Tonneau Cover High Speed Stability 2002

Zorro said:
Hey Ghost--show me how you got those tonneau covers to fit in the trunk! I have them and haven't been able to figure out how to fit them in! o_O
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When I got them last fall, I tried them out and the car soon went to winter storage. So I only did it once. Maybe I just got lucky. I'll be getting it out shortly and try again and post a pic. The wife is going to make some storage pouches for the covers out of moving blanket as I'm not comfortable with the light weight bags it came with. They were preowned but perfect and don't want any scratches.
 

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350xfire said:
88MPH and still on...
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Marty McFly “Wait a minute. Wait a minute Doc, uh, are you telling me you built a time machine out of a TBird?”
Doc: The way I see it, if you’re going to build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style? Did you do some time traveling? You have to love the Flux Capacitor option In the Tbirds

Seriously, did it look like it was going to fly off with the wind buffering?
 
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stevedaphotoman said:
Marty McFly “Wait a minute. Wait a minute Doc, uh, are you telling me you built a time machine out of a TBird?”
Doc: The way I see it, if you’re going to build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style? Did you do some time traveling? You have to love the Flux Capacitor option In the Tbirds

Seriously, did it look like it was going to fly off with the wind buffering?
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haha. It was actually impressively stable and stayed in place. I did manage to tuck all the edges in. I did notice a bit of minor flapping around the middle where no snaps are present but nothing that worried me.
 
350xfire said:
haha. It was actually impressively stable and stayed in place. I did manage to tuck all the edges in. I did notice a bit of minor flapping around the middle where no snaps are present but nothing that worried me.
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When I get my hard top off I will have to look at the left and right side of the boot and see if I can get it under the lip of the right and left fender deck.. The plastic tongue of the boot goes right under the center trunk lip in the middle but the sides of the boot seem to flap.. 350xfire would it be easy for you to snap a couple quick photo on how yours fits?
 
I found a photo of mine with the boot visible.. I wish it was closer.. But you can see mine just lays on top of the 1/4 panel. .and tucks in aling the trunk lid area..

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Oops 350xfire, I didn't see your very 1st post with photos.. Yes mine seems to fit just like yours does..
 
Here is a more current with it tucked in on the sides. Yours looks like it's hanging out a bit.
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350xfire said:
Here is a more current with it tucked in on the sides. Yours looks like it's hanging out a bit.
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Yes mine just hangs over the sides, and that where it really flaps at highway speeds.. Now I need to get the hardtop off and play with the boot.. Thanks for the photo.. I wonder if the owner's manual address how to put it on..
 
stevedaphotoman said:
Yes mine just hangs over the sides, and that where it really flaps at highway speeds.. Now I need to get the hardtop off and play with the boot.. Thanks for the photo.. I wonder if the owner's manual address how to put it on..
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So I just kind of folded it in and started tucking it in. It's really not hard at all. Just undo 2 of the outer snaps and you can easily kind of fold up on it and tuck the edges in, then snap back on.
 
It appears that you have the type optioned between 2003 & 2005.
i cannot vouch for a 2002 type which IS made of cardboard!
My 2003 ”boot“ looks just like yours and if tucked down properly in the back and firmly snapped down in its front to the deck you should not have such problems.
I drive with mine on at HIGH SPEEDS on highway and I have never known such problems!
58D6AA0A-B82F-4622-B770-F7DA161EE05E.jpegB02232F8-AB4F-4433-9019-581B09D69C2B.jpeg42FDE7B0-94F9-4910-9367-A23C52C69628.jpeg3619B99C-98BE-433F-970C-82EC477BEAB5.jpeg0BA7488E-2390-427D-A8BA-EB1335FC2843.jpeg
 
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Once again the good folks of Ford Thunderbird Forum taught me how to.put my 2002 boot / Tonneau Cover on my 02 Bird after 3 years doing it wrong..Even with some snow flurries or this Mothers Day weekend in Upstate NY, I finally took my hard top off and tried putting the boot on by tucking it under the side fenders and wow it worked.. It was also in the owners manual that way.. I was just laying it over the side fenders and only tucking the plastic part of the boot under the rear trunk deck and then snapping the 6 snsps.. 350xfire suggested the tuck it in.. see photo below. It worked like a champ.. Thanks 350xfire..Ok tomorrow I will try hit 100 mph .. No, not really.. Thanks all..

20200510_113413.jpg
 
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Yeah, that looks great. It was this forum that showed me too so no credit to me! I was putting it on wrong at first! And yes, I think you could really do 100 without any problems... except the car may fall apart or have a catastrophic timing chain failure... haha
 
350xfire said:
Yeah, that looks great. It was this forum that showed me too so no credit to me! I was putting it on wrong at first! And yes, I think you could really do 100 without any problems... except the car may fall apart or have a catastrophic timing chain failure... haha
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Yes, after looking back at the thread, I think Bond007 who suggested tucking the sides of the boot under the side 1/4 panels / fenders.. That makes all the difference in the world.. I use to watch mine flap in the breeze.. Can't wait for it to get warmer than the 40's here, so I can give it a try. Oh come on 350xFire, these TBirds are built Ford Tough.. ;)
 
I've never installed the '02 boot any other way than with the sides tucked in - IIRC there is literature included with the owner's manual detailing installation and that is the method that is stated there...
 
Frankie the Fink said:
I've never installed the '02 boot any other way than with the sides tucked in - IIRC there is literature included with the owner's manual detailing installation and that is the method that is stated there...
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Yupper after the fact, I did see it in the manual tucked in like that.. I never thought about tucking it in on the sides.. It sure does fit niece tucked in though.. Frankie, You must of owned a convertible before.. This is my first.. :cool:
 
Always have tucked in sides and back. That works just fine and the Beige boot / Black panels look great. No flutter what-so-ever and never been an obstruction to traffic. How to store: just give it a loose roll and slightly compress it into the cavity toward the cabin. It doesn't crease and that leaves trunk space. Extra bucket hat can go inside the roll. When hard top is on, the boot winters over in the garage to provide more space. After too many British roadsters, this is the most accommodating top ever.
 
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