Height Help

My jeep is too high by 3 inches to get in my garage unless I take off the top and lower the hoops.
This is a pain in the *** every time I take it out but I need the top on due to the British rainy weather.
For a long term solution I was thinking about removing the smallest leafs on my rear springs and or buying 650 x 16 tyres instead of the 700 x 16's.
Any thoughts on this?
I've already heard "Get a taller garage" thank you, that isn't an option.
Also, I've just received my electric wipers and unsure where I should get the power feed from.
Direct from the batteries or the live power from the ignion switch.
What do you guys suggest?
I wont reply until tomorrow as I'm a few hours ahead of you guys and I'm going to bed!
Thanks,
George

 

George,

Can you let some air out of your tires? May be down to 5 psi, then air back up? Not sure if that will give you enough? My 7.00x15 probably wouldnt sag enough, but my radial cooper AT 30x10.50x15 likely would.

I would fuse in a hot wire to a switch then to the wipers. Dont think it needs to come off the hot side of the ignition, but that might be useful.

Dane

 

Oh, and rather than a taller garage, how about a lower garage floor! Cement saw two strips out for the tires to run on, then dig down a little pour new cement and you have clearance...

In all honesty, said in jest...

Good luck

 

Is your suspension spring over by any chance?

 

It's the top of his jeep that won't fit, not the bottom...

 

PeteL you are so detail observant.

 

Alternatively, you could try filling the jeep with rocks before you drive it in.
In all seriousness, you aren't going to lose 3 inches in tires or suspension. Anyway, I thought England was metric now?

If it was me, I'd look into jacking up the whole garage and adding a row of cement block or such-like at the footing. Or lifting the roof framing and adding material at the top of the walls.(All depending on the construction...)

I have lifted and leveled 40'x60' barns as much as 16" inches with simple jacks.

 

If it is part of his house, he won't be able to add to the top.

What cars are your garages built for if a CJ5 or 3B won't fit in one?

 

If nothing else you've given me a laugh!
I rent the garage and no modifications allowed.
Yes the U.K. is metric now and has been for ages but us old timers still use feet and inches aswell as metric.
Thats why our tape measures are both to accomodate us old timers.
These garages are built for small to medium saloon cars, not for panel vans or jeeps.
The search for an old wise jeep man goes on. Is there one out there?

 

may be just upgrade your car... find someone to trade your jeep for one of these... I'd join the quitter's club for a strait-across trade:

 

This all reminds me why I left England.

Two words for you... Mini Moke.

 

Sorry George... you come here in need of help and all you get is razzing.

If you can fit the windshield* in to your garage, then Focker may be on the right track. The military style top-bows are higher at the rear than most civilian tops, I think.

You might look into a fitting a civilian top, or maybe making the military rear bow hinge forward. Even if the windsheild doesn't fit, the top and windshield could all flop forward together.

Personally I'd be looking to rent a human-sized garage.

(*Windscreen)

 

PeteL, you're right on the razzing, all in good fun for certain, I don't think anyone means ill will at all, helpful only in that it's levity to the situation.

I like the telescoping idea, a visit to the local canvas / boat cover / patio furniture maker's shop might be able to help work something out (was just near one at lunch, idea popped in while driving back).

 

Do look at it as a problem. You don't need the top on when its in the garage. Most of the times you are looking to drive it on nice days. On the days that you want to drive it because its really not nice, you'll have to put the top on.

 

This sounds like it might be a good idea for your problem. If your up to it I think it would be really easy and cheap if it's only the top that's the problem. The cheapest easiest way I can think of to help your situation would be to take your top bows and cut the pipe all the way through on the up and down part of it, then find some pipe that's just large enough for the top bows to slip into the pipe and I'd make the pipe about 6 inches long and drill and tap the pipe for a set screw in each side of it and use it like a coupler that we use in pvc plastic pipe to put the 2 pieces together and it stays using the set screws and when you take the jeep out, just back out 1 set screw in each pipe and "pop" the top bow into 2 pieces and just let it lay there saggy topped until you pull in or out of the garage then pop it back on and tighten the set screw and it's back to normal.

If that makes any sense

 

"Most of the times you are looking to drive it on nice days."

Yeah, but where George lives, "good weather" just means the rain gets warmer.

Just went and looked at my military bow top. I concur... if you could make the rear bow telescope, it could work, since the front bow will hinge down. The clever part would be finding a mechanism that would force it upward again to re-tension the canvas properly.

The military bow at the rear must push the top up, and also resist the horizontal tension from the windshield end. To "pop" it in and out with a simple coupling would mean dismounting the canvas, and in that case, George could just remove the bow as normal, without any extra coupling.

The way to make 'telescoping' practical will be if it can be operated without removing the canvas. Thus it would need to have a way to forcibly push back up and stretch the canvas, from below, then lock. (My RV canopy has a kind of snap-lock lever that does the same thing.)