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.

Photo1boltandplasticmountholdingcarpet

Nextpullbackthecarpetandexposethemetalbracket
ontowhichthetopandweatherstripismounted.This
isshowninphotos5and6.Therearethreesectionsof
metalbrackets:Onesectionacrossmostoftheback,
andoneacrosseachsidearea.Thetopfitsbetween
twopartsoftheweatherstripthatcanbeseen
hangingbelowthemetalbrackets.Thesebrackets
appeartoworktosqueezethetopandtheweather
striptogetherandholdtopfirmlytothebodyofthe
car.

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.

Photo12areawherepinsandscrewarehidden

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.

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!