NB ISC Racing Top Hats DIY (How to with Bilstein/GC combo)
 

The NB install is a bit more complicated than the NA one, and I don't think it has
ever been documented. So here I go:

There is three major problems with the NB. First, the threaded part on the rod of the shock is far to long to seat the bushing (same problem with the Teins), second, if you want to use them properly, you need to cut the Ground Control sleeve because the OD of the sleeve will not fit in the ID of the top hat and third, the front top hats will not fit in the OEM NB hole.

Here is what I did for the rod part (A bit of a hack job but I like gold nuts :greddy:)

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1367463099

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1367463099

You'll need to shim the four shocks... I used 2 gold nuts and a washer per shock.

Then the sleeves won't fit...

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1367463099

So here is what I did

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1367463099

To be left with no sleeve around the part of the shock that will enter the top hat in bump.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1367463099

And here is the nice hand jewelry I was left with

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1367463099

Notice that I took off only enough material so that I would be left with 1 in of exposed shock in the front and 1.5 inch in the back (I ordered theses sizes of top hats)

For the hole, just do like that guy: ISC shock tower tops & Sleeves - ClubRoadster.net



And you done.


PS: Don't order longer top hats to go lower, it won't do anything else than stealing you some droop travel. The wheel will hit the inner fender (frame part over the tire) before your bump stops hits the top of the top hat.

I don't see any pictures....

Something and/or somebody changed the links... :dunno:

Anyway, they should work now.

I don't mean to resurrect an old thread, but I think it's relevant to all of the folks that posted in "The Better Bilstein eBay Coilover Thread"...

Is anyone else running ISC top hats on a NB? I'm hoping to put my All Star sleeves on the car soon and when I do I'm going to see what will bottom out first (shock body hits top hat, tire hits fender liner, control arm hits... something). Right now my car is riding on the bumpstops which are 36mm long. Even with the new sleeves I doubt I'll be able to go any lower with these bump stops and the apparently super long OTS NB Sports...

Extended top hats or shorter bump stops seem like the way to go in my case...

you shouldn't bump this thread because was teh OP did was awful. But that's assumed since Canadian.

Go on...

I get the Canadian thing, and some of his work looks less than impressive, but is it completely unnecessary to put extended top hats on a NB? Am I missing something?

One of these days my IT dept is going to notice that I've googled "Miata bump stop length" and "ISC top hats on NB" five times a day since September...