Hi Brian,
Welcome!
If you search the forums you will likely find a number of recommendations on hoists and carts etc...Some members prefer to make their own from parts at the hardware store/Home Depot etc which in many cases work just fine and can save you money. In my case I would generally fabricate something as well but I have a number of home improvement and Pagoda projects that have been ongoing for the last several months and simply did not have time to start yet another project for hoists and a storage solution so I decided to buy something for these needs.
In my case I purchased a winch hoist specific to our 113 car from Adsit -
www.adsitco.com which was very satisfactory and of good quality when I installed it, I think it was $165.00 when I purchased it a few months ago. I have purchased a number of things from Adsit and have always had a good experience with them, they have been around for a long time and are a good vendor. Miller's and other vendors you will see mentioned in the forums are good suppliers also.
I purchased a cart from FCP Groton via ebay which I think was $120.00 at the time, They have been a good vendor to deal with also from my experience.
If you have the time and can do it correctly you probably want to do it yourself and save a little money. If you don't have the time or are unsure of your fabrication ability and skill using tools I would recommend just buying the items. It's not worth accidentially dropping the top on the floor or the car and damaging both($$$) if you try to fabricate something on your own and do it wrong.
Good Luck,
