I had my hard top stolen this January. Right in front of my apartment. Driver side window busted. Woke up and looked outside at my car and no top. Thought I was dreaming. I'm glad you made a video on this.
Last year someone stole my soft top. The funny thing is that my doors were locked and there was no signs of them picking the lock. I believe they slashed my top open and then stole it. K..kinda defeats the purpose.
Trevor Hoffman on my 96 M if u lock the passenger door then open it and shut it ...it unlocks i think its a safty mech. for if u lock your keys in your car maybe u left your car unlocked
Bobby Patton Holy shit that's how you lock the doors? I've been fumbling with my key in the snow and forgetting which way is lock vs unlock this whole time...
Greg was going out of his way to make an entertaining video for his audience. Obviously most people enjoyed the entertainment, why are you looking for reasons to give him grief?
garage star's kit is alright but i much prefer the spec miata kit, it holds the hardtop on TIGHT, which noticeably boosts chassis rigidity and reduces hardtop squeaks and rattles to almost zero
Hey I have a top tip for anyone of you using the stock latches I agree they rattle a lot so I just put a piece of the soft side of Velcro inside of the latch and it solved all my issues
Great video. Never knew that was possible. I'm glad I decided not to swap my soft top for a hard tip now, since I don't live in the best neighborhood. Much appreciated.
Note for those with early 90 cars (those built '89), you may find that your striker bolts are #3 phllips heads and not T40s. I suggest using a impact screw driver to remove them without a lot of headaches.
Thanks for the video. It helped clear up where to connect the bottom of the rear bracket. I removed the striker and thought that the screw for the lower part of the bracket went through one of those holes, only there was no way that was going to happen, lol. Haven't driven it yet to see if I got it all snug enough, but very happy with them so far. The piece of mind is worth the investment! Thanks for the discount code too!
The hardest part is removing the factory torx screws as they're locktite to the top. You need to heat them up before trying to unscrew them. Otherwise you will round the screw and then have to drill it out.
There are some welded-in nuts behind the body panel where the side strikers go. Those and a couple Zip ties can do some magic to temporarily secure the top. Held up many track days without budging ;)
I had huge trouble getting the latch and striker screws undone due to the loctite on the threads. Eventually I made a shaped tip for a soldering iron to heat the screws up and soften the loctite. Maybe the earlier cars had no loctite?
FWIW, people who have tops stolen usually are NA's w/o power windows, if you give crank windows enough force they will go down, power windows cant be pressed down. I parked my Black hard top in a downtown city and it never got stolen, the stupid center caps were stolen and not even the hard top. Still.....striker kits are good idea! but! if a smart thief comes to a miata with the right tools, the plates wont matter. There are LOCK latches with keys that block screw holes. But, as always I love these videos man! keep up the good work!!
I think the jass performance ones are much better. I've got them myself and they seem to look more beefier than the garage star ones, especially the side mounting plates.
It seems the pro of this kit compared to a spec kit is that you don't need to cut the side panels. Is that right? I'm trying to find a kit to hold mine securely and my panels are frankenstein enough after installing a roll bar.
Hey G I got the license plate number of the guys who stole your top.... It was a white Toyota truck 98521k1 California plates. Nice public service announcement man, I will have to secure my top for sure.
TheCarPassionChannel I might have to sit this one out. still have a few boost leaks to chase down. thinking about just pulling the engine again to make it easier this time. and I need to replace my heater core. kinda blew up about a month ago. made a huge mess on my drivers side floorboard.
Hey Greg, I know there's probably already a bunch of info online on this but I would be interested in a video about picking the right wheels, tires and spacers for your miata. Thanks!
That's a good idea for sure, I've been wanting to do a similar video to that, it's just a matter of making it entertaining haha. It would be awesome to do it at a Miata meet to show people what several different fitments look like.
Dude!! I've been searching everywhere online, then I'm like... you know everything so here is my question........ Just installed an AGI hardtop with double cross beams, it's bolted in tight... I was hoping that this would mean i could drive my NA without the hardtop on.. but no. The car shakes badly at all speeds without the hardtop, car has just had wheels alignment, new tyres.. all rubbers.. shakes like hell, it's horrible!!! With the hardtop.. smooth baby. smooth.. It seems to becoming from the front end? Everything just shakes!!! If you have an answer for me, I'll be your top Patreon dude!!! :-)
would it be better to find somewhere on the top to mount an eye somewhere on the frame to chain and padlock the roof to the body? like somewhere behind the driver? at least that way you'll still have a relatively quick release roof.
Awesome vid. If you wouldn't have broke the glass you would have gotten 10000 comments saying "Bruh, should have shown them breaking the glass like a real thief would" and many variations of stupidity. Keep it up! :)
Those mounts looks very flimsy compared to the Jass Performance and will be more expensive for us Europeans. I got the Jass ones and it makes the hardtop feel like the car was built a coupe, a much more solid feel than the stock latches.
*** It should be noted that the bolts for the OEM front latches have red/blue lock tight on them from the factory. The bolts they used strip VERY easily, and if they strip you get to go through the fun process of drilling them out. To be safe i used a heat gun to heat the screws up and melt the lock tight after i noticed the screws start to deform***
Heres a thread discussing it and showing how to put hardtop brackets on. Might want to add something in the video description about the bolts stripping/ deforming. Apparently happens quite frequently. www.miata.net/garage/Hardtop_Permanent/
Yeah I was surprised at how much all of the latches and everything weighed. Once you do all the main deletes (a/c, p/s, etc) that's actually a pretty significant amount of weight to drop for something that has no drawbacks.
Absolutely! Might just have to invest in some solid mounts for the top. Ive been drooling over various garagestar products for a while. Might aswell add this to the bucket list.
I would hardly say "no drawbacks". Sadly I don't have my MX-5 any more (but another is on my to do list), but when I did I would regularly swap the hard top on and off (a high garage ceiling and a hoist made that easy). I think making it impossible to use the soft top is most definitely a drawback.
+AngrySkateNerd I can easily lift the hard top with one arm, it's fiberglass. The added rigidity of the top far outweighs a couple extra pounds gained over a soft top.
It wouldn't be sketchy, I'v seen plenty of NA miata's without those side latches. my cousin even has one thats a canadian import and it doesn't have those side latches at all.
I have a second gen and it didnt come with a hardtop. I've been wanting one and i dont trust ebay too much. do you know where i can get one from a trusted area?
![HOW TO BUY A NEW OEM MIATA HARDTOP CHEAP! | #OMGMIATA | EP72 | [4K60]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QTmH0K8Zqek/mqdefault.jpg)
![HOW TO BUY A NEW OEM MIATA HARDTOP CHEAP! | #OMGMIATA | EP72 | [4K60]](/img/tr.png)
You broke your windows for this vid. That's hardcore.
I like your style.
Just bought a hardtop. 2nd reference to one being stolen I've stumbled on in the past 12 hours. Paranoid as all hell now. Thanks Greg! :)
Ruben Alanis LMAO!!
LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, me too. Watched the video and purchased the kit already... thanks
What a waste of perfectly good glass
#miatawindowglasslivesmatter
Next Video: How to replace your Miata's windows after your hardtop was stolen! Good video though!
I had my hard top stolen this January. Right in front of my apartment. Driver side window busted. Woke up and looked outside at my car and no top. Thought I was dreaming. I'm glad you made a video on this.
What state was it in?
Last year someone stole my soft top. The funny thing is that my doors were locked and there was no signs of them picking the lock. I believe they slashed my top open and then stole it. K..kinda defeats the purpose.
soft tops take forever to take out
Trevor Hoffman on my 96 M if u lock the passenger door then open it and shut it ...it unlocks i think its a safty mech. for if u lock your keys in your car maybe u left your car unlocked
Trevor Hoffman you know about having to keep the door handle open while closing the door to get it to lock, right?
Bobby Patton when I first found that out, it made life easier locking the doors
Bobby Patton Holy shit that's how you lock the doors? I've been fumbling with my key in the snow and forgetting which way is lock vs unlock this whole time...
You broke your windows just to film this? Lol
They only take about 20 mins to replace.
GearHeads Garage Still excessive for a video. 😂
Nah, they are real cheap to get used ones in good shape. He got an extra pair from my car.
GearHeads Garage I know you can. I have a miata lol. regardless it's still quite dumb imo.
Greg was going out of his way to make an entertaining video for his audience. Obviously most people enjoyed the entertainment, why are you looking for reasons to give him grief?
Why did they smash the glass? His drivers door was unlocked :D
i straight thought 2fast 2 furious reference hahah
Potato Skinz XD
"Put your blouse back on"
Your thumbnail scared me man, I really thought you got finessed
yoo me too haha
Fitment Flow - I like your vocab
Steve Flow 100%
DAMN GREG! you da realest for breaking both of the windows just for the video!
Only at TCPC :) I figured it added a nice touch.
I had a dream that my hardtop got stolen after watching this video :(
That poor baby was probably scared :'(
Who'da thought al Qaida was in the miata top market. :-P
garage star's kit is alright but i much prefer the spec miata kit, it holds the hardtop on TIGHT, which noticeably boosts chassis rigidity and reduces hardtop squeaks and rattles to almost zero
Ryukachoo Where did you find this kit?
Lol I'm good I don't have a hard top
Well now you know how to get one.
TheS13browe lol
***** yea
Same lol
I hope garage star reimbursed you for those shattered windows LOL was not expecting that.
it's not free advertisement. there is obviously a discount code listed meaning this was a sponsored video.
Hey I have a top tip for anyone of you using the stock latches I agree they rattle a lot so I just put a piece of the soft side of Velcro inside of the latch and it solved all my issues
Great video. Never knew that was possible. I'm glad I decided not to swap my soft top for a hard tip now, since I don't live in the best neighborhood. Much appreciated.
My 91 V special came with a hard top from the factory, it had the side latches but not the side strike plates and it never had any issues
Note for those with early 90 cars (those built '89), you may find that your striker bolts are #3 phllips heads and not T40s. I suggest using a impact screw driver to remove them without a lot of headaches.
Thanks for the video. It helped clear up where to connect the bottom of the rear bracket. I removed the striker and thought that the screw for the lower part of the bracket went through one of those holes, only there was no way that was going to happen, lol. Haven't driven it yet to see if I got it all snug enough, but very happy with them so far. The piece of mind is worth the investment! Thanks for the discount code too!
The hardest part is removing the factory torx screws as they're locktite to the top. You need to heat them up before trying to unscrew them. Otherwise you will round the screw and then have to drill it out.
Damnit Jeff now people are gonna get the idea to steal my hardtop thanks bro
Why is Isis stealing your hard top?
got mine stolen Christmas night in San Jose bay area hard tops beware
This is apparently a pretty big deal with the NA HardTops. Kudos for raising awareness on security measures to prevent theft.
There are some welded-in nuts behind the body panel where the side strikers go. Those and a couple Zip ties can do some magic to temporarily secure the top. Held up many track days without budging ;)
Brackets are the first thing that I bought after I grabbed a hardtop.
Awesome, man. Thanks for making this video. I'm about to pick-up my first Miata and I'm going to order this kit.
May Marley Miata's Windows live on in glory through #BrokeandBoosted!
I had huge trouble getting the latch and striker screws undone due to the loctite on the threads. Eventually I made a shaped tip for a soldering iron to heat the screws up and soften the loctite. Maybe the earlier cars had no loctite?
I've got some slightly more exotic security hardware in my store. I'll send you a set.
good stuff. Ive been using hard top brackets ever since i got a hardtop. Some track organizations wont let you on the track without them.
Yes Please do a video on how to install side striker plates, I really feel uncomfortable driving without them lol
Shopping for a factory black hard top for my 2001. Like the Garagestar hardware. But the "theft" of your top was hilarious. My whole face was hurting.
Always get your VIN etched in the glass window of a hardtop. Love the lock kit.
Definitely will buy one if I get a Maita, lots of hard tops get stolen near where places I go
FWIW, people who have tops stolen usually are NA's w/o power windows, if you give crank windows enough force they will go down, power windows cant be pressed down. I parked my Black hard top in a downtown city and it never got stolen, the stupid center caps were stolen and not even the hard top. Still.....striker kits are good idea! but! if a smart thief comes to a miata with the right tools, the plates wont matter. There are LOCK latches with keys that block screw holes. But, as always I love these videos man! keep up the good work!!
A 2 way alarm to go along with that install would be great also 😎
I think the jass performance ones are much better. I've got them myself and they seem to look more beefier than the garage star ones, especially the side mounting plates.
Can't wait to test them. That hardtop rattling makes me go insane :D
It seems the pro of this kit compared to a spec kit is that you don't need to cut the side panels. Is that right? I'm trying to find a kit to hold mine securely and my panels are frankenstein enough after installing a roll bar.
Hey G I got the license plate number of the guys who stole your top.... It was a white Toyota truck 98521k1 California plates. Nice public service announcement man, I will have to secure my top for sure.
I know that parking lot. where the drive up to the big miata meet in Santa Ana started. good times. I had a blast.
Haha different part of town but similar lot structure. I'm still going to try to host another meet before the year is over.
TheCarPassionChannel I might have to sit this one out. still have a few boost leaks to chase down. thinking about just pulling the engine again to make it easier this time. and I need to replace my heater core. kinda blew up about a month ago. made a huge mess on my drivers side floorboard.
Here after the Tesla Cybertruck glass incident :D
Will definitely be getting this once I get my Miata. Thanx for the informative video.
I’d rather make one custom bracket that can have a padlock put onto it that way it’s still pretty simple to remove quickly
Hey Greg, I know there's probably already a bunch of info online on this but I would be interested in a video about picking the right wheels, tires and spacers for your miata. Thanks!
That's a good idea for sure, I've been wanting to do a similar video to that, it's just a matter of making it entertaining haha. It would be awesome to do it at a Miata meet to show people what several different fitments look like.
If you end up doing that I look forward to it. Thanks for the quick response!
Dude!! I've been searching everywhere online, then I'm like... you know everything so here is my question........ Just installed an AGI hardtop with double cross beams, it's bolted in tight... I was hoping that this would mean i could drive my NA without the hardtop on.. but no. The car shakes badly at all speeds without the hardtop, car has just had wheels alignment, new tyres.. all rubbers.. shakes like hell, it's horrible!!! With the hardtop.. smooth baby. smooth.. It seems to becoming from the front end? Everything just shakes!!! If you have an answer for me, I'll be your top Patreon dude!!! :-)
would it be better to find somewhere on the top to mount an eye somewhere on the frame to chain and padlock the roof to the body? like somewhere behind the driver? at least that way you'll still have a relatively quick release roof.
Is the website gone I need these
Your miata is so clean and fresh! Mine is all worn and...25 year old-looking... what is your secret?
Ricer Miata, his crew; ROLLINTWINTURBO, his crew...
They need to see this.
I ended up buying an s2000 last year around this time I was looking in to getting a miata
I’m not gonna lie with how hard it is to get w fair priced Miata hardtop and I saw a random Miata with a hardtop I might just finesse me one
Lose my number
Awesome vid. If you wouldn't have broke the glass you would have gotten 10000 comments saying "Bruh, should have shown them breaking the glass like a real thief would" and many variations of stupidity.
Keep it up! :)
Can't please em all :) This was more fun
Now I know how to get a hardtop, thanks!
WoW!!!! You broke your windows just for the video!!! You got my attention and I don't even own a hard top! ADMIRABLE!!!
dude, i was about to comment and say those thieves stole the wrong hardtop we as a community are about to find it..
Lol how would they have gotten all those great camera angles if it were real? :p
the comment was going to be before i actually watched the whole video lol
Those mounts looks very flimsy compared to the Jass Performance and will be more expensive for us Europeans. I got the Jass ones and it makes the hardtop feel like the car was built a coupe, a much more solid feel than the stock latches.
should have left one of the latches in the front while doing the other side and then you would have more clamping force
*** It should be noted that the bolts for the OEM front latches have red/blue lock tight on them from the factory. The bolts they used strip VERY easily, and if they strip you get to go through the fun process of drilling them out. To be safe i used a heat gun to heat the screws up and melt the lock tight after i noticed the screws start to deform***
Dang I must have been lucky, mine came right out.
Heres a thread discussing it and showing how to put hardtop brackets on. Might want to add something in the video description about the bolts stripping/ deforming. Apparently happens quite frequently.
www.miata.net/garage/Hardtop_Permanent/
LOL, the miata I just bought from a salvage auction had its hard top stolen and they were using these locks.
You finally fixed it! No more anxiety
Hahaha. I was nervous about it too, lol.
i pointed it out not too long ago, how noisy is your hardtop? because mine is so squeeky
The top was squeaky and the latches rattled constantly. The car is so much nicer to drive now.
Wow, that's some dedication to the meme... letting them break your windows
Is it possible to keep the stock front latches to get a good seal without needing a second person and then installing the rear brackets only?
Luckily we got the trucks license plate on camera. ive already reported the theft to local police.
What did they throw at the window ? Spark plug ceramic ?
Show us how to replace the windows now.. 😂
im surprised that nobody has designed latches with locks
If only they would somehow incorporate the latches so that you could still put the top down...
I've been waiting for a discount code! Thank you and Kenjo.
Gonna use the vid as a guide for my install. Good stuff.
this happen to me like two weeks ago, on my montego blue!!!😭
You're golden if the thieves don't bring tools.
hardtopbrackets2016 code "has expired" at the site.
Do you have a new code, or can you get one please? ty
Don't those latches also help compress the rubber, making the top seal better? Feel like those bracket wouldn't do much in that regard
It helps to have 2 people to install them so you can compress the seal and tighten the bolts.
Hey G the code doesn't work anymore, do you think they will give you a new one? what was the discount amount?
Holy Miata that first part actually scared me!
Holy shit, 3.6kg is actually alot for those small parts.
Yeah I was surprised at how much all of the latches and everything weighed. Once you do all the main deletes (a/c, p/s, etc) that's actually a pretty significant amount of weight to drop for something that has no drawbacks.
Absolutely! Might just have to invest in some solid mounts for the top. Ive been drooling over various garagestar products for a while. Might aswell add this to the bucket list.
I would hardly say "no drawbacks". Sadly I don't have my MX-5 any more (but another is on my to do list), but when I did I would regularly swap the hard top on and off (a high garage ceiling and a hoist made that easy). I think making it impossible to use the soft top is most definitely a drawback.
What about the brackets on the outside of the car, do you need tools to take them off?
lost 7 lbs in hardware and parts, meanwhile replaces convertible with a heavy hardtop. #goals
+AngrySkateNerd I can easily lift the hard top with one arm, it's fiberglass. The added rigidity of the top far outweighs a couple extra pounds gained over a soft top.
AngrySkateNerd the soft top is heavier the hardtop is fibreglass the soft top is like 50 pounds
Habo Hamo lmao no soft top is 50lbs
It's actually good to get a hard top anyway, It increases the rigidity of the vehicle.
Alex Crawford the soft top with frame is heavier than the hard top.weighed em myself sir ....
Woot! Garage Star is in my home town. It may be a shit town but at least we have loads of car shops.
Easy to remove is always good if ,,something" needs to be topless in a hurry😅
4:28 not ocd... just curiosity about weight savings, but awesome video!!
If you drive hard ,these are a good idea .....I think SCCA makes them mandatory for racing.
Hold up can these brackets work with a soft top? Most of us soft top boys/girls got messed up latches that leak when it rains 😭
Next time ill just ride around with a special torx bit
Just watched a video on a guy who had these but got his top stolen anyway 😂
I would weld the brackets to the chasis. Thieves are relentless.
Not recommended? What can happen? I don't have side strikers
they make a lock for the hard top called toploc
It wouldn't be sketchy, I'v seen plenty of NA miata's without those side latches. my cousin even has one thats a canadian import and it doesn't have those side latches at all.
Question, for each year there's another roof clamp?
Shaun of NYC
Did they use a spark plug to break the windows?
Awe man that sucks, love the vids and keep up the good work!!
What do I do if it was stolen before I bought the car?
I have a second gen and it didnt come with a hardtop. I've been wanting one and i dont trust ebay too much. do you know where i can get one from a trusted area?
i will add a alarm as well
So both hard tops and soft tops are dangerous
Hard top when gets stole:
*hards very top*
Also me hard top:
*tops even harder*