Just thought I'd post a little FYI about NC top removal/replacement.
It is definitely a big job, as it requires removal of almost everything in the car behind the seats, including the center console. Officially, you are supposed to remove the roll hoop assembly, but I decided to work around it in-situ, which wasn't too bad.
The NC actually has as much room, if not more, behind the seats as the NA's do. Even with the Z-fold top, there is a lot of potential storage space wasted in this car. If it weren't for SCCA rules, I'd be tempted to fabricate some panels to make use of it.
Getting to all the various nuts and fasteners is pretty challenging, but just took some careful examination and searching. I was able to remove the interior parts and the old top assembly in about 3 hours, working at a casual pace. I installed the new assembly into the car in about 90 minutes, again taking my time and stretching breaks (its cramped in there with top up and wedged behind the seats, which is how you get to the fasteners). I did not reinstall the interior parts behind the seats yet, as I'm thinking of adding a little sound deadening and two rear speakers while the car is apart.
Finally, I replaced the torn top with an oem top/frame assembly, so this did not include removing/installing the fabric itself, like a Robbins top would require. I might do that in the future, since I have an extra frame and the new top is the same Mazda vinyl top that will eventually fail, but hopefully not for 3-4 years.
