installed my hard top a little late this winter (was buried in girlfriends garage) and noticed it wasn't fitting so well.
the rear mounts (on the frankenstein bolts) were loose when installed... you could press down on mounts and there was some slack.. would make some noises while driving.
i decided to investigate today and see if there were any adjustments available or problems associated with the mounts.
what i found was that inside the chrome things there are some assumably replaceable mounts that are adjustable, and have a plastic bush that wears out over time. while 'scratching my head in the shed' i realised that they are symmetrical and can be reversed for twice the service time.
car in question. first remove hard top (worked out how to remove it by myself today... but make sure you're not wearing a metal belt or jeans with studs... i learnt the hard way)
the crome rear mounts have removable covers. there are two screws on each mount... remove one on the side...
then one on the underside
hard top in question with mount covers removed - be sure not to lose the non metal washer from the bottom screw (pictured later)
hard top mounted on car without covers - worn bush exposed
both removable parts compared... symmetrical... one flipped upside down, one left exposing warn bush.
another angle of both removable mounting pieces.
picture of mount flipped for test fit
to adjust the mounts into the right place i did the front clips up, moved the mounts as far forward as they go, undid front clips and tapped hardtop back a couple of mm, then moved the mounts forward again and bolted them down.
once you have them both adjusted and mounted in the right position - put the rear mount covers back on... but make sure you put the non-metal washers as pictured here.
hard top mounted, with no vertical movement
one happy mx5
