Help! Hardtop Wont Fit?

natetizzle · Postby **natetizzle** » Thu Apr 16, 2015 1:40 am

Hello fellow enthusiasts,

My mx5mania hardtop fitting kit arrived this morning.

Excitingly i attempted to put on my hardtop finally, however it's not lining up correctly.

I have not mounted the side strikes plates yet, I can't find the best place for it, since it's not lining up.

The hardtop looks like it's more towards the right hand side of the car.

With the cabin latches locked and secured, the chrome plate on the rear is not lining up with the frankenstein bolts.

I understand you need to push the hardtop towards the front, to lock the bolts in, but i can't even do that.

I've attached pictures as reference.

Am i doing something wrong, are my seals in the way, is my windshield frame warped? :frown:

Thanks in advance guys.

olboy · Postby **olboy** » Thu Apr 16, 2015 6:25 am

twisted body
sorry

Apu · Postby **Apu** » Thu Apr 16, 2015 6:58 am

It might just be the angles, but the gaps on the car look uneven...which would suggest as olboy said, a twisted body.

Mr Morlock · Postby **Mr Morlock** » Thu Apr 16, 2015 5:17 pm

I doubt your MX5 has a twisted body. If you had a soft top was there a problem with its fitment? An MX5 is not an MG TC built on a wooden frame. Its more likely a problem with the hardtop and or the anchoring and adjustments. I have never done this job so really have no idea of the right processes to check so you probably need to get a face to face with another vehicle or fellow owner or a local pro that knows about MX5 tops. Trying to describe how to do it I would imagine to be pretty hard.

Jeo · Postby **Jeo** » Thu Apr 16, 2015 5:23 pm

Slide from the back first. As in get the frankenstein bolts in the holes, then slide forward so they're locked in place, then attach the front clips.

It's far more likely that the hardtop is bent than the car, and the hardtop will have some give in it.

hks_kansei · Postby **hks_kansei** » Thu Apr 16, 2015 5:43 pm

I'm with Jeo.

I'd also add that before trying to fit a new hardtop swing open the chrome covers and loosen the two bolts in each (from memory 10mm) then move the nylon catch thingy back as far as it goes.

Put the hardtop on the car, then slide the nylong thing to sit under the lip of the frankenstein bolts, then tighten the 10mm bolts up.

These nylon things have adjustment built in to take into account both manufacturing tolerances, as well as wear and tear.

Yours actually look a bit worn, i'd suggest you take them out and flip them upside down (so the non-worn side is against the frankenstein bolt) it should give a better grip that way, and prevent them rattling.

KevGoat · Postby **KevGoat** » Thu Apr 16, 2015 5:57 pm

Do you have a roll bar fitted? Bit hard to tell. This can sometimes make it harder. The BD bar in my old NA6 was a tight fit when I fitted my NB8A's hard top to it.

Jeo · Postby **Jeo** » Thu Apr 16, 2015 6:25 pm

hks_kansei wrote:I'd also add that before trying to fit a new hardtop swing open the chrome covers and loosen the two bolts in each (from memory 10mm) then move the nylon catch thingy back as far as it goes.

Put the hardtop on the car, then slide the nylong thing to sit under the lip of the frankenstein bolts, then tighten the 10mm bolts up.

These nylon things have adjustment built in to take into account both manufacturing tolerances, as well as wear and tear.

Yours actually look a bit worn, i'd suggest you take them out and flip them upside down (so the non-worn side is against the frankenstein bolt) it should give a better grip that way, and prevent them rattling.

Oooo! Yes! All of those things too.

hks_kansei · Postby **hks_kansei** » Thu Apr 16, 2015 6:30 pm

Jeo wrote:
hks_kansei wrote:I'd also add that before trying to fit a new hardtop swing open the chrome covers and loosen the two bolts in each (from memory 10mm) then move the nylon catch thingy back as far as it goes.

Put the hardtop on the car, then slide the nylong thing to sit under the lip of the frankenstein bolts, then tighten the 10mm bolts up.

These nylon things have adjustment built in to take into account both manufacturing tolerances, as well as wear and tear.

Yours actually look a bit worn, i'd suggest you take them out and flip them upside down (so the non-worn side is against the frankenstein bolt) it should give a better grip that way, and prevent them rattling.

Oooo! Yes! All of those things too.

I forgot to add.

as well as lining up the rear parts first, like Jeo said, also check the front latches are adjusted right.
flip down the plastic centre cover and loosen them until they don't latch the roof rail. then just tighten until they just pull the top against the roof rail without needing huge effort.