mx5cartalk.com

Am looking at buying a MX5 Plus roll bar but before I go ahead I'd like to hear from someone who has done an installation into a NA with a one piece soft top with a glass window.

The main things I want to know before making the deal are :

1. Are there any clearance issues with the rear glass window in the up or folded down position?

2. How hard is it to drill the rearmost holes for the feet with the top still attached and in the up position? The pictures in the installation instructions show a pneumatic drill being used (step 44), but as I only have a cordless drill I can't see me being able to drill the holes straight down with out having it jammed hard up against the roof and even then I doubt I'll enough clearance to be able to drill straight down.

http://pics.mx5cartalk.com/General/Documents/1879-IG-REV00.pdf

I put one in my NB with soft top and glass window...pretty much same same as an NA.

1. No. Make sure you order one to go with a glass top though, I believe they are slightly different to leave space for the glass when the roof is down.

2. There is no space to get a drill in place to drill straight down when the roof is up. I went to Bunnings and purchased a right angle chuck and used it with my pneumatic drill which is physically smaller than an electric drill. I think you should be able to get an electric drill in with a right angle chuck. Unless your cordless drill is a gucci one I doubt it will have the power to get through the body of the car anyway...the feet of the MX5 plus bars are placed in a thick and strong bit of the parcel shelf and I think it needs 8 or 10 holes for both feet.

As a general tip; remove the seats from the car to do it. They really get in the way!

Installing the bar is not beyond the home mechanic but you do need a few tools to do it. There are spacers to cut down that CAN be cut by hand but life is easier with a vice and angle grinder with cutting disc fitted.

I used a dremel to cut two of the holes for the rear feet when I did my NA.

From memory there is no difference in the bar for NA or NB and clears the glass window easily.

I also bought a cheap right angle chuck from Bunnings and used a 1/2" electric drill.
I made a short 10mm drill bit to gain some more clearance then used a step drill to make the hole the correct size.

Any time you need to work on the interior the first (and second) thing to remove is the seats.
Makes it so much easier with a bit of room.

Yep, as already noted get yourself a right angle adaptor. Gives you just enough room. Make sure you have a good light souce as it is difficult to see right down the back there.

And just in case you needed some more motivation.......




J

de Bounce wrote:From memory there is no difference in the bar for NA or NB and clears the glass window easily.

I also bought a cheap right angle chuck from Bunnings and used a 1/2" electric drill.
I made a short 10mm drill bit to gain some more clearance then used a step drill to make the hole the correct size.

Any time you need to work on the interior the first (and second) thing to remove is the seats.
Makes it so much easier with a bit of room.

I think your step drill suggestion just answered another question I was going to ask. My cordless drill and all the add on right hand chucks only take up to 10mm drill bits so was wondering how to get the holes to 12mm.

Either way, it sounds like I need extra hardware to do a one off job (bugger).

Perhaps I should investigate hiring a decent 1/2" right angle chuck drill for the day if I go ahead with the purchase?

I'm really kicking myself now that I didn't get the roll bar before I bought and installed the frame rails and new soft top as I had everything pulled out and easily accessible and could have saved a lot of screwing around..DOH!!

Air compressor and appropriate air-tool/die grinder is another good option.

I just broke off a drill bit really short and resharpened it with a grinder.
If you open the roof a little the window will push up out of the way quite a bit.

Failing that just drop into your local panelbeaters with a six pack.

Thanks for the help guys!

It has helped me make an informed decision. However, I am now swaying towards purchasing a Brown Davis bar from a local forum sponsor instead (anyone for group buy ).

I have no doubt the MX5 Plus bars are great pieces of kit but the extra cost of freight, powder coating and more involved fitting procedure makes the BD bar the better bar for my personal situation.

Not to start another 500 page thread about roll bars, their effectiveness or which one to get....are you doing any Motorsport in the car?

Earlybird wrote:Thanks for the help guys!

It has helped me make an informed decision. However, I am now swaying towards purchasing a Brown Davis bar from a local forum sponsor instead (anyone for group buy ).

I have no doubt the MX5 Plus bars are great pieces of kit but the extra cost of freight, powder coating and more involved fitting procedure makes the BD bar the better bar for my personal situation.

Also have a look at the AGI product as well. Also recommend you chat with Danny at MX5Plus as well.

deviant wrote:Not to start another 500 page thread about roll bars, their effectiveness or which one to get....are you doing any Motorsport in the car?

Nope, street use only.

My previous NA had a BD bar in it and even though the chance of a roll over may be extremely slim to none, having one there can't be a bad thing. They also look great too

Don't forget the side impact too.

This interests me because I need to install the Tall Boy this weekend. Regarding the drilling of holes with the roof up, I have a normal zip window. Would there be enough space for a normal drill if I unzip the window and bend it back?

Don't think it would bend back enough.