For car shows, is it best to have a boot on your convertible? Bill

Depends. Most "judged" shows require the top to be up. Other shows you can likely do whatever you want. But it sure makes the interior look finished with the boot on.

I don't wear a boot just for shows, but I sure think it's a nice finishing touch. Mine is on from early spring until - just last week I put the top up. I let the wrinkles out for the winter.

Guys, pardon me for dragging up an old thread, but I'm in convertible top boot misery, and need some help.

I bought this one: https://www.firebirdcentral.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=WEA-139

Marketed as "the best available" and "don't buy inferior tops." Right. Unfortunately, I bought the boot about a year ago. Just now finishing my restoration, and am trying to install it. No luck. This boot will not go on my car. Already broke one clip trying. Any advice you can give? Right now I'm feeling a bit taken (for $175 plus shipping) and humilated. I know, restorations can make one feel that way....often. :-(

Will it not fit because the surround molding on my '69 has the snaps built into it? Do I need to chain the boot between two cars and drive them apart to stretch it? Just kidding. But seriously, any advice you can offer would be helpful.

And in case this one never works, is there a place I can buy the snap-on type boot. I remember looking last year and never found one. Thanks in advance for your help.

Keith

I bought an aftermarket boot and just had to let it set out in the hot sun to get it to clip on. They will work, but cursing was still involved. I have a replacement top as well and that was thicker than the original, thus making it harder to clip on.

that is not original....but many of my friends have had custom boots made to fit better and used those snaps....I still have the old , original style, but seriously thinking of changing to snaps on trim.....but snaps on trim is not how the factory built them...just FYI

Ramblin,

First of all, fgf's NEVER came with snaps mounted to the chrome surround trim. If your car has those, I'd reccommend scrapping those as fast as you can and putting the correct trim on. the factory style clips work just fine. Then as 69 Bird mentioned, lay the boot out in the sun for a while. Over time, the boot will stretch out some. The last thing you want is a loose fitting boot, believe me! If you try to install a stock clipped boot over the top of some snaps someone mounted, you will likely tear the boot or at a minimum it will wear at the clips.

Mine has the original style clips. It definitely helps to install it in the sun. Make sure the convertible top is folded into the well a far as possible, and then some.

https://secure.amesperf.com/qilan/Detail...mp;web_access=Y

Hey, looks like you could swap trim strips with Bjorn!

not so fast! not yet....lol

I've got snaps also and willing to trade...LOL. Been hanging in my attic rafter for a number of years.

How are the repop's by the way? Curious.
Mark

I bought some cheap ($40) one off Epay for my '67. It was four or five years old at the time, but still in the original packaging. Fit like a glove except two of the snap heads to the side upholstery were in the wrong location. I just never snapped those down. Worked fine. Other than that, my other 'verts still use the 45 year old ones. They still look great! (from the top side)

I beleieve the gray plastic snaps work better but it will take a few days to make sure.

[img/http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii138/Firebird69/20121108_224335.jpg[/img]

My boot is not easy to get on, have bent the trim in one spot pushing to hard trying to get it in place. But with a little pushing and pulling with the norm of the ^%$%& and *&((^ it makes it way on.

Keep in mind that the clips need to be put on the "outside" (or rearward) (hooked) side first, then the longer, forward side slides down until you hear it snap. If you install long side first, you will bend and curse everything until you have damaged something.

I always start at the middle first and wirk my way to one side, then go back to the middle and work to the other side. Then go back and snap the inner trim snaps last, and re-tuck the seat flap and front edge corners into the pockets.

Taking the boot off is reverse order, and you need to slide your hand under the boot at each clip and pop the front (long) side upward first, then unhook the hooked side of the clip from underneath. New clips can bloody your fingers until they are broken in a bit.

when you say 'rearward' is that towards the rear of the car or rear of the snap? I have always snapped the 'inside first ,then pulled to outside = rearward
....while cussing quite a bit, it maybe the reason I dont want to put top up unless absolutely necessary! lol

rearward = towards the rear of the car, and the rear of the clip.

The rearward side of the clip is hooked. (or curved like a 'C'). That hooks on the rear edge of the chrome, then the top of the clip pivots down and the front (frontwards??) edge snaps down into place.

Try it, you'll like it!

Getting them off is way harder than getting them on.

ok, will try....but it sure looks to be backwards on the clips then , maybe I have my clips mounted wrong (backwards) on the boot? or could one really do that? I`ll try the other way soon....

This is like Abbott and Costello. Who's on first?

I like to let the boot sit in the sun for a while to soften it and allow a little stretch. Makes installation a little easier.

I got my boot from Ames. What a PITA. Only if its about 100 deg can I get all but a couple of the grey snaps on. When it is all on it looks like a fat man in a button up shirt.

I was considering building some kind of streach device to pull it all directions. Like working a hide. I usally just leave it off since it sucks so bad.

I'm going to get my upholstery buddy to make me a new one using this tight one as a templete and for parts....i'm tired of fighting the SOB, even when left out in the sun....another 1/4-3/8 inch along the back and curve would have done it, the idiots...

I ran the car last year without it as I was fed up....but dust is getting in the area so want it covered...

X2 I wish I would have done that from the start. The one I got from Ames is really nice with thick padded vinyl.

I am hoping it is better to add onto this thread rather than start a new one. I have a boot coverage problem.

Several years back, I had a new convertible top installed on my 1968. As the manual top is put down, the folded edge of the top completely overlaps the top of the back seat. It seems fully down in the well and the sides latch down as one would expect.

I never thought anything about it or had an issue with it – until now.

As in some of the earlier discussion on this thread, someone had once added snaps to the chrome strips (pinch weld molding) on my car. I wanted those off to return to the original look and use.

After replacing the molding, I purchased a new boot cover from Classic. It seems well-made and has a good color match to the seat covers I bought from them last year.

However, there is a problem. The boot fits snugly at the rear with the clips and the sides with clips and snaps, but at the front of the boot – along the top of the back seat – there is not enough boot material to wrap under the front edge of the folded-down top. As a result, I could not drive the car with the boot installed as the air would flow right underneath it.

All indications are that the top is properly down all the way and there does not seem another way to fold the top down to try to limit the amount of top material that is forward. Still, the problem would seem to either be the top material is folded too far forward or the boot was not made with enough material to fully lap the front edge.

Any thoughts or advice, please?

P.S. If anyone is interested in my old pinch weld molding with snaps attached and mounting clips included fairly cheaply, let me know via PM.

here is how I install the boot on my 69.

I tuck the "flap" in between the seat and the panel behind it. It stays in place when driving the car and does not flap around or come out.



I asked everywhere to confirm if this was the correct way to install it and never found the answer.

Also I did check and the gray plastic clips are much better to use. In the past the white ones did fail and break.

Marc,

I looked at my 'vert yesterday when I put the boot on for the first time this year. (hey, winter only ended on Thursday up here).

Anyhow, I specifically looked at trying to tuck the boot behind the seat and in front of the metal panel like you mention. On my car, there is absolutely no way to even get a fingernail between those. How in the world did you get that flap in there on your car? The back seat sits flush and firm along the top frame, and very tight to the metal divider frame.

I see no way to acomplish what you show in your picture. Can any other 'vert owners chime in with their results? I would love to see the flap tucked in there, I just see no way it works on my cars.

I would think on cars with the fold down seat option it would work good. But my car has a standard rear seat.

The car has just always been that way? The first/last time the rear seat was out of the car was 25 years ago and I do not remember the configuration of the rear seat joining to the bod. My guess would be to remove our seat and see how to adjust it to make room?

If you need to remove the seat to adjust something, then there is no way the 'factory' approach would be to tuck the boot there.

I think the flap was intended to just drape down into the open space behind the metal panel. My factory boot only pops out from that location when there is a stiff craoss wind. So at least 95% of the time there are no issues.

I agree. I have always tucked it in that way. This is the factory original boot. Only once, when I first owned the car, did I have a problem with the wind blowing the boot out. Then I discovered that I was supposed to tuck the folded top in before lowering it all the way.

I do like Marc, and I lift the manual top up a bit to get it in between the top of back rest and top at corners....

So now I am wondering if there is a difference with '69? Perhaps '67-'68 had the problem with them blowing out, so they changed something? I just looked at my '68 again now that I am home, and there is no way that boot would go in between the seat and frame the way you guys show. Maybe post a pict of the seat top without the boot in there so we can compare.

Just checked mine and the seatback is very tight to the frame. I wouldn't even attempt to tuck the boot in there.

There very well could be a difference? If someone has a 68 Convertible Manual they could post what it says or scan it so we can read it. 69 did not come with a manual. I'll see if I can post some pics later.

The Convert manual is generic to all GM.

69 vert rear seat gap





Flat blade screw driver slides easily b/w the seat and the panel

Yep. Nothing like that on '67 and '68. Consider yourselves lucky!

My '68.

OK, as I understand it, as I bring the top down into the well, I should be trying to tuck the front edge of the top as it folds behind the back seat. As you can see, it sits on top of the top of the rear seat now. I don't know if it will go, but I will try it tomorrow.

The combo of suggestions, including leaving the boot in the sun and tucking back the top as I bring it down did the trick. I was even able to (carefully and slowly) work the excess boot material into the gap behind the rear seat (make sure your nails are trimmed!). Thank you to all who offered advice.

Now this is resolved, I am interested in opinions about leaving the top down all summer versus putting it up nightly. My top man recommends the latter, but he isn't man-handling this boot every day. Can anyone talk to the risk of not putting the top up each night? Will it affect the life of the top?

12 yrs ago, my top man suggested having up up all the time...I did not listen....my top is ONLY up when it starts raining when I drive it..being lazy it may stay up until next time i take it out...BUT this is Texas, and sometimes in "winter" = less warm months, the top is hard to put up and latch after being down ,in case I need it up for cold....but it just takes manhandling or an extra person to help push the front down to latch it...otherwise , no problems.....but if you live further north , you may want it up more often.
my top is up so rarely that I have friends who think I dont have a top!

The only thing that I would be concerned about is creasing in permanent wrinkles into the fabric and mostly the rear plastic window. It is all relative to the conditions that the car lives in and the age of the material.

The original top on m car was permanently wrinkled due to the previous owner not caring for it properly. There were places where the fabric became bunched up at the joints and the rear window (due to age) developed folds/creases in the plastic that never came out.

I regularly put the top back up if I know I will not be driving it for weeks. When doing so I will unscrew the hooks are far as the will go and latch the top down. After a few minutes when the fabric has relaxed some I will tighten the hooks up and latch the top all the way down.

There are conditioners/UV protectants for the rear window but I have never used them.

Marc

I always lay in a soft bath towel to be rolled up over the plastic window...if I have any permanent creases in the fabric, I would never know , as when top is up, its raining and im heading home ,not looking up there...lol

The towel is a great idea.