Top Boot, 1920 Runabout.

[Pep C Strebeck]

I am looking to get a top boot for my Runabout and I am trying to see if I am thinking correctly. There will be a couple of consecutive posts, to allow for more photos. The top on the car is good-ish, no tears, splits or stitching coming undone and is tight when put up, I would just like/appreciate the finished look of the Top Boot. Here is the car in question;

First, the flaps with fasteners on the sides of the Top Boot;

topboot6.jpg (51.64 KiB) Viewed 1287 times

These flaps and fasteners were obsolete/eliminated by/before the 1920 model year, if I am reading through a bunch of old Forum posts correctly. The photo below are from the old Forum of an original 1917 Top Boot (posted by Erik Johnson), and there are no flaps or fasteners to be seen. Here is a link to the thread that the photo is from, http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/59 ... 1455820509

So am I correct in thinking that a "correct" Top Boot for 1920 would not have any flaps and fasteners?

[Pep C Strebeck]

Second, would be the straps. When did the hole and grommet detail on the top for the center strap of the Top Boot become obsolete and no longer be on the top?

Without the hole and grommet in the top, how does the center strap of the Top Boot work/attach? Would the Top Boots for the later cars (without the pass-through hole in the top) still have 3 straps or only 2? If there were 3 straps, were the Top Boots for tops without the hole made differently as the design shown in the photo of the original Top Boot would not work.

As for the strap material, sometime during 1915 the straps for the top and the Top Boot were making the changeover from leather to the woven cotton web. So, the woven cotton web strapping would be correct?

[Pep C Strebeck]

And just a couple more photos;

Any and all help or information is very much appreciated. Anyone that might have photos of original or "period" examples of the Top Boots would also be greatly appreciated.

[Original Smith]

I have two NOS post 1915 roadster top boots, and they have no flaps. 1916 is the first year for that. I don't recall if the center hole in the curtains during that time have the grommet, but I would think so.

[hull 433]

Here's an early 1916 Ford with 1915 plates. It looks like the flaps were gone by late calendar 1915.