Hard Dog M2 Hard Core Hard Top Roll Bar Install

Hard Dog M2 Hard Core Hard Top Roll Bar Install by Rick Stangeland I finally broke down and decided to add a roll bar to my Miata. I installed a roll bar in my previous Miata about 10 years ago and helped a friend install one shortly after that, so this wasn't new to me, but the details weren't exactly fresh in my mind either. Lots of folks have written great reviews and how-to articles on roll bar installs, and I thought I would add my experience to the collective knowledge base, hence this article. The last bars I installed were Hard Dog M2 Sports. This time around I'm installing a Hard Dog M2 Hard Core Hardtop Double Diagonal. It has similar dimensions to the Sport bar but larger tubing for SCCA Solo 1 compliance. Install instructions are virtually the same with only a few more steps required for the Hard Core bar. Along with the bar, I also purchased the SFI-approved padding and leather cover. I started off intending to take lots of photos. Unfortunately, as the job wore on, I thought of the camera less frequently than I should have. Nonetheless, I got a few pictures along the way. Let's get started... Here's the car before I got going. It's a 2005 MazdaSpeed. This is the last time it will be sporting a factory tonneau cover. Over on the left side of the photo, you can see the roll bar or the box it came in anyway. Page 1 of 27

I parked the car in the garage with just enough room to open the door without hitting anything, while leaving room on the other side to bring our other car into the garage over night: Time to unpack the bar and take inventory (all present and accounted for). Bethania does a wonderful job packing these bars. Mine had a long journey with two shipping companies and arrived in perfect condition. Page 2 of 27

Let's get to work! If you want printed instructions, you'll need to download them from Bethania's site. In addition to printing their PDF file, I also printed each of the Installation Images (also on the website) for reference. First thing I did was disconnect the ground cable from the battery. Page 4 of 27

Next the seats came out. Only four bolts each plus one electrical connector under the driver's seat. Needed to vacuum under the seats anyway. Page 5 of 27

I removed the Windblocker and quarter trim. Note the little electrical connector which provided connectivity to the speakers in the Windblocker remains poking up from the carpet. I don't plan on reinstalling the Windblocker, so I'll have to hide the connector and fix the hole in the carpet. I put the top up and removed the carpet from the parcel shelf and rear bulkhead. Wires were unclipped and the fuel tank cover was removed. Page 6 of 27

The LATCH child restraint anchors were removed from the car. This wasn't required for the roll bar install other than to save my knees from bashing into them. I didn't reinstall. Trim and support panels from the trunk were removed, along with the little bits of insulation. Page 7 of 27

Here's the pile of stuff taken out of the interior. I'll be jacking up the rear of the car soon so it's time to block the front wheels. Page 8 of 27

The instructions talk about hammering the seatbelt reel tabs flat and tilting the seatbelt reels in toward the centre of the car. I found you could tilt quite a bit on the driver's side, but less than a quarter inch on the passenger side. Both upper and lower seat belt mounting hardware was removed. Page 9 of 27

I didn't flatten the tabs but enlarged the hole on the passenger side and drilled a new hole on the driver's side. Page 11 of 27

One of the templates gives dimensions for the chunks of rear parcel shelf that must be removed. I used a Dremel and metal cutting wheel to make the cuts. Make sure you tuck the wires out of the way and prepare for sparks! Use a file to clean up sharp edges and corners. Page 12 of 27

Jack up the back of the car and secure with jack stands. Remove the rear wheels and inner fender liners. Unplug the ABS wires on each side of the car and feed them out through the bulkhead. You'll drill new holes and put 'em back after the roll bar is bolted in. There's also a vent/hose you'll need to move out of the way on the passenger side of the car. If you squeeze the connector on the top of the vent from inside the car, it is easy to push down and leave hanging in the wheel well. Once the bar is in, you'll drill a new hole and remount. Get some help and put the bar in the car. Getting around the wiring seemed easier than my memory of previous installs. Just be slow and methodical. The cuts I made in the parcel shelf look a little too big with the bar in place but provide much needed wiggle room when positioning the bar. Page 13 of 27

Note that the wiring for the rear window defroster is taped up out of harm's way. Page 14 of 27

Bolt the bar in place starting with the seatbelt towers, then rear mounting feet and finally front legs. Torque all bolts to spec. Sharp drill bits and a variable speed drill are a must for this job. I like using small pilot holes and stepping up to final size in a couple stages. Drill real slow and use moderate pressure. The instructions recommend drilling down from the top for your first hole on the rear feet. My drill would not fit. I used an automatic centre punch and marked the hole from the top, then went under the car and found the dimple I just made, and centre punched up from there. Then I could drill the first hole up from the bottom, mount the backing plate and drill the other two holes. Page 15 of 27

Watch out when you drill the holes for the front leg on the passenger side of the car there are lots of things inside the wheel well you don't want to damage when the drill bit breaks through. Page 16 of 27

Drill new holes for the ABS wires. I used a ¾ hole saw. Page 17 of 27

Time to remount the vent/hose in the passenger wheel well. Find a good spot away from the roll bar backplate that does not stress the hose. Make sure there's room to reinstall the fender liner. Drill a 17/64 hole and push the vent's mounting pin into the hole. Spray some undercoating on and around each backplate and install the inner fender liners. Put the wheel back on the car and put the car on the ground. Torque the wheels to spec. Just for fun, I installed the roll bar padding and cover. Here's how things looked so far. Put the insulation back on the rear bulkhead and reconnect any wiring. Page 18 of 27

Trim the fuel tank cover and reinstall. Dang, that thing's sharp! Good news is it cuts real easy with tin snips. Time to get to work on the carpet. Remember there was a hole I wanted to fix? Well, I cut a piece of carpet out of another section I knew would be covered later. Page 19 of 27

I reinstalled the lower carpet and taped my now redundant Bose wiring out of the way. Did some creative measuring to determine where the roll bar would pass through the carpet and then transferred the measurements to the back of the carpet. Page 20 of 27

Insulation was cut away and carpet was pre-cut prior to installation. Page 21 of 27

Patch for the redundant wiring hole was cut and duct taped in place. Page 22 of 27

Time to install the carpet. Glad I did the cutting in advance. Looking for any excuse to avoid cutting the quarter trim, I reassembled the trunk. However, cutting the quarter trim cannot be avoided. This is the part of the install I liked the least. I used a Dremel and plastic cutting wheel. Lots of test-fitting and trimming. Cleaned things up with a half-round file, long sanding board and a bit of door edge guard on the smaller pieces. In the end, I removed more plastic than my first install, but it looks clean and symmetric. Once one side was done, the other went quickly. Page 23 of 27

Install your newly customized quarter trim. Hard top striker plates required a fair bit of grinding to clear the bar. Put the seats back in. Got anything left over that belongs in the car? Install it. Hook up the battery. I split the seam on each side of the boot cover and will clean up the edges on the sewing machine. Done! Took the car for a shake-down ride to make sure there are no squeaks or rattles. All good. Prayed I'll never need my new roll bar! Page 26 of 27