Hey guys, I will be installing my roll bar on Sunday the 20th.
If anyone wants to come out and help or watch or do anything to their cars, you are more than welcome.
PM me for directions and phone #.
Let me know if you plan to come out;)
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Hey guys, I will be installing my roll bar on Sunday the 20th.
If anyone wants to come out and help or watch or do anything to their cars, you are more than welcome.
PM me for directions and phone #.
Let me know if you plan to come out;)
I believe that is the date of the last SCCA event of the year.
Yep it is! :burnrubr:Quote:
Originally Posted by blackzx3_13
That's kewl,....anyone who isn't going racing, you guys are more than welcome.
Should have some drinks and snacks and such also.
i'm interested depending on what time it is...
I am thinking no later than 10:00 in the morning is when I will get started on this, I am going to take it slow and make sure I do it right.
May also be doing some other maint. things as well.
I have two floor Jacks 4 Jack stands, Impact wrench, and all sorts of other tools so I should have all the hand tools needed for most things.
You could just bring it to my house on Saturday the 19th. :confused:
I would but I have band auditions and work on Saturday, that's why I miss a lot of the Saturday Auto X's.
Sunday is about my only free day with the exception of weekdays, and that's when everyone else works.
Good Luck BTW on the Timming Belt Change!, hope it goes smooth and easy for you guys;)
Since it looks like I may be flying solo on this roll bar install are there any tips you guys have learned that aren't already explained in the instructions and the write-up on Miata.net?
I have several instructions, but I understand that sometimes someone will find something that they did on their install that made the process more smooth and easier.
I am going to buy a drill, the bits and a drimel tool and cutting discs on Thursday.
Get a tack puller, hemostats, or the special tool to remove those crazy carpet fasteners...
I used hemostats... opened 'em up, slid 'em under the fastener, and pried them right up & out. Sure does save your fingernails.
I also pulled out my seats during the install on my 03. I didn't on the 92 I used to have and it was a PITA during the install.
RJ
An old fork works great for that. Spread the tines a bit and slip it under the fastener.Quote:
Originally Posted by channelmaniac
very good I would have never thought of that, I had read about getting a carpet tool but figured it would never come in on time for me to do the install if I ordered it from the dealer, and I do have a pair of Hemostats.
I had read also that taking the seats out was a good idea.
Thanks for the advice.
I read I will also need to jack up the rear of the car and pull the tires, looks like someone is coming out after all so I will have an extra set of hands to help with putting on the backing plates.
Any thoughts on what type cutting disc and bit I should get, and what amp dremel tool I should get?
I noticed Wally World has several versions with various amps, some are quite expensive, some aren't so bad,...so what will do the job without falling short on power?
FWIW, I used tin snips for metal cutting on the back deck, and the Dremel for carving up the plastic bits. I tried cutting discs on the metal and didn't have much success (the discs liked to 'explode').
WOW, that doesn't sound too safe.....lol
I will get a pair of tin snips too then, and a pair of Safety glasses;)
What type of drill bit should I use?
I know I need a standard size and a 12" long one, is there a particular type of bit I should use? (pardon my ignorance I have not used a drill much), but I know there are various types of bits for different jobs.
How powerful should the drill be?, I have a 12volt cordless but it seems to be useless so I plan on getting a corded drill.
Thanks for the advice and help.
The sheet-metal on the Miata isn't very thick. You may try your cordless before you go buy a new one. Any metal working drill bit will work OK. Hell, a wood bit would probably be OK! ;)
lol, kewl,...thanks.
A few tips from someone that has installed over two dozen rollbars in Miatas.
Unplug the battery.
Take the seats and center (arm) consule out. The more room the better. You take the center consule out because its a good place to sit while wrenching on the inside and you'll most like scratch the plastic when the gas tank cover goes on and off. Seen this happen many times.
Use the claw end of a regular hammer to get the carpet fastners out. No special tool or drug parafanial required :)
A 12V cordless drill is useless. Get an electric drill (one that plugs into a wall). Nothing whimpy.
You'll need real sharp 3/8" drill bits. Don't get those silly two-step bits. Just good old fashion bits made for drilling into steel, not wood! Get a spare incase. 12" bit is also needed for the guide holes.
The little bit of sheet metal on the car that has to be cut can be done with a good set of tin snips. That's if you know what you're doing. Get the dremel fiber reinforced cutting wheels if you dont. They must be the reinforced ones
http://www.dremel.com/productdisplay...6&Color=cc0000
Using the tin snips you can make the fore/aft cuts and use the Dremel wheel for the side-to-side cuts if your not proficient with tin snips. File all the edges down after cutting the metal so you don't slice your fingers/hands/arms later on.
Get the bar in place and mount the four seat belt bolts up while the car is on the ground. You should get someone to help you at least place the rollbar into the car. It has to be snaked into position and there is only one path that really works. Kinda hard doing this by yourself the first time. Its not impossible but hard to do by yourself.
Get all four seatbelt bolts lined up and into place before you snug down any individually. The sport bar is noritous for not lining up with the four seatbelt attachment points. At least half of the SportBars I've installed needed some sort of modifications to fit properly.
If you do it on stands you most likely will have problems with things lining up. After these four seatbelt bolts are in place then you can put the car up on stands and drill the holes that are accessed thru the wheel wells. Nothing difficult doing these.
Trim the metal gas tank cover with the tin snips. Good snips cut thru this sheet metal like butter. Cut an opening for the harness eyebolts and mount the eye bolts at this time also. Just easier.
Good luck on cutting the plastic side panels properly when installing a sport bar for the first time. I'd suggest you take measurements from another car with properly cut panels when you can find one later. New panels cost 70-80 bucks each if you f-them-up to bad.
Use the dremel reinforced cut off wheel tool for the plastic cutting. It makes nice clean straight cuts in the plastic. Use the drum sanding tool for shaping the horizontal tubing openings, seatbelt openings and smoothing out any ragged edges. Again I've seen alot people make a mess out of these panels so be careful. HardDog instructions for this step is very vague and inaccurate.
I use a safety razor blade to cut the carpet openings, but any real sharp carpet type knife will do. Again doing this the first time without a example for reference is tough. The carpet and plastic panels make the install look professional or like a hack job. Mess them up and you have to live with them everytime you look at your car.
After you buy a good drill, 12" bit, 3/8' bit, dremel, dremel tools, tin snips, plus all the other stuff and spending up to 8 hours (or more if you're doing this by yourself for the first time) it would of been cheaper to have TDR install it properly :P
Good luck and take your time. I truely think you should wait until you can get some experienced help to come over and schedule it for another weekend. You can carry the bar inside your car if you need to trasported to a future tech day.
Just my suggestions.
Hey, thanks for all the tips and hints.
I do plan on taking my time even if the install takes a couple of days to make sure it's done right (or the best I can do it).
I am looking forward to learning more about the car, and how to install a roll bar, and since I need these tools anyhow I figure it's a good time to go ahead and get them.
I guess if I find I am over my head I can always just put everything back the way it was and schedule time with Gary.
Once the rollbar is bolted in place you can still drive the car. The finish-out (trim and panels) can be done at a later date at another tech day if you want it done properly.
I highly recommend that you get help with these items. I've seen many hack jobs on thefinish-out and its something that is easily done properly by someone with previous experience.
Again...good luck with it all!
When I trimmed the tower trim on my car I just sat the bar on it and marked 'em with a grease pencil... took 'em out and then bolted the bar in place.
This gave me some good marks to go by for cutting... GO SLOW... cut small pieces at a time... you can always cut more, but can't put back any excess that you cut out. ;)
As for the drill... I have a 12v DeWalt drill that I used to install both my roll bars with. It worked great! Don't use a wimpy Skil or other type of Wal-Mart drill, or some generic crap battery powered drill.
RJ
Repeat after me: fiber-reinforced cutting wheels. These are the only cutting wheels worth buying for a Dremel. The non-reinforced ones are just a waste of time.Quote:
Originally Posted by sammm
Tin snips are for :cat:s.
Do they hurt your little hands? ::Paul:: Take your mittens off first next time.Quote:
Originally Posted by altiain
No, I never even bothered with them. Unlike some people on this board, I can operate a Dremel properly. ::Bleh::Quote:
Originally Posted by sammm
Well after getting sick, pricing all I would need to buy, and getting a little freaked out by the suggestions (thank God)...I decided to go to Gary to install the roll bar.
After seeing all the work that went into it, and the time, and knowing how overly slow I would have been, the drive and money was well worth it.
They did a stellar job on the install!!...and it was great talking and meeting so many other Miata drivers.
It looks fantastic, and I like the way the car feels now.
Thanks for making me think twice about doing this alone.
:clap: and I bet it looks really good.Quote:
Originally Posted by Billy Blaze
Now grab some thing that looks like this...
http://www.michaels.com.au/slr/nik_f55.jpg
...point it at your car and press the button on the top right!
Last time I got near a :cat: with tin snips, there was a lot of screaming and blood. And some of it wasn't mine.Quote:
Originally Posted by altiain
Hey Sparky Bob Barker wanted you to take you cat the the Vet to be neutered, he didn't want you to do it yourself..... ::Bleh::Quote:
Originally Posted by tailchaser
http://www.entertainment-news.org/im...time-emmys.jpg
Now you tell me!Quote:
Originally Posted by POS Racing
http://media.williamandnadia.com/pho...itty_large.jpgQuote:
Originally Posted by tailchaser
point taken, I will take a few shots of the bar today.
(that Cat looks pissed)