Miata Soft Top Removal and Installation

7/29/2019 Miata Soft Top Removal and Installation

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MiataSoftTopRemovalandInstallation

ThiswriteupdescribestheprocessofreplacementofasofttopforaMazdaMiata. Myvehicleisa92,

butIthinkthatthismightbeverysimilarformanymodelyearsofMiata.

Irefer

to

this

as

removal

and

installation

because

removing

the

old

top

can

be

(at

least

was

for

me)

ataskrequiringasmucheffortasinstallationofthenewtop. Thisisparticularlytruewhenyouarenotan

expertatremovingconvertibletops,orhavenopreviousexperiencereplacingMiatatops. Without

adequateinstructionsthiscan(anddidforme)turnintoajobtaking15to20hoursandrequiringafew

tripstothehardwarestore. InstructionsfromMazdaorfromthepeoplewhosellyouthetopmight

claimthatthejobwilltakeyouanafternoonwithafewcommontools. Goodluckwiththat! Im

writingthisinhopesthatsomeoneelsewillnothaveasmuchdifficultyasIdid.

Theprocess(background):

1. ThezipperaroundtheplasticwindowofyourMiatajamsortearsleavingyouunabletounzipthe

window

to

lay

flat

while

you

drop

the

top

2. Aftermanycyclesofraisingandloweringthetop,theplasticdevelopsthatwhiteopaquelookandfinallycracks

3. Youusecleartape,andeventuallyducttape,topreventtheweatherfromenteringthecarwithvaryingdegreesofsuccess

4. Youconsiderreplacingthewindow,callthedealer,andhetellsyouthatjusttheplasticwindowpiecescosts$525plusinstallationcompletetopscostmuchmoreandinstallationcostcould

makethewholejobnear$1500ormoreyourreplyofyouvegottabekiddingproducesonly

silenceontheotherend

5. Moreandmoreofthewindowcracksoutandtheducttapebeginstoshowpatinathatyourebecoming

fond

of

6. FinallyyoudecideyoucantakeitanylongeranddecidetoyouhavetodosomethingandlookonEbayforoptionsandfindanumberoftopsforsaleatreasonableprices

7. Youbuyonewithanadthatsaystheywillsupplydirectionsandhelpabout$20moreforthistopsothatcangetdirectionsandhelp


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Okay,nowyouretothepointwhereyoumightneedsomehelp. HerearesomesuggestionsbeforeI

getintothedetails:

1. Thisisaprojectwhereitcanbereallyhelpfultohaveanotherpairofhandscloseby2. TherearetopsonEbaythatlookalmostidenticalandmyguessisthattheyreallyareidentical. I

paidabout$20moreformytopbecausetheadsaidtheysupplydirectionsandhelp. The

directionswereverygeneral,oflittlevalue,andthepeopledidtalkbyphonebuthadalmostno

knowledgeofhowtodotheremovalorinstallation. Dontpaymorefordirectionsorhelp!3. Therearesomecrampedplaceswhereitcanbehardtoseehaveaflashlight. Therearesome

headmountedflashlightgadgetsthosewouldbeidealforthis. WishIhadhadone!

4. Thetopyoubuyaftermarketwilllikelynotbethesameastheoriginal5. Besuretotapesomepaperorclothontheplastic(orglass)windowtopreventitfrombeing

scratchedduringtheinstallation

6. Readtheseinstructionsand/orothersyouhavecompletelybeforeyoustartjusthelpstoknowwhereyoureheaded

7. ThesearetheinsightsofanovicewhojusthappenstohavegonethroughaninstallationtherearecertainlyotherswithmoreinformationorbetterproceduresIvejustnotbeenabletofind

them

Toolsandparts(thatIused)

1. Screwdriversa. Flatb. Phillipslongformostofthescrewingandunscrewingc. Phillipsshortforonetightspot

2. RivetGun3. Aluminumrivets4. Washerswith1/8inchholesandlargearea5. Pliers6. Socketwrenchandextension10mm7. Drillwithand1/8inchbits8. Protectiveclothtocoverthecarbackandsidespreventsscratchingthepaintandleavesa

placetosetthings

9. Plasticcupstostoreandkeepseparateremovedscrewsandhardware


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InFigure1youcangetsomeideaofwhat

youredealingwith. Atthefrontthe

figureistheHeaderSeal. Thisisaflimsypieceofblackmetal. Thefabricofthetop

fitsagainstthetopandtheheadersealfits

overthe

fabric

holding

it

to

the

tops

frame. Theheadersealandtopare

securedtotheframeinthefrontwith

screws. Thetopwrapsoverthefrontpart

oftheframeandgetsscrewedon. Along

thesideswherethetopmeetsthe

windowsthereare3foamrubbersealson

eachside. Theseareheldinslotswith

frictionnofasteners. Twoofthesecanbegentlypulledoff. Underthemsealsaresomethinmetal

pieces(thathaveslotsforthefoamrubberseals)thatarescrewedtotheframe. Runningalongthe

sidesof

the

top

is

asmall

cable

(about

1/8

inch

diameter)

thats

attached

to

the

tops

frame

at

one

end

byarivetandattheotherendbyaspring. Thiscableslidesthroughasleeveintheoriginalequipment

top,butsomereplacementtopshavenosleeveorcable(liketheoneIpurchased).

Theattachmentoftherearofthetopishiddenbythecarpet,butunderthecarpet,thetopisheldto

theframeofthecarwithsomeboltsandmetalbrackets,andheldinaplasticweathergasket(thisis

alsocalledtherainrail)byrivets.TopRemoval:

Startwiththetopup(andwindowzippedup)soyoucanseeclearlyin

thebackofthecar. Youwillbedoingmuchofthisworkwhile

kneelingontheseats. Tostartremovingtheoldtop,youneedtopull

upsomeofthecarpetfromthebackflatareaofthecarwherethe

windowandtopnormallyliewhenthetopisdown. Thisishelddown

byplasticpushpin

typegadgets

photo1. Theycan

beremovedby

usingascrew

drivertoprythemandplierstopryandlift.Ihadto

prybehindthecarpettoo. Thisscratchesthepaint,

butthisareaisneverseenanditishardtogetthose

plasticpinsout. IthoughtforsureIwouldbreak

themwhendoingthis,butIfoundthemextremely

robust. Thesepinsareinthebackedgeofthe

carpet nearwherethetopbegins. Seephoto2.

Photo1 plasticpin

Photo2plasticpinholdingcarpet

Figure1 TopDiagram


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Thecarpetisalsohelddowninthemiddlebyaplasticpin. Theremaybeothersholdingcarpetdown

alsojustpullthecarpetuptofindwheretheyare.

ThecarpetisalsohelddownbyaPhillipsheadboltthatgoesthroughalargeplasticmount. Thebolt

andplasticmountareshowninphoto3andtheboltisshowninphoto4. Unscrewtheseandplacethe

screwsand

plastic

mounts

aside.

Nextpullbackthecarpetandexposethemetalbracket

ontowhichthetopandweatherstripismounted. This

isshowninphotos5and6. Therearethreesectionsof

metalbrackets: Onesectionacrossmostoftheback,

andoneacrosseachsidearea. Thetopfitsbetween

twopartsoftheweatherstripthatcanbeseen

hangingbelowthemetalbrackets. Thesebrackets

appeartoworktosqueezethetopandtheweather

striptogetherandholdtopfirmlytothebodyofthe

car.

Inphoto5youcanseethatthebracketsarefixed

tothecarbodyusingsomenuts. Thereare13of

thesenutsthatattachtoboltsthatarefixedtothe

bodyofthecar. Theyare10mmnutsandIwas

abletousearachetextensionanda10mmsocket

toremovethesenutsusingonlymyhands.

Afterremovingthenuts,allthreebracketscanbe

removed. AtthispointIdrilledouttherivets

holdingthetopandweatherstrippingtogether

usingainchdrillbit. Acoupleoftheserivetscan

Photo1boltandplasticmountholdingcarpet

Photo4 bolt

Photo5MetalBracketandweatherstripbelow

Photo6 MetalBracket


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beseeninphoto7and8.

Toreducethetensiononthetop,Iunlatchedthetopatthispoint. Thenremovethetopandweather

stripassemblyfromtheboltsbeingcarefulnottoteartheweatherstrip. Theweatherstripisaplastic

materialthatcanbetornifyourenotcareful. Seephotos7and8. Justreleasethetopandstripping

fromtheboltsandleaveitset. Nowyouhavethebackportioncomplete.

Nowmovetothefrontportionofthetop. Unlatch

thetopifyouhavenotdonethatyet,andliftentire

frameofthetopenoughtomakethefrontportion

accessible. Thefabricofthetopisfastenedtothe

topframeassemblywithPhilipsscrewsthrougha

headersealthatholdsthetopfabrictothemetal

frameof

the

top

see

photo

9and

10.

Unscrew

thesescrewsandremovethismetalpiece. Mytop

wasstucktometalframeandrequiredsome

peelingawayfromthemetal. Attheedges,the

screwsgothroughtherubberweathermolding. Thesemustalsoberemovedtoremovetheoriginaltop

sincethefabricofthetopissandwichedbetweentherubbermoldingandthemetalframeofthetop.

Photo9Headersealheldbyscrews

Photo8 RivetholdingtoptoweatherstripPhoto7Rivetsabovemetalbracket

Photo10 Headersealbeingremoved


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(Thereisnoneedtoremovethelatchesthatfastenthetopdown.) Inphoto10youcanseetheheader

sealbeingremovedbyhand.

Nowyouhavethefrontportionofthetop

releasedandyourereadytopeelofftherubber

moldings.There

are

three

pieces

molding.

The

uppertwopiecescanbegentlypeeledawayfrom

themetalstrips. Removetheseandplacethemin

placeswhereyoucanrememberwhichonesgoto

thepassengeranddriverside. Thelowestpieces

ofrubbercantbecompletelypeeledoffbecause

theyreattachedatthebottom(closesttothe

door). Thelowestpieceisnotyetcompletelyfree,

sojustpeelitawayexceptatthebottom. Next,

unscrewthethreemetalstripsfromtheframeof

thetop.

The

strips

are

the

shiny

flimsy

metal

piecesseeninphoto11. Therearethreeofthese

strips. Besuretokeeptheseseparatedforpassengeranddriversidetosavetimelater.

NowthepartthatIhadthemostdifficultywith:

thesides. Thefabricofthetopisfastenedto

theframeonthesidesalso,butyouhavea

hardtimeseeingthis. Thescrewcantbeseen

untilyoutakeoffthelastpieceofmolding. I

usedaflatscrewdrivertoprybetweenthe

molding

and

the

bottom

of

the

metal

frame

of

thetop. Thisareaiscircledinredinphoto12.

Themoldingisattachedtothemetalframe

usingblackplasticpushpinssimilartothose

usedtofastenthecarpettothecarphoto1.

Therearetwoofthemonbothpassengerand

driverside. Onceyouhavethisseparatedyou

canplacetherubbermoldingwiththeother

piecesofmolding. Theplasticpinsremainedin

themoldingforme. Now,ifyoulookatthe

placewhere

these

plastic

pins

were,

you

can

seeaPhillipsheadscrewholdingthefabricof

thetop,andasmallmetalbracket,tothemetal

frameofthetop. Thisisabitchtogetat! Use

ashortPhillipsheadscrewdrivertounscrew

this. Thenpeelthispartofthetopfromthe

frame.

Photo11 Thin

metal

brackets

for

foam

molding

Photo12areawherepinsandscrewarehidden


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Thefabricofthetopisalsoheldtothetopframebysomepiecesoffabricthatslideintogroovesonthe

barsoftheframe. Workthefabricoutoftheseslots. Opentheseslotswithascrewdirverslightlyif

necessary. Useautilityknifetocutthetoparound1/8inchcable(Dontcutthecabelitself). Now

yourereadytoremovethetop. Inthebacksection,besurethattherivetsthatyoudrilledoutareno

longerholdingthetoptotheweatherstrip. Youwillwanttoreusetheweatherstrip,sobecarefulnot

todamage

this

as

you

pull

off

the

old

top.

NewTopInstallation:

Laythenewfabrictoponthetopframe. Becarefultohaveclothorpapertapedtothewindowto

preventitfrombeingdamaged. Thenrivetthenewfabrictotheweatherstripasitwasbefore. Usethe

sameholesforrivetsthatwereusedbefore. Theweatherstripholdsthefabricofthetoponbothsides.

Usethelargewasherswitha1/8inchholeforthe

rivet. Placethefabricofthetopbetweenthetwo

sidesoftheweatherstrip,putawasheroneach

side,

put

the

rivet

through

and

pop

the

rivet

to

holdthingstogether. Iusedthewashersshownin

Photo13. Therivetswere1/8inchaluminumlike

thoseshowninPhoto14.

Once

the

top

is

riveted,

place

the

sandwich

of

top

andweatherstripontheboltsandplacethemetal

bracketsbacktoholdthingsinplace. Gettheentire

topandmetalbracketsontheboltswithnutsstarted

beforetighteninganything. Leavenutsuntightened

tilllater.

Next,putthefrontpartofthetopoverthefront

partoftheframeandscrewthetopinplace.

Thispartisprettysimplethereshouldbeholes

inthefabricorindicatorsthatlineupwiththe

screwholesopeningsinthetopasshownin

Photo15.

Afterthefrontisattached,thesidesofthetop

mustbefastenedtotheframe. Foldthetop

undertheframe,replacethebracketandscrew

Photo13 Washers

Photo14 Rivets

Photo15Screwingthetoptothefrontoftheframe


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thetoptotheframe. ThisisshowninPhoto16. ItsatightfitsoyoullneedtouseyourshortPhillips

headscrewdrivertodrivethisscrew. Photo16istakenlookingdown,slightlytowardtheback,andat

thebaseofthefoldedtop.

Nowputthethinmetalstripsbackontheframe

andscrew

them

onto

the

frame.

Pieces

of

the

fabrictopwillfitbetweenthestripsandthe

frametoholdthetoptightlyinplace. Replace

thefoamrubberweatherstrippingonthethin

metalbrackets. Thebottomfoamrubberpieces

willneedtobefastenedoverthescrewand

bracketshowninPhoto16.

Tightenthe13nutsonthebackofthetopthat

holdthemetalbracketsandtopagainstthe

backofthecar. Oncethisisdone,replacethe

carpet. Usetheplasticpinstofastenthecarpet

tothemetalbracketsandtothebottom(inthe

center). Thenreplacetheplasticmountsandscrew(showninPhotos3and4)throughthecarpet.

ThetopwillmayhavesomeplaceswherefabricwrapsaroundthebowsofthetopsframewithVelcro

tosecureit. Somebowsonthetopwillbesecuredbyhavingthefabricfitintogapsinthebows. Tuck

thefabricintothebowsontheframeandsecuretheVelcroaroundotherframebows. Youcancrimp

theplacesontheframebowswheretothetophasbeentuckedinthiswillpreventthispartofthetop

fromcomingfreefromtheframe.

Lastly,removetheprotectivepaperorclothfromwindow.

TheCable

ThereisonepartoftheinstallationthatIamstillunsureabout(atleastonepart). Ileftthecable

attachedtothetopandsimplyinstalledmynewtopoveritmynewtophasnocableinit. Instructions

thatIhaveseentellonehowtoremoveitandthatseemsprettysimple. Ithinksometopscomewitha

newcablealreadythreadedthroughasleeveinthetop. Ifyouhavea

toplikethatIthinkyoudneedtoremovetheexistingcableandattach

itwithanewrivet. AtsomepointImayfindthatIneedtoremovethe

cableon

mine

also

just

to

prevent

this

from

being

aproblem

when

put

thetopisbeingputupandtakendown. (Ivesimplynotdonethat

enoughyettoknow.)

InstructionsthatIdohaveseentellmethattoremovethecable,one

needstousetheindrillbittodrillouttherivetnearthefrontas

showninPhoto17.ThisisillustratedinFigure2.

Photo16screwandbracketfasteningtheside

Photo17Cableanchorpoint


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Thenewtopshouldhaveacableinitthatwillberivetedtothissamepoint. Ontheotherendtherewill

needtobesomewaytoattachthecabletothespring. ThisareaisshowninPhoto18. Itlookstomeas

thoughonecouldusetheexistingspringand

simplyattachthecabletoit.

Ihope

this

has

been

of

some

value

to

you.

Good

Luck!

Figure2

Drilling out

the

rivet

Photo

18

Spring

attachment

on

the

side

Documents

Miata Soft Top Removal and Installation