center catches were not locking. These very first time it did appear that the top was "crooked" and didn't want to seat and lock at the front. Once I adjusted the center brackets and made sure the cargo area pins were correct it was a breeze.

That's super helpful, thank you. I didn't even consider the brackets on the roll bar could be misaligned!

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