Soft Top boot installation, Do you hook the straps to rear quarrter panels?

[Betis]

I am installing my soft top boot on my spider for the 1st time today. Everything is good but I can not hook the hooks to the rear quarter panels. It is very, very tight. Do you guys hook them? If not will boot fly off at highway speeds? I can not get the hooks to reach the hole.
Let me know how you do it and if you use them.
Thanks in advance

[RRoller123]

there was a picture someone posted a little while ago of this on another thread. It is also in the glovebox owner's manual if you have one. I bet you can find it with the search function.

[Nanonevol]

It will definitetly flap in the breeze unsecured. There's a hook on the plastic piece that meets a metal protrusion on the frame and mine's a tight fit also. Wish I had a picture for ya. One caution - old plastic can be very brittle as I found out on one of mine, snapping the hook part.

[riverdadd]

I made "cheeter" bungee straps. Small diameter bungee that u can buy at lowes. Shorten to desired length. Then hook the bungee to the quarter window pockets. The bungee will keep tonneau from flapping

[joelittel]

I replaced my hooks with nylon buckles and adjustable straps, like you'd find on a camping backpack. They're really strong and allow me to adjust the tension when needed. Plus they're really easy to unhook when removing the boot cover.

Small versions of this http://www.sailrite.com/YKK-Side-Releas ... oCIkLw_wcB

[76was124]

Everything is good but I can not hook the hooks to the rear quarter panels. It is very, very tight.......I can not get the hooks to reach the hole.

Are you sure the top is tracked fully? Do the rubber straps attack to the top's clamps okay before you put the boot on?

[Betis]

I do not have the rubber straps.

[76was124]

When the boot is on the rear deck hooks, the leading edge hinge caps by the door jam and the snaps to the side panel, does it lay smooth or is it bumpy from the top making protrusions from underneath? It should be very smooth with maybe some slight projections from the latches. If not, the top might not be sitting fully retracted. Sometimes I have to partially open and close mine again, as the material by the rear window and hinges doesn't fold properly without extra help.

Also, The order I use for putting the boot on is:
Rear deck hooks,
Side panel hooks,
Hinge caps
Side panel snaps

[Dawgme85]

You're right, getting the hooks into (and out of) the holes can be difficult. I find it easier to do while the front caps are disconnected from the top frame. Also, be sure the windshield latches cover the pins to protect the boot. I don't use the rubber straps, even if I'm not installing the boot.

[Betis]

I just realized that my rear quarter panels have 2 holes a bigger one and smaller one, really close together. Which ones do you use?

[DieselSpider]

The small hole which is slightly forward of the larger one is where the anchor screw for the rubber strap goes. The larger hole rearward of that is where the part of the boot that covers the seat back hooks to.

The process is to:

• 1 - Release the top latches.
  2 - Push the top to the rear, making sure the back window is not pinched by the metal frame.
  3 - Free the rubber strap from the peg on the body side and strap the folded top as shown in the figure.
  4 - Place cover F on the folded top well by fitting the rear eyelets D on the hooks E (page 14) then catches G in detents H spring hooks I in holes L and snap on the button fasteners M.

After reading that you'll probably want to get hold of an owners manual with the pictures. Note that many tear the boots when doing this once they get old and no longer stretch like did when new.

Courtesy of Artigue (from 1976 owners manual):


Courtesy of Artigue (1985 owners manual check out around page 26):
http://fiat.artigue.com/library/1985om.pdf

[PhillySpider]

Sorry to thread jack, but anyone know if you can use the boot cover with the roll bar installed? I have the roll bar, but no boot cover...would hate to buy one only to find out I can't use it.

[aevansgatech]

I still don't understand how the front part of the boot cover gets held down. Granted, my pictures are for a Pininfarina specific boot cover, but other than the HW, I think the process should be the same. Can someone confirm where exactly the front metal clip goes? I don't see anything closeby to hook it onto.



There are also "slots" underneath the cover, but I don't think those are used in securing the boot cover.

[DieselSpider]

I still don't understand how the front part of the boot cover gets held down. Granted, my pictures are for a Pininfarina specific boot cover, but other than the HW, I think the process should be the same. Can someone confirm where exactly the front metal clip goes? I don't see anything closeby to hook it onto.


There are also "slots" underneath the cover, but I don't think those are used in securing the boot cover.

The pockets are for the front boot hooks:

[DUCeditor]

When I bought my `77 back in `88 the cover was missing the plastic hooks. Cut out just as they appear to be in the photos above.

I cheated by placing some color matched Velcro on the chrome strip and the cover. This worked very effectively and with the top down and the cover in place was not particularly obvious.

When I replaced the cover about 4 seasons back I purchased the plastic hooks. I also (since the replacement cover came with no attachments hardware whatever) inserted "snaps" on the cover and on the straps with the hooks.

That arrangement works well, allowing the hook to be put in place and then the strap to be snapped to the cover.

The idea of putting nylon adjustable strap thingies on the straps themselves, though, strikes me as an even better approach.

-don