Sneak Peek: SRT/10 Soft Top Boot

[JonB]

As promised earlier, PartsRack has manufactured a "Soft Top Boot" to protect the exposed soft top from sun/dust/dirt/birdsquirt while covering the uglee latch mechanism. This photo shows Unit #1, and improvements will gusset out most of the few puckers shown. This piece is beat up from lots of handling.

Weather permitting, we plan 100mph tests at PIR on Saturday...we wanna be sure this thing does not launch like a hot-air balloon!

This boot will probably come later on in red and maybe even silver IF we can match the colors closely enuf. We hope the price point remains about $295 or maybe even less.....stay tuned. A nice product, priced fairly.

I am tempted to accept CASUAL E-mailed orders in advance, at the final price to be announced, (Jim Wallace has one ordered...so does Tony Cantafio.) It took us a few weeks to get the 92-02 RT/10 cockpit covers running, but 25 advance casual orders made it possible to allocate resources to speed it up! And those folks now HAVE theirs!

Thanks to Jason and Tony with photo-post help. My idea of an "attachment" is a Post-It-Note.......

 

[Jason-Middle Tennessee]

Glad to hlep out Jon B!!

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[gtsviper]

What picture??

 

[Daffy Duck Viper]

Hey, heh, hey...very nice!
-Daffy

 

[Wing King]

Looks good. I'm still in.

 

[Eric]

The car should have come with this along with the trunk mat.

 

[slaughterj]

I think it looks good.

One suggestion though. Use the same material that the roof has. I am not real fond of the leather (or vinyl) look. The factory top looks like the sailcloth that they use on the newer Jeep tops. I believe that it is made by a company called Haartz (sp?).

Yep, either something more like the top, or more like the interior - as it stands, it looks a little "off" in texture and color - nice prototype though.

 

[viper258]

I agree...DC came up short on those two items! But I still love the car.

 

[VOI9 ASP]

I'll take one if it's the same material as the top.

 

[Hans Christian]

JonB,

I like it but I will also have to agree with snakekeeper and slaughterj that it would be perfect if you could have it macth the roof material more (whetever that is).

I have a 2004 YELLOW on order with the good Mr. Pemberton (Dodge please make YELLOW - if I say enough times maybe they will have it YELLOW). I have been on the list for a long as I can remember (since 2000) and I will order one from you as soon I some sort of build date.

 

[Y2KACR]

JonB,
I am interested in obtaining one of the soft top boot covers also. I've got a silver one on order but no build date yet. Do you need anything else besides this note of interest (like a down payment)?
Gary

 

[Y2K5SRT]

I will agree with a few of the comments above. Original soft top material would be great, as no vinyl will be put on this car. I have never owned a Porsche convertible or Mondial, but don't they also have "canvas" type covers and not Naugahyde? The prototype looks good, but I would much prefer the cloth-type look of the original top.

Chris

 

[GR8_ASP]

I agree. A cloth or fabric material that blends in well with the interior. An option would be to mimic the seat leather, but I would expect that to run quite a bit more. Maybe something for Venzano now that the stock seats are nicer, thus reducing upgrade potential in that area.

 

[wiseasp]

I will agree with a few of the comments above. Original soft top material would be great, as no vinyl will be put on this car. I have never owned a Porsche convertible or Mondial, but don't they also have "canvas" type covers and not Naugahyde? The prototype looks good, but I would much prefer the cloth-type look of the original top.

Chris

I had a 1997 Porsche 993 cab and the boot was the SAME fabric as the top. I too think the boot should be available with the similar fabric as the soft top.

ROB

 

[JonB]

Ironic, but the first mock up we did of a soft top boot we DID USE the almost-exact fabric as the OE soft top !

1) Since this fabric is porous, and dust and grime can impregnate it, we decided against the OE fabric in favor of a Wipe-N-Go Bra-like fabric.

2) There is no reason we cannot make it both ways.

3) Our Soft top boot debuted at PIR-Portland Saturday on Tony Cantafio's SRT/10. We did some high-sped tests at steady 100 MPH and a couple blasts to 130 mph, and the boot stayed put. No billowing. Stayed put.

 

[VOI9 ASP]

Put me down for one in the OEM top material. How are they installed - snaps?

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

Hi Jon,

Put me down for one. It would be nice to have a 155-160mph test.

 

[JonB]

Update...........

Since it seems to be what you might want, we investigated the soft top material. It comes from a D-C supplier in Germany.

1) This exact fabric would almost double our price target of under-$300.
2) Maybe we'd find a "similair" product for less, but still more than Naugha.
2) This OE type of fabric will have the exact same problems as what we are trying to cover up or avoid in the first place:

-Those of you toweling off your cars are already complaining about the lint problem. The OE top acts like velcro! Dust, lint, bug and bird droppings will require spot-cleaning and other labor-intensive lint-picking and cleaning. On Naugahyde (Car-Bra material) it is just Wipe-N-Go windex in 30 seconds.
- The smoothe material lends itself to the padded wings (hinge covers) and is "stretchy" for a nicer, taughter fit.
- OE fabric will likely sun-fade. Naugha will likley not.
- The vinyl probably offers some vandal-protection that simply another layer of soft-top material will not.

So, we will still likley make an option available....but I wonder how the "Under $500" vs "Under $300" will matter.........

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

Hi Jon,

I would like a High quality wip or blow and go that is good for 160 mph.

 

[gtsviper]

My preference would be small inserts to cover only the open sides when the top is down and not do the whole boot. I would rather not have to go through the process of removing the entire cover to raise the top.

 

[Steve Ferguson]

Hey WHINNER, what do you think this is Burger King!

 

[Tony Estes]

Andy don't get excited about your car being in "I" status. In your case "I" means "I won't see me car till 2004". I'll see you in Phoenix in a couple of weeks.

 

[gtsviper]

Steve...only one "N" in whiner. Two in Winner. Make up your mind.

Tony..."I" really means I may ask your daughter out on a date when I get to Phoenix. Be nice to your future son-in-law.

 

[Hans Christian]

Jon,

I would prefer the option for the more expensive material - even if it means $500 (it will be woth it). As soon as Bill P gives me a build date then I will reserve mine + other goodies.

ARGH CANT WAIT TO GET MY VIPER ARGH !@#$%

 

[doctorbob]

Tony, your wife still has not gotten me the date she promised at Christmas. The selection at NM must be low!