MiataSoftTopRemovalandInstallation

ThiswriteupdescribestheprocessofreplacementofasofttopforaMazdaMiata.Myvehicleisa92, butIthinkthatthismightbeverysimilarformanymodelyearsofMiata. Irefertothisasremovalandinstallationbecauseremovingtheoldtopcanbe(atleastwasforme)a taskrequiringasmucheffortasinstallationofthenewtop.Thisisparticularlytruewhenyouarenotan expertatremovingconvertibletops,orhavenopreviousexperiencereplacingMiatatops.Without adequateinstructionsthiscan(anddidforme)turnintoajobtaking15to20hoursandrequiringafew tripstothehardwarestore.InstructionsfromMazdaorfromthepeoplewhosellyouthetopmight claimthatthejobwilltakeyouanafternoonwithafewcommontools.Goodluckwiththat!Im writingthisinhopesthatsomeoneelsewillnothaveasmuchdifficultyasIdid.

Theprocess(background):
1. ThezipperaroundtheplasticwindowofyourMiatajamsortearsleavingyouunabletounzip thewindowtolayflatwhileyoudropthetop 2. Aftermanycyclesofraisingandloweringthetop,theplasticdevelopsthatwhiteopaquelook andfinallycracks 3. Youusecleartape,andeventuallyducttape,topreventtheweatherfromenteringthecarwith varyingdegreesofsuccess 4. Youconsiderreplacingthewindow,callthedealer,andhetellsyouthatjusttheplasticwindow piecescosts$525plusinstallationcompletetopscostmuchmoreandinstallationcostcould makethewholejobnear$1500ormoreyourreplyofyouvegottabekiddingproducesonly silenceontheotherend 5. Moreandmoreofthewindowcracksoutandtheducttapebeginstoshowpatinathatyoure becomingfondof

6. Finallyyoudecideyoucantakeitanylongeranddecidetoyouhavetodosomethingandlook onEbayforoptionsandfindanumberoftopsforsaleatreasonableprices 7. Youbuyonewithanadthatsaystheywillsupplydirectionsandhelpabout$20moreforthis topsothatcangetdirectionsandhelp

 Okay,nowyouretothepointwhereyoumightneedsomehelp.HerearesomesuggestionsbeforeI getintothedetails: 1. Thisisaprojectwhereitcanbereallyhelpfultohaveanotherpairofhandscloseby 2. TherearetopsonEbaythatlookalmostidenticalandmyguessisthattheyreallyareidentical.I paidabout$20moreformytopbecausetheadsaidtheysupplydirectionsandhelp.The directionswereverygeneral,oflittlevalue,andthepeopledidtalkbyphonebuthadalmostno knowledgeofhowtodotheremovalorinstallation.Dontpaymorefordirectionsorhelp! 3. Therearesomecrampedplaceswhereitcanbehardtoseehaveaflashlight.Therearesome headmountedflashlightgadgetsthosewouldbeidealforthis.WishIhadhadone! 4. Thetopyoubuyaftermarketwilllikelynotbethesameastheoriginal 5. Besuretotapesomepaperorclothontheplastic(orglass)windowtopreventitfrombeing scratchedduringtheinstallation 6. Readtheseinstructionsand/orothersyouhavecompletelybeforeyoustartjusthelpstoknow whereyoureheaded 7. Thesearetheinsightsofanovicewhojusthappenstohavegonethroughaninstallationthere arecertainlyotherswithmoreinformationorbetterproceduresIvejustnotbeenabletofind them

Toolsandparts(thatIused)
1. Screwdrivers a. Flat b. Phillipslongformostofthescrewingandunscrewing c. Phillipsshortforonetightspot 2. RivetGun 3. Aluminumrivets 4. Washerswith1/8inchholesandlargearea 5. Pliers 6. Socketwrenchandextension10mm 7. Drillwithand1/8inchbits 8. Protectiveclothtocoverthecarbackandsidespreventsscratchingthepaintandleavesa placetosetthings 9. Plasticcupstostoreandkeepseparateremovedscrewsandhardware

InFigure1youcangetsomeideaofwhat youredealingwith.Atthefrontthe figureistheHeaderSeal.Thisisaflimsy pieceofblackmetal.Thefabricofthetop fitsagainstthetopandtheheadersealfits overthefabricholdingittothetops frame.Theheadersealandtopare securedtotheframeinthefrontwith screws.Thetopwrapsoverthefrontpart oftheframeandgetsscrewedon.Along thesideswherethetopmeetsthe windowsthereare3foamrubbersealson Figure1TopDiagram eachside.Theseareheldinslotswith frictionnofasteners.Twoofthesecanbegentlypulledoff.Underthemsealsaresomethinmetal pieces(thathaveslotsforthefoamrubberseals)thatarescrewedtotheframe.Runningalongthe sidesofthetopisasmallcable(about1/8inchdiameter)thatsattachedtothetopsframeatoneend 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 Photo1plasticpin usingascrew drivertoprythemandplierstopryandlift.Ihadto prybehindthecarpettoo.Thisscratchesthepaint, butthisareaisneverseenanditishardtogetthose plasticpinsout.IthoughtforsureIwouldbreak themwhendoingthis,butIfoundthemextremely robust.Thesepinsareinthebackedgeofthe carpetnearwherethetopbegins.Seephoto2.
Photo2plasticpinholdingcarpet

Thecarpetisalsohelddowninthemiddlebyaplasticpin.Theremaybeothersholdingcarpetdown alsojustpullthecarpetuptofindwheretheyare. ThecarpetisalsohelddownbyaPhillipsheadboltthatgoesthroughalargeplasticmount.Thebolt andplasticmountareshowninphoto3andtheboltisshowninphoto4.Unscrewtheseandplacethe screwsandplasticmountsaside. Nextpullbackthecarpetandexposethemetalbracket ontowhichthetopandweatherstripismounted.This isshowninphotos5and6.Therearethreesectionsof metalbrackets:Onesectionacrossmostoftheback, andoneacrosseachsidearea.Thetopfitsbetween twopartsoftheweatherstripthatcanbeseen hangingbelowthemetalbrackets.Thesebrackets appeartoworktosqueezethetopandtheweather striptogetherandholdtopfirmlytothebodyofthe car.

Photo1boltandplasticmountholdingcarpet

Inphoto5youcanseethatthebracketsarefixed tothecarbodyusingsomenuts.Thereare13of thesenutsthatattachtoboltsthatarefixedtothe bodyofthecar.Theyare10mmnutsandIwas abletousearachetextensionanda10mmsocket toremovethesenutsusingonlymyhands.

Photo4 bolt

Photo5MetalBracketandweatherstripbelow

Afterremovingthenuts,allthreebracketscanbe removed.AtthispointIdrilledouttherivets holdingthetopandweatherstrippingtogether usingainchdrillbit.Acoupleoftheserivetscan

Photo6 MetalBracket

beseeninphoto7and8.

Photo7Rivetsabovemetalbracket

Photo8 Rivetholdingtoptoweatherstrip

Toreducethetensiononthetop,Iunlatchedthetopatthispoint.Thenremovethetopandweather stripassemblyfromtheboltsbeingcarefulnottoteartheweatherstrip.Theweatherstripisaplastic materialthatcanbetornifyourenotcareful.Seephotos7and8.Justreleasethetopandstripping fromtheboltsandleaveitset.Nowyouhavethebackportioncomplete. Nowmovetothefrontportionofthetop.Unlatch thetopifyouhavenotdonethatyet,andliftentire frameofthetopenoughtomakethefrontportion accessible.Thefabricofthetopisfastenedtothe topframeassemblywithPhilipsscrewsthrougha

Photo9Headersealheldbyscrews

headersealthatholdsthetopfabrictothemetal frameofthetopseephoto9and10.Unscrew thesescrewsandremovethismetalpiece.Mytop wasstucktometalframeandrequiredsome Photo10 Headersealbeingremoved peelingawayfromthemetal.Attheedges,the screwsgothroughtherubberweathermolding.Thesemustalsoberemovedtoremovetheoriginaltop sincethefabricofthetopissandwichedbetweentherubbermoldingandthemetalframeofthetop.

(Thereisnoneedtoremovethelatchesthatfastenthetopdown.)Inphoto10youcanseetheheader sealbeingremovedbyhand. Nowyouhavethefrontportionofthetop releasedandyourereadytopeelofftherubber moldings.Therearethreepiecesmolding.The uppertwopiecescanbegentlypeeledawayfrom themetalstrips.Removetheseandplacethemin placeswhereyoucanrememberwhichonesgoto thepassengeranddriverside.Thelowestpieces ofrubbercantbecompletelypeeledoffbecause theyreattachedatthebottom(closesttothe door).Thelowestpieceisnotyetcompletelyfree, sojustpeelitawayexceptatthebottom.Next, unscrewthethreemetalstripsfromtheframeof thetop.Thestripsaretheshinyflimsymetal Photo11 Thinmetalbracketsforfoammolding piecesseeninphoto11.Therearethreeofthese strips.Besuretokeeptheseseparatedforpassengeranddriversidetosavetimelater. NowthepartthatIhadthemostdifficultywith: thesides.Thefabricofthetopisfastenedto theframeonthesidesalso,butyouhavea hardtimeseeingthis.Thescrewcantbeseen untilyoutakeoffthelastpieceofmolding.I usedaflatscrewdrivertoprybetweenthe moldingandthebottomofthemetalframeof thetop.Thisareaiscircledinredinphoto12. Themoldingisattachedtothemetalframe usingblackplasticpushpinssimilartothose usedtofastenthecarpettothecarphoto1. Therearetwoofthemonbothpassengerand driverside.Onceyouhavethisseparatedyou canplacetherubbermoldingwiththeother piecesofmolding.Theplasticpinsremainedin themoldingforme.Now,ifyoulookatthe placewheretheseplasticpinswere,youcan seeaPhillipsheadscrewholdingthefabricof thetop,andasmallmetalbracket,tothemetal frameofthetop.Thisisabitchtogetat!Use ashortPhillipsheadscrewdrivertounscrew this.Thenpeelthispartofthetopfromthe frame.

Photo12areawherepinsandscrewarehidden

Thefabricofthetopisalsoheldtothetopframebysomepiecesoffabricthatslideintogroovesonthe barsoftheframe.Workthefabricoutoftheseslots.Opentheseslotswithascrewdirverslightlyif necessary.Useautilityknifetocutthetoparound1/8inchcable(Dontcutthecabelitself).Now yourereadytoremovethetop.Inthebacksection,besurethattherivetsthatyoudrilledoutareno longerholdingthetoptotheweatherstrip.Youwillwanttoreusetheweatherstrip,sobecarefulnot todamagethisasyoupullofftheoldtop.

NewTopInstallation:
Laythenewfabrictoponthetopframe.Becarefultohaveclothorpapertapedtothewindowto preventitfrombeingdamaged.Thenrivetthenewfabrictotheweatherstripasitwasbefore.Usethe sameholesforrivetsthatwereusedbefore.Theweatherstripholdsthefabricofthetoponbothsides. Usethelargewasherswitha1/8inchholeforthe rivet.Placethefabricofthetopbetweenthetwo sidesoftheweatherstrip,putawasheroneach side,puttherivetthroughandpoptherivetto holdthingstogether.Iusedthewashersshownin Photo13.Therivetswere1/8inchaluminumlike thoseshowninPhoto14.

Photo13 Washers

Oncethetopisriveted,placethesandwichoftop andweatherstripontheboltsandplacethemetal bracketsbacktoholdthingsinplace.Gettheentire topandmetalbracketsontheboltswithnutsstarted beforetighteninganything.Leavenutsuntightened tilllater.

Photo14Rivets

Next,putthefrontpartofthetopoverthefront partoftheframeandscrewthetopinplace. Thispartisprettysimplethereshouldbeholes inthefabricorindicatorsthatlineupwiththe screwholesopeningsinthetopasshownin Photo15. Afterthefrontisattached,thesidesofthetop mustbefastenedtotheframe.Foldthetop undertheframe,replacethebracketandscrew

Photo15Screwingthetoptothefrontoftheframe

thetoptotheframe.ThisisshowninPhoto16.ItsatightfitsoyoullneedtouseyourshortPhillips headscrewdrivertodrivethisscrew.Photo16istakenlookingdown,slightlytowardtheback,andat thebaseofthefoldedtop. Nowputthethinmetalstripsbackontheframe andscrewthemontotheframe.Piecesofthe fabrictopwillfitbetweenthestripsandthe frametoholdthetoptightlyinplace.Replace thefoamrubberweatherstrippingonthethin metalbrackets.Thebottomfoamrubberpieces willneedtobefastenedoverthescrewand bracketshowninPhoto16. Tightenthe13nutsonthebackofthetopthat holdthemetalbracketsandtopagainstthe backofthecar.Oncethisisdone,replacethe carpet.Usetheplasticpinstofastenthecarpet tothemetalbracketsandtothebottom(inthe center).Thenreplacetheplasticmountsandscrew(showninPhotos3and4)throughthecarpet.
Photo16screwandbracketfasteningtheside

ThetopwillmayhavesomeplaceswherefabricwrapsaroundthebowsofthetopsframewithVelcro tosecureit.Somebowsonthetopwillbesecuredbyhavingthefabricfitintogapsinthebows.Tuck thefabricintothebowsontheframeandsecuretheVelcroaroundotherframebows.Youcancrimp theplacesontheframebowswheretothetophasbeentuckedinthiswillpreventthispartofthetop fromcomingfreefromtheframe. Lastly,removetheprotectivepaperorclothfromwindow.

TheCable
ThereisonepartoftheinstallationthatIamstillunsureabout(atleastonepart).Ileftthecable attachedtothetopandsimplyinstalledmynewtopoveritmynewtophasnocableinit.Instructions thatIhaveseentellonehowtoremoveitandthatseemsprettysimple.Ithinksometopscomewitha newcablealreadythreadedthroughasleeveinthetop.Ifyouhavea toplikethatIthinkyoudneedtoremovetheexistingcableandattach itwithanewrivet.AtsomepointImayfindthatIneedtoremovethe cableonminealsojusttopreventthisfrombeingaproblemwhenput thetopisbeingputupandtakendown.(Ivesimplynotdonethat enoughyettoknow.) InstructionsthatIdohaveseentellmethattoremovethecable,one needstousetheindrillbittodrillouttherivetnearthefrontas showninPhoto17.ThisisillustratedinFigure2.
Photo17Cableanchorpoint

Thenewtopshouldhaveacableinitthatwillberivetedtothissamepoint.Ontheotherendtherewill needtobesomewaytoattachthecabletothespring.ThisareaisshowninPhoto18.Itlookstomeas thoughonecouldusetheexistingspringand simplyattachthecabletoit.

Figure2Drilling outtherivet

Photo18 Springattachmentontheside

Ihopethishasbeenofsomevaluetoyou.GoodLuck!