hard top questions

[edhelmstetter]

i`m sure these questions have been beaten to death and i will do my best to search the forums for answers but just in case anyone has a quick answer for me....can i remove my 1993 hard top and install it on my 2003 using the hardware removed from the 1993? From what i read the top can be used on the 2003 but does the 1993 hardware, latches etc. fit in the 2003? It seems that ordering new hardware is an option but it would be a shame if it wasn`t necessary. thanks in advance
ed in nj

[HarryB]

I have not done it, so I cannot be 100% sure, but in theory it should be doable. Since it is a 93 hardtop, I assume it does not have a heated rear screen, so that saves you the headache of compatible pigtails as well.

[RustRat]

Since soft tops are interchangeable, and since soft top and hard top latches are almost the same, my guess would be that you're ok.

[JamieH]

It's going to depend on if your '03 is a late or early '03. There was a slight redesign on the latches for late '03-'04. But, yes, you can use the strikers and latches from an earlier car on a later one (NA to NB).

Also, '93 is the first year for defrost & headliner tops. So if your top really is one of those, you'll at least need the NB defrost pigtail.

[90blue]

I have found that rhe early latches adjust better and are of better quality. The NB latches mah not adjust tight enough

[RustRat]

Ah, I forgot. JamieH is right. My amigo, HarryB had issues with his latches because his hardtop was from a 02 or 03, and his car is a 03 or 04. There was something different, and caused his hardtop not to fit properly.

[HarryB]

Peter is right; HT is 02, car is 04. Have been struggling for a while on why it was not a perfect fit. Turned out that the plastic caps design was changed by Mazda on late 03s, not sure why, and that is a not well-known fact. Anyway, replacement caps are fairly cheap, if you manage to find some. "Early" type, i.e. pre-2003 are easy to come by, but late-type are far more rare. Managed to find only one set in Europe (and extremely overpriced I may add), so I went on and ordered three sets from MiataMecca at roughly the price of this single EU set. :P

[HarryB]

Posting also here for future reference. As you might recall, I had some issues with my HT sealing. Then accidentally found out that Mazda changed the design of their latches from pointy to blunt sometime at 2003. My car is a 2004, and the HT (and latches) were from a 2001 NB, so I blamed those and started looking for appropriate latch caps. Trouble begun when I removed the actual latches in order to change the caps. As it seems, they are not interchangeable, as the metal part is exactly shaped like the cap, and the pointy ones are slightly longer. Therefore the blunt-edged one would not fit correctly.

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo189/HarryBk88/WP_20160124_004_zpsoaih8x0e.jpg (http://s374.photobucket.com/user/HarryBk88/media/WP_20160124_004_zpsoaih8x0e.jpg.html)

Decided to ditch the bolt and reside to silicone clue to hold the cap in place and fill in the voids. Since I was on it, i bit the bullet and bought brand-new HT seals, in case my old ones had deformed and they were the actual issue. Test-fitted the HT, and no, it was worse than before... So I decided to swap over my soft top latches, which I knew they were right for the car. This however did not changed a thing... well, it did, now the HT would not seal on the top of the windscreen as well. Removed the windscreen strikers/grab plates, put a couple of shims underneath and put them back, that fixed the windscreen gap. However, the initial issue (gap between car, HT and door window) STILL remains!

Photo as it stands:

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo189/HarryBk88/WP_20160124_005_zps4dzbsdfv.jpg (http://s374.photobucket.com/user/HarryBk88/media/WP_20160124_005_zps4dzbsdfv.jpg.html)

Any ideas on what might be wrong? Do I have wrong seals? Is the HT crooked? I am getting so desperate that I am about to sell the damn thing and just keep the soft top! Help please!

[edhelmstetter]

thanks everyone-will hope for the best when spring comes in a few weeks