Top boot on ‘24 Touring

[Harvey Bergstrom]

I put a boot on my top to try to keep it cleaner while driving gravel roads but notice it hangs down on the spare tire thus creating a kind of air scoop that also scoops in dust. Is there some way to cinch up the bottom of this boot. By doing so, it would also cinch in the sides a little. This is a very nice boot by Classtique. It has three straps that are fastened to the top side that go over the backrest the down to the lower tack board. Any response us greatly appreciated!
Harvey Bergstrom

[DanTreace]

Mine droop's too even with the gather tie strap.

Think you’ll have to find a fix for boot droop.

[Erik Johnson]

Don't know if Ford supplied top boots for 1923-25 roadsters and tourings.

However, the original factory top boot for my dad's 1917 touring has three straps - two on the top of the boot (left and right front edge) and one strap in the middle of the front edge of the bottom of the boot.

There is a corresponding eyelet in the center of the top boot front edge of the boot and near the bottom of the rear curtain of the top. The center strap is threaded through the eyelets in the boot and the rear curtain. Tightening up this strap pulls the bottom of the center of the top boot upward and eliminates sag.

See my posts and photos in the following thread:

https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/5 ... 1455820509

[TWrenn]

Something doesn't sound right. On my '13 it has 2 straps on the top..left & right, and on the bottom panel in the middle is the 3rd strap which feeds up and over the backrest down to the snaps under the seat. I'd call Mike and ask him if he made a mistake sewing on the straps. The middle strap underneath easily solves the drooping problem. I don't know why any other year would be different. A boot's a boot!

[Erik Johnson]

Tim:

A middle strap at the bottom of the boot only works if you can route it through the rear curtain and the the top panel of the boot.

Therefore, the top would need a roll-up rear curtain or an eyelet in the rear curtain as I posted earlier.

1923-25 one-man tops from the factory don't have an eyelet in the rear curtain. I don't believe that Ford equipped 1923-25 model years with top boots.

Ford offered top boots for 1926-27 tourings and roadster but I don't know how they are configured or fastened to the car.

[Pep C Strebeck]

I imported the photos from the thread linked above, I have those photos and more of this same point, but I have not transferred all of the photos from the old computer to the new one yet. Without that pass through hole/grommet for the center strap, it is going to form that "scoop" at the bottom, not as pronounced on the Runabout as a Touring, I'm sure. Here is one photo (17-22 style top) without the hole/grommet for the top boot strap to pass through:

topboot9.jpg (72.55 KiB) Viewed 984 times

topboot10.jpg (79.63 KiB) Viewed 984 times

When I received the top boot I had ordered for my Runabout I removed the web straps that came on it and I found the correct width cotton webbing and buckles to replace what it had come with, no luck on finding the tips though. For the ends of the straps I used the metal ends for military webbing, not correct I know, but you are not going to find the original 5/8" tips. It was supplied with Lift-A-Dot fasteners to attach it to the seat frame, I chose not to use those. The top boot came with 3/4" wide webbing and it was not cotton, I also added in the re-enforcement stitching around the webbing (as shown in the 2nd photo) and riveted the strap in place. I have photos of it all, but on the old computer.

[Original Smith]

Ford didn't offer a boot in 1923-25. I made one for my 1925 roadster, but didn't put the center common sense fastener in the middle for the strap.