1st gen hardtop on NB squeaks
 

I have squeaks that are starting to get to get to me lol. I shot a quick video that has the sound pretty audible, ignore the slamming sound of my blown shocks :)

-'02 NB
-1st gen top(no defrost or headliner)
-NA side strikers
-No Frankenstein bolts, but do have stainless steel bolts in place until I get F-bolts

One thing I notice is that the side latches do not "latch" as tight as the header and I'm pretty sure I have maxed out the adjustment on the latches.

Are all latches the same, or could I have longer latches on the sides than on the header maybe from a different year?

Miata Hardtop Sounds - YouTube

The latches themselves did change over the years, and while I'm not 100% clear on this point, I believe that they are all inter-operable insofar as tatch-to-striker interface. The collision guide lists the same part number for strikers of all model years, and the same latches for all tops except for the 2004-2005 soft top. In the hardtop section, it lists the same p/n for all latches and strikers for all model years.

Speaking from first-hand experience, I can tell you that the top does squeak like hell when the Frankenstein bolts are absent.

As for the tightness of the latches, there is a bit of adjustment possible in the location of the strikers.

I have the same problem. Cept I have a 01 top on an 01..

All my latches are maxed out tight, and they still can be latched with only a small breeze.. no tension.

I'm going to SM hard mount brackets for the winter. See if that helps.

I doubt hard mount brackets will help the squeaking. Mine squeaked A LOT more before i added the rollbar, which seemed to stiffen up the chassis a bit and stop some squeak.

I finally got rid of the squeak (almost) 100% by using candle wax on the rubber seals, and tightening my front latches up a bit.

In my experience, hardtops squeak - at least on my NA.

Thanks for the leg work/checking. I knew there were different latches but I thought it was on more than just the 04-05 soft top.

Good to know about the F-Bolts, I thought their main purpose was more just for alignment of the top. I will definitely get some F-Bolts on the way!

How did you apply candle wax? A little squeak is ok but the squeaks over every crack in the road is too much!

I can only handle the music from my Kenwood on level 20 for so long :) .

I believe that there were additional changes over the years, however bear in mind that the collision guide, being of relatively new vintage, only lists the newest p/n for any application where older parts have been superseded by newer ones that are 100% compatible in form fit and function. Often times, this is the result of a supplier change or some minor redesign to decrease cost / improve reliability / etc. For instance if you went to Mazda in 1996 to buy a crate engine for a 1990 car, they'd sell you a longnose 1.6 even though your car originally had a shortnose in it. The longnose superseded the shortnose, and as a complete assembly, a longnose crate engine is a form/fit/function-compatible replacement for a shortnose engine.



Yes, but alignment is a dynamic function. Neither the car nor the top are perfectly rigid bodies.

Makes perfect sense, thanks for the info!

Side note.....care to share more info on the "collision guide" you're referencing? Sounds like a pretty useful tool, is it Mazda/Miata specific or more general? Seems that whenever I am looking for a part for my '91 300zx I always have an outdated/old part number :)

The collision guide is like an extremely abridged version of the parts catalog, focusing principally on those items which are of interest to a body shop performing collision repair, hence the name.

They are not nearly as comprehensive as the full parts catalogs, and lack most of the detailed system diagrams. However, since they apply to all years and are of recent vintage, they tend to be the most authoritative source (other than the dealer database) for the current part numbers of items which have gone through multiple levels of revision over the years. In other words, the 1990 parts catalog might list one number for a certain item, the 1997 catalog might list a second, and the 2003 catalog might list a third. In some cases, this is because the part is, in fact, different. In others, it simply means that Mazda revised the part over the years, but that they are all interchangeable. The dealer typically carries only the most recent revision of such parts.

You can download both the NA and NB versions from MMD under "Collision Guides" here: MAZDASPEED MOTORSPORTS DEVELOPMENT - Miata Parts Catalogs and Collision Guides 1990-2002 That link also gives you access to a large number of other helpful parts lists and catalogs.

^awesome link, bookmarked!

To apply the wax, just get candle wax, snowboard wax, skate wax, or buttsex wax and rub it on the seals without melting it or anything. Just rub it on there.