Stock Mazda rear cabin bar

[adamjp]

Right,

I recently bought a cabin bracing bar, the one that goes behind the seats.

It arived in the mail today and after pulling it from the box, wiping dust off, I laid it out on the car to confirm fitment.

Either I am trying to fit it to the wrong spot, I have the wrong bar, or I have a 'widebody' MX5.

I always thought that these bars go between the two upper seatbelt bolts. If that is so, there is 1\" gap between each end of the bar and the bolt.

Any suggestions? Clarifications? Should I be fitting it somewhere else (be nice)?

[STV]

Dude!
I was looking at emex's car last week, and i am pretty sure that it actually goes on a bracket slightly lower than the seatbelt towers.

i have a custon one which goes there, and i am CERTAIN that they go on at a slightly LOWER and thinner location.

All should be good (Waiting for someone to post pics of the correct spot to fully make sense of this post)

Cheers
STV

[kitkat]

PM RRdstr, he has one on his lil green rocket!

[JBT]

See pic. It bolts inboard of the seat belt points. Take off the plastic trim covers and you should see two holes which match up with the bar. The NA8 has captive nuts there but you'll most likely have to buy two nuts to suit.

[Slugoid]

Off-topic:

Does the rear bar help stiffen the chassis much, just out of curiosity?? I heard that it doesn't do much, well, not much compared to a rear underbody chassis brace.

[adamjp]

That would be this hole here.



Needs a 50mm M10 High tensile bolt, nut and a spring washer. I might add a dab of Loctite blue when I slip it together tomorrow night.

[JBT]

The original bolt is 60mm x 12 mm - just checked on my now removed bar.

Does the rear bar help stiffen the chassis much, just out of curiosity??

Nope. The bolts are loose in the holes in the bar and there is just one bolt at each end. I think it was a side intrusion thing or placebo effect brace.

[RRdstr]

PM RRdstr, he has one on his lil green rocket!

Yup, I reckon when fitted and tightened well, there was some cabin shuttle reduction. I also have a rear subframe brace, front subframe brace and shock tower brace . . . and now an occasional hard top. In combination considerably more rigid overall.

Fitting the cabin brace to the NA6 was the fiddliest of the bracing jobs. Pointers offered so far I agree with . . . you may have to cut out a section of the plastic cover to fit it after the bar is in place.

Good luck with it . . .