HD Roll bar. Where did I eff up?
#1
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HD Roll bar. Where did I eff up?
Been trying to get the roll bar in for two days and finally have everything drilled, aligned, and (mostly) bolted.
So I'm trying to get the seat belt tower bolts in i.e. the ones connecting the roll bar to the top of the tower(near where the oem seatbelt bolt goes in) and I can't get it to go in at all.
I've tried both the stock bolts and the hard dog bolts and this is what they look like now.
I'm wondering if I should try to tap the threads on the seat belt tower to see if that's the issue, or if I should just drill the threads out of the car and put a bolt on the other end.
I never expected this to be the hold up. Everything else is bolted in, but not fully tightened, so the alignment should be good. It looks like it's going straight in but apparently not...
Does anyone know what size/thread that bolt is so I can tap it? I'm looking up stuff on this right now as well to figure out what it is stock.I can take the bolts with me to a hardware store tomorrow to see what they thread into.
Hard dog lists them as:
(I cross posted this across the pond just to see what folks at mnet thought as well)
So I'm trying to get the seat belt tower bolts in i.e. the ones connecting the roll bar to the top of the tower(near where the oem seatbelt bolt goes in) and I can't get it to go in at all.
I've tried both the stock bolts and the hard dog bolts and this is what they look like now.
I'm wondering if I should try to tap the threads on the seat belt tower to see if that's the issue, or if I should just drill the threads out of the car and put a bolt on the other end.
I never expected this to be the hold up. Everything else is bolted in, but not fully tightened, so the alignment should be good. It looks like it's going straight in but apparently not...
Does anyone know what size/thread that bolt is so I can tap it? I'm looking up stuff on this right now as well to figure out what it is stock.I can take the bolts with me to a hardware store tomorrow to see what they thread into.
Hard dog lists them as:
- 2 - 7/16"(11mm) X 2.25" bolts (I'm guessing they're the 20 TPI one which is the fine thread as the other option is 14 TPI)
(I cross posted this across the pond just to see what folks at mnet thought as well)
Last edited by ridethecliche; 03-26-2017 at 05:46 PM.
#6
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When mine did not line up, the roll bar was too wide, so we pulled it in using a rachet strap between uprights. Yours looks too narrow, so you may need a way to jack them apart.
You will have to re-tap the hole first. Then by some means like an off-roader's jack, tighten the bolt, then remove the jack.
You will have to re-tap the hole first. Then by some means like an off-roader's jack, tighten the bolt, then remove the jack.
#8
If you've damaged the threads out of the factory seat belt mounting hole, I would be hesitant to simply clean them up with a tap. That's going to wind up weaker than factory, and the seat belt mounts are kind of important...
Is there enough meat around them to drill out and put in a helicoil?
--Ian
Is there enough meat around them to drill out and put in a helicoil?
--Ian
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If you've damaged the threads out of the factory seat belt mounting hole, I would be hesitant to simply clean them up with a tap. That's going to wind up weaker than factory, and the seat belt mounts are kind of important...
Is there enough meat around them to drill out and put in a helicoil?
--Ian
Is there enough meat around them to drill out and put in a helicoil?
--Ian
In any case, I definitely think you have a point there re:safety. I'll be sure to thread an additional grade 8 nut through the other side so there are more threads there as well. Do you think that would be sufficient in this regard?
I was originally thinking of just drilling through and putting a bolt on the other side, but I think you're right that a helicoil would be far smarter than that due to the number of threads and safety aspect.
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When mine did not line up, the roll bar was too wide, so we pulled it in using a rachet strap between uprights. Yours looks too narrow, so you may need a way to jack them apart.
You will have to re-tap the hole first. Then by some means like an off-roader's jack, tighten the bolt, then remove the jack.
You will have to re-tap the hole first. Then by some means like an off-roader's jack, tighten the bolt, then remove the jack.
If I still have an alignment issue (which I don't think I do), I'm guessing widening the opening on the roll bar isn't a good plan, right?
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This is from TDR's site for HD roll bar hardware.
Edit: I see what you're talking about now. I think I have that bolt as well and the same thing happened there too. I also just double checked the alignment and the bolt sits right on top of the threads when it's in the hole on the roll bar.
Here's the other bolt as well.
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A little hard to see here, but things lined up pretty well in the final mounting spot. Unfortunately, it seems like the damage was done already...
If I still have an alignment issue (which I don't think I do), I'm guessing widening the opening on the roll bar isn't a good plan, right?
If I still have an alignment issue (which I don't think I do), I'm guessing widening the opening on the roll bar isn't a good plan, right?
In the first pics, I suppose due to camera angle, they didn't look aligned to me.
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Ah, sorry about that. In the first post I was trying to show what the threads in the seat belt tower 'nut' looked like. I had my phone at an angle between the bar and the seat belt tower to focus on the inside of it. I think the frayed edges are from the stripped bolts or so I hope.
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From hard dogs website:
- 2 - 7/16"(11mm) X 2.25" bolts
Miata Xtreme, Hard Bar Sport, M2 Sport, Hard Core Hard Top Installation Instructions
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I priced out new hardware because I've read that it's not really recommended to re-use the hardware on these.
I'm just going to call hard dog and get the hardware kit and order the vinyl cover with the SFI padding.
I'm just going to call hard dog and get the hardware kit and order the vinyl cover with the SFI padding.