69 Cutlass - I ordered a new boot and when I went to install it I realized it did not require snaps. I am wondering which way they came from the factory? Did someone add them to the pinch molding or did they come with the car?

 

Snaps are not factory equipment.

 

Not since the early '60s. I wonder why somebody would have gone to all the trouble of putting snaps on that moulding?

 

My 1967 442 has snaps.....I assumed they were factory.

 

Irrelevant to Cutlasses, but my ‘66 98 convertible always had snaps. Not sure when GM went to non-snap covers. They do look cleaner without the snaps though.

Along the way I refinished the pinch weld molding by grinding off the backs of the snaps, polishing the stainless pinch weld molding, then installing new snaps with a snap-specific die and punch.

The stainless polishes up well, but the weird iron molding clips that hold it to the car body rust much more easily and get brittle after all these decades. If you decide to remove the pinch welding, you’re well advised to get a bunch of extra retention clips (reproduction or original) to hold it to the car. An extra clip or two might be a good idea if you want the molding to hold on really tightly.

Shiny steel looks much better than 55 years of scratches to me.

cf

 

At some point in time a PO had an interior made for the car. I guess they had the boot made as well and that was how they chose to attach it. I guess I'll keep my eye open for a replacement. There are a few other more important things first. At least I now know what is suppose to be.
thanks

 

From the factory only 2 snaps on each piece of quarter/window trim. Do you have the metal retaining strip behind the rear seat for the front of the boot? My '69 was missing that.

 

I believe it was in the '68 model year that they went to the "without snaps" look. My '68 originally had plastic/nylon clips on the boot that attached onto the pinch weld and then I believe in the '69 model year they went to the plastic tabs that slipped under the pinch weld. Reproduction boots all have the plastic tabs. Fortunately, the metal retaining strip was on both my '68 and '69.

Randy C.

 

I'm not sure what the retaining strip looks like, if I have one it is under the well liner material. And would be of no use. Can you post a pic of one?

 

Its basically a piece of small channel iron. See the post below.

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...p-boot-134170/

 

I know thread is over a year old, and don’t mean to hijack - but where do you store your convertible top boot? I don’t like leaving it shoved in the trunk, and also rather not cram it in a bag. Could put it under a bed, but like to keep it in the garage unfolded. Any ideas? Thanks.

 

Mine just stays in the well under the back window since the plastic bead is slid into the metal channel. I pull it out when putting the top down so that I can put the boot on once the top is down. But when the top is up, the boot just stays in that well behind the back seat for both my '68 and '69 convertibles. The '68 has been in my family since March 1969 and that's the only way we ever did it!

Randy C.

 

Same here. I never take the boot off completely.

 

Thanks for the feedback guys. Probably an obvious answer to most, but thought the boot would be damaged if left back there all the time. Wonder how they were delivered new?

 

Prolly depended if the dealer had the top up or down when the customer came to the dealership.

 

Never drive mine with the top up, so the boot cover stays installed. When it finally comes off for winter storage, it's left spread out on a shelf in the garage.

 

Any damage done to your tops when you have them down most of the time? Put mine down when driving, especially this time of year, but have seen too many tops that remain down, creased and folded once deployed.

 

Mine always smooths out okay. Although, full disclosure: part of the reason I leave it down so much is it wasn't a great installation and there are some creases in the C-pillar area that won't come out.

 

When I had my new top installed, the installer told me to NEVER put your top down during the cold weather because the material can crack or split during the fold. I don't know in the other years but in my 1970 Cutlass owners manual, it does tell you how to pull out a fold during this process.

 

Only gets below freezing occasionally here so that’s not much of an issue, also at higher speeds the frame can rub and rip canvas at pinch points.

But no worries, thankfully I don’t drive a trailer queen.

 

That's living on the edge right there!

 

There's nothing quite like deploying a parachute while at speed.

 

Top lowered at relatively low speeds, typically for loading purposes.
Re-deployed at similar speeds when unloaded 🤙

 

Speaking from similar experience, that’s something you just can’t do with a hard top.