Next step was the rubber seals. I had found a generic rubber seal that would work for the rear seal to the top of the body, and the front seal was part of the windshield frame, but the side window seals were proving difficult. They were no longer available from Snugtop, and I wasn't having much luck finding any that would work. While spelunking around the 'net, I found an old thread on ClubRoadster where a guy had used convertible top seals on a hard top, and that looked like it might just work.
Luckily, an NA had recently showed up at the local U-Pick-It, so I went over to take a look. SCORE! The top was trashed, but the seals were near new! I bought the whole frame, as I also had plans to use the header for a DiY 'bikini' top down the road. In all, it cost less than new soft top rubber would have cost for one side from Mazda. I disassembled the rails and seals from the soft top frame, and they fit perfectly on the hard top. Things were looking good.
I started by carefully installing the rails to the hard top after fitting them with the seals installed and marking the position.
DSC_9442 by Rodan AZ, on Flickr
DSC_9447 by Rodan AZ, on Flickr
Once the rails were on, snapping in the seals was, well, a snap!
DSC_9448 by Rodan AZ, on Flickr
DSC_9444 by Rodan AZ, on Flickr
It was a little tedious, as I had to shim the rails slightly to fit them properly to the windows, and that required the top coming off and on about a half dozen times. Once the seals were all done, it was time for a good color sanding and buffing...
1st buff by Rodan AZ, on Flickr
And finally, some glamour shots.
Miata 10-17-15-3 by Rodan AZ, on Flickr
Miata 10-17-15-4 by Rodan AZ, on Flickr
All in, I was still well under what an unpainted race top would have cost after shipping, or a nice condition factory top. As long as I don't count my labor, but here at GRM, who does?