Style Bars - More installation tips

npn4875 · Postby **npn4875** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 10:55 pm

Looking for locally made style bars.

There are several slightly different types around, and the Racing Beat type is particularly the shape I'm after. Anybody know the eBay seller "drifta_r32" in Perth? He has some likely looking ones, although there's two pictures, and although one is of the Racing Beat shape, the other is of the less attractive (IMHO) OBX shape. What I need to know is: which is the actual bar this guy makes??

Postby **Okibi** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 11:37 am

I see the one you're bidding on.

Hard for MX-5 Mania to compete with that price (unless bidding goes up a lot).

One of our club members has delt with him, apparently some manifolds/exhausts have clearance issues and have been missing bolts or gaskets but he thinks you should be alright with the Style Bars.

PT · Postby PT » Tue Feb 07, 2006 1:43 pm

Do these style bars work with the factory windblocker?

Amanda · Postby **Amanda** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 2:08 pm

PT wrote:Do these style bars work with the factory windblocker?

I would be interested in this answer too and if anyone has them now, some pics would be great.

I would love some style bars the Racing Beat ones especially but $900 odd is pretty extreme....

npn4875 · Postby **npn4875** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 2:51 pm

Dunno about the wind blocker - Keith Nelson has one, I think its the same design, and it works OK with the blocker. These however say they work with "hard and soft tops" and by the fact that they omit it, I assume it won't fit. The original Racing Beat seems not to work with a windblocker, according to their site, AFAIR.

Most offer the perspex/polycarbonate blocker that fits between the hoops and is more effective than the factory one. BUT you can't reach back and flip the lid then

Amanda · Postby **Amanda** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 2:57 pm

npn4875 wrote:Dunno about the wind blocker - Keith Nelson has one, I think its the same design, and it works OK with the blocker. These however say they work with "hard and soft tops" and by the fact that they omit it, I assume it won't fit. The original Racing Beat seems not to work with a windblocker, according to their site, AFAIR.

Most offer the perspex/polycarbonate blocker that fits between the hoops and is more effective than the factory one. BUT you can't reach back and flip the lid then

The RB one does work with the windblocker, I believe it just needs a minor adjustment. Benny and BJones both have theirs customised to use the WB.

JBT · Postby **JBT** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 6:04 pm

One point to consider Mike if you intend to use the car with style bar in a CAMS event. This may have changed, but a few years ago you could pass CAMS scrutineering in a sports car without a roll bar. However, if any roll bar was fitted it had to be CAMS approved regardless of how strong it was. If it didn't comply it had to be removed - good eh? The CAMS construction requirements for the roll bars to be approved were quite amazing too.

npn4875 · Postby **npn4875** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 11:47 pm

Arrived today in FedEx van... see WTB style bar topic for update....

EDIT: [url]link http://www.aus-cartalk.com/viewtopic.ph ... 947#203947[/url]

npn4875 · Postby **npn4875** » Sun Feb 19, 2006 9:40 pm

Report and pictures now posted on this thread:
[url]link http://www.aus-cartalk.com/viewtopic.ph ... 947#203947[/url]

npn4875 · Postby **npn4875** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 10:25 pm

Got some more info and pics re intallation.

I thoguht I'd better move 'em here because they're really in the wrong spot in "wtb"

First, the nut I recommend you change:

It's a 3/8" UNC as I said, and although this is a crappy picture you can see how narrow it is. You want one about twice as fat as that.

Interestingly, I gave the Yanks a serve for putting an imperial bolt in a Japanese car. But I found out in this excercise that the MX5 has an imperial bolt of its own. Yes, the seat belt bolt is imperial, and apparently so is every seat belt mounting in the world - it's an international convention. Well, there you go.

See next post for modifications I had to do to raise the seat belt a bit.

npn4875 · Postby **npn4875** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 10:40 pm

RAISING THE SEAT BELT
So you don't have to cut the plastic cap.

I said in previous posts that on the NB fitting, we needed to raise the seatbelt runner a bit so that the plastic cap would fit back on without cutting. (Didn't need to do it on the NA) Should be easy, just a longer bolt and a spacer?

Not so fast: I found a problem. Spot it?

Yep, of course the original bolt has a shoulder so that when you tighten it down, the belt runner will still swivel.

Solution, in my case, was sacrifice an old brass water fitting out of a cylinder head

I cut off a "Spacer"

and presto: problem solved

Refit to the car using some of the old spacers on top of the bling spacer

replace the cap (without cutting :mrgreen:

)

..and presto, job's a goodun.

Hope that's helpful.

Mike

Postby **Okibi** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 2:33 am

Great photos mate :mrgreen:

fastfreddygassit · Postby **fastfreddygassit** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 8:27 pm

npn4875 wrote:Got some more info and pics re intallation.

I thoguht I'd better move 'em here because they're really in the wrong spot in "wtb"

First, the nut I recommend you change:

It's a 3/8" UNC as I said, and although this is a crappy picture you can see how narrow it is. You want one about twice as fat as that.

Interestingly, I gave the Yanks a serve for putting an imperial bolt in a Japanese car. But I found out in this excercise that the MX5 has an imperial bolt of its own. Yes, the seat belt bolt is imperial, and apparently so is every seat belt mounting in the world - it's an international convention. Well, there you go.

See next post for modifications I had to do to raise the seat belt a bit.

If anyone else is doing this just make sure you buy the correct nut. Mine was a 7/16" UNC and NOT a 3/8" UNC. And this is AFTER I went to a bolt bloke with the nut. Ended up going to conventry fastners with the whole bar (it is a captive bolt) to get the correct one. Fitting the bar was a breeze.......after a few hours that is....
:shock:

JBT · Postby **JBT** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 9:31 pm

Thanks for that info. Mine arrived today

. I'll get the nuts and bolts etc. next week for fitting.

Boags · Postby **Boags** » Sun Feb 26, 2006 3:25 am

OK - here goes my rant!!!

FIJI was EXCELLENT!!!! :mrgreen:

ANYONE WITH AN NA SHOULD GET ONE OF THESE BARS!!!

Rigity is extroadanary!! Noticable on the first corner out of dads house! I have shagged shocks(done 200K) and previously had a wollowy understeer on roundabouts, i now have the most pleasant bit of oversteer in the right situation :evil:

The car no longer sinks in on the front outside corner, the whole side sinks together... Still need to replace my shocks, but it is sooooo much fun(and i loved it before :roll:

)

$200 VERY well spent!

Boags