Thank you for posting this. As these cars decline in value, we need mods like this to avoid wasting money on repairing perennially troublesome/superfluous mechanisms.There are plenty of other parts to buy that can't be modified to work !
Here are a few suggestions:
Draw Latches:
Stainless steel, optional lockable over-center latches
Southco V7 about $25 each on Ebay
V7 - Over-Center Series Latches - Southco
Draw Latch,Keyed, Southco V7 Series 316 Stainless Steel Electro Polished | eBay
Sugatsune STF series - there are many sizes with concealed fasteners.Expensive
Southco :
Draw Latches - Southco
There is guy called Maurice in Montreal(?) who is the top-fix guru
His screen name is SCHOIR
http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/27912-convertible-top-replacement.html
Hope this helps move this great mod into the "Favorite" category