Cadillac Forum - Enthusiast forums for Cadillac Owners - Allante TOP pull down COVER and BOOT latching

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by Stealth

interest was lukewarm when I made the cover .. so I did not take pictures .. after many months of use, I got to say, it works great,
it dresses up the boot cover and keeps leaves from going down there ...

since I didnt even wrote it down, i would have to re-invent it ..but, here are the basics of what I did:

1. made a paper template of how big the buckle had to be and fit fairly FLAT on the boot cover
2. then I went to a thrift shop and picked up a belt with a heavy oval buckle
3. removed all nipples and hardware off buckle
3a. got a 1/4 x 4 1/4 clothesline hook ..

4. drilled hole to accommodate the J-hook
“ CAUTION “ hole does NOT go in the center of the buckle ..
place the buckle so it sits well on the boot-cover and estimate the location of the hole ..
I repeat, this IS A MUST .. if i remember correctly, the hole has between 1/4" and ½" front to back offset .. A MUST ..
if you skip this step, you will end up with a pull-down cover that pulls uneven and all bets are off ..

5. J-hook must be attached to buckle with a nut at each side and proper lock washers .. This allows for ADJUSTMENT of the length and therefore the tension .
6. pull out your good-fitting top out and measure the HOOK on it, the length from the end of the hook to the bottom of the top .. Your pull-down cover should be adjusted to match.
7. put top back down inside the boot, hook the pull-down cover and using the manual switch under the boot, SLOWLY pull down the cover. If it seems to tight, stop, release and adjust.
8. cut off excess threads, go to hobby shop and get resin putty, apply it, bake it, paint it, and there you have it.
from there, you install and release the PULL-DOWN-COVER just like the top ...

Since, I made a similar pull-down cover displaying a 1932 Cadillac Lady hood ornament .. But that is a whole another story and a bit more cost and she looks AWESOME flying back there ...

http://www.cadillacforums.com/photop...94MVC-007S.JPG

Quote:

by dhussey

A safety latch per what Stealth made is a VERY good idea for 1990.5 through 1993 Allante's. For some reason, 1993's seem to be losing their boots at a pace far greater than 1990.5 through 1992 models. On some, it has been operator error. On others, the metal hoop has separated from the mounting plate. On others, the embedded fasteners may have come loose. '93's seem to be experiencing boot loss at least 5 times more frequently than 1990.5 through 1992 combined, from what I have seen.

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by blancaclauida

The thin plastic cover over the pull-down motor is attached with 4 Phillips screws (at least on the 1st generation cars). Remove the screws and the cover and all will be revealed to you. Clean that whole area (it probably has never been done and you'll see that you can adjust the cables be turning the tightener. Adjust as necessary. If you have a first generation softop cover, I strongly suggest that you install the luggage latches that have been previously discussed. If not, look at Zal's rear holdown. Otherwise, you'll worry every time you use the car with the top down.

Quote:

by blancaclauida

Stealth and others have fabricated nice looking units to fit into the hole and pull-down unit and that will pull down the back of the softop cover.

But IMO, if you really want to prevent the wind from catching the front of the softop cover and opening it up at speed AND tearing it off AND putting an expensive dent in your aluminum deck lid which is a real possibility with the earliest design ('87-'89), then you'd best go with the luggage clamps.