Giving up on the Miata Top: Off-topic discussion forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

Subscribe get a full year for only $23.95 Sample Free Test Drive—no strings attached

Aug. 15, 2010 4:05 p.m. Drewsifer HalfDork

I'm raising the white flag on this one. It was to much of a project for me right now, and I really underestimated just how difficult it would be. I made a lot of mistakes that just kept making things harder and taking more time. Like the pop rivets. I was going about removing them the entirely wrong way. Each one was taking me probably 20 minutes. Then I finally looked it up and realized I was an idiot.

I also kept bouncing back and forth between the guide that came with the top, and the Miata Performance. They each had pictures and portions that where very useful. However this caused me to not thread the tension cable through at the right time, because it wasn't listed in the guide that came with the top. So while trying to fix that, I pulled one of the guide strings out.

I'm man enough to know when I'm beat. I'm too frustrated to work on it anymore today. Tomorrow I'm going to try and find an upholstery place. I learned some important lessons with this job. I'll just have to apply them later.
Aug. 15, 2010 5:00 p.m. RedS13Coupe Reader

Being beat by a project SUCKS, but sometimes you just have to hand it over...

For our curiosity/entertainment/education what was the wrong and right ways of removing pop rivets
Aug. 15, 2010 7:55 p.m. Yavuz New Reader

I looked at what was involved with installing a new top. I didn't even try. Paid $400 for a professional to do it and it came out absolutely perfect.
Aug. 15, 2010 8:20 p.m. Woody SuperDork

Some times, you need to walk away for a day or two.
Aug. 15, 2010 8:47 p.m. Toyman01 Dork

Woody wrote:

Some times, you need to walk away for a day or two.

^^ This. I have fought stuff for hours and walked away. Come back a day or two later and had it fall together. Sometimes you just got to lock the shop and go watch TV.
Aug. 16, 2010 9:40 a.m. Drewsifer HalfDork

Yavuz wrote:

I looked at what was involved with installing a new top. I didn't even try. Paid $400 for a professional to do it and it came out absolutely perfect.

I tried to do this when I was in El Paso. The Mazda refereed place wanted $1150 to do it. And its starting to look like there isn't anywhere near me that does it.. Uh Oh.

For our curiosity/entertainment/education what was the wrong and right ways of removing pop rivets

I thought I was supposed to drill all the way through the pop rivet. So I was using a small drill bit (and I broke two doing it). Then I would maul what remained of the rivet with a screw driver or dremel. That is very clearly the wrong way to do it. I know now

I now know the "right way" is to use a larger drill bit, and just drill enough that it pushes the pop back through. Then using a center punch, break the head off, pop the remains through. I did about six rivets in two minutes after I figured this out.
Aug. 16, 2010 9:59 a.m. RossD Dork

You do know that a convertible car without a top is a roadster, right?