Trim behind soft top- how do you remove????

bonester · Postby **bonester** » Sat Mar 10, 2018 12:28 am

Need to remove trim that goes from the rear of both doors around the back of the car behind the softtop so I can paint the quarters etc. Googled and all I could come up with is one person said remove the softtop. Anyone here done it? I was hoping there is an easier way to do it. Concerned about damaging the rain rail.
Thanks.

hks_kansei · Postby **hks_kansei** » Sat Mar 10, 2018 6:40 am

The plastic/rubber one?

It's just Press fit from memory, just like the door pinch weld seals. (It may have some glue as well? Been a while since I yanked one off)

bonester · Postby **bonester** » Sat Mar 10, 2018 7:09 pm

That sounds AWESOME - I don't want to touch the soft top if I can help it! Thanks. :NA8:

Can anyone else confirm this????

bonester · Postby **bonester** » Sun Mar 11, 2018 9:11 pm

I can't work out how to get it off. Anyone done it????

Wolfgang · Postby **Wolfgang** » Sun Mar 11, 2018 9:38 pm

https://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=517658

bonester · Postby **bonester** » Sun Mar 11, 2018 10:16 pm

Thanks Wolfgang. That sounds like a lot more work that I want to do, especially risking bending it or not sealing it up properly afterwards. I'll look into some very careful masking up.

StuwieP · Postby **StuwieP** » Mon Mar 12, 2018 1:17 pm

I just replaced my soft top recently. It's not hard to remove the soft top frame from the car completely. I would say go for it.

The rain rail is held in place by pressure only and provided you don't yank on it too hard (you shouldn't have too) you won't break anything that isn't already cracked. and if it is cracked, and not leaking, just tighten it all back up when you're done.

Be aware that the rubber seal thing has lots of black goopy stuff in it (or mine did, anyway)

billybunter · Postby **billybunter** » Tue Mar 20, 2018 6:24 pm

well i'd say there is a fair bit of work getting to that trim and i'd say if you can go without it just must up to it and spray away BUT if not you have to go right into the back -pull the carpet clips which run around the rear windscreen - then undo the nuts behind them-remove the 3 steel pans. push out the rain rail and you have to be careful here as it could be delicate/fragile and you might crack or stuff it - you really wouldn't know till its out of the way
after that you right up to that trim panel. I think then its about 8 or 10 bolts to undo. and you think its off. but its held on by this black gooey crap and I had to use a bit of force :lol:

to tap it off. when you do knock it out a bit its a good idea to have some help to pull it out and definitely to help place it back in when you re-paint
overall its a pita to remove. ...but so too are the door window seal rubbers :lol: