HARDWARE KIT:

• Shoulder Harness Guide Relocation Assemblies
  • 2 - 3/8" X 1" grade 8 bolts
  • 4 - 3/8" flat washers
  • 2 - 3/8" lock nuts
  • 2 - bushings
  • 2 - plastic trim cap
  • 2 - trim cap mounting washers
    
    
• Upper Mounting Plate
  • 2 - 7/16"(11mm) X 2.25" bolts
  • 2 - spacers
  • 2 - plastic trim caps
  • 2 - trim cap mounting washers
    
    
• Seat Belt Reel Plate Mounting
  • 2 - 7/16" (11mm) X 1.25" bolts
    
    
• Foot Plate Mounting
  • 2 - bent back-up plates (front)
  • 2 - flat back-up plates (rear)
  • 12 - 3/8" X 1.25" bolts
  • 12 - 3/8" flanged lock nuts
  • 12 - 3/8" flat washers

TOOLS NEEDED:

• safety glasses
• #2 phillips head screwdriver
• wrenches
  • 16mm or 5/8"
  • '94 & LATER - 17mm or 11/16"
  • 2 - 9/16"
  • 10mm
• drill w/ 3/8" drill bit (an angle drill with a short bit is helpful but not absolutely necessary)
• jack and jack stands
• fine tooth reciprocating saw or jigsaw for cutting package shelf and fitting plastic interior panels (a belt sander and/or half round file are also helpful)
• T-40 torx drive for removable hard top latches
• 3/4" holesaw if you have antilock brakes and are installing an M1 Sport or Hard Core Hardtop

1) Put the top down.

2) REMOVE THE TRIM PANELS COVERING THE SEAT BELT TOWERS. (THESE PIECES ARE CALLED QUARTER TRIM BY MAZDA.)
First remove the metal cap at the top of the panel just behind the door. This is held in place by a threaded fastener that is used to attach the top boot (10mm) and a Phillips head screw on the NA. The NB version is similar but an extra rubber molding has been added that is held in place by a plastic insert inside the top of the door jamb and another under the lip of the body just behind the door.

Remove the weather-stripping that runs along the front edge of the trim panel at the rear of the door opening. (you might find it necessary to loosen the 4 Phillips head screws in the scuff plate that runs along the bottom of the doorsill on some early models)

Remove the plastic cover from the shoulder harness guide (it just snaps off), loosen the bolts and remove the bolt and spacers from the guide.

On the '94-'97 models Remove the cockpit brace end covers (they also snap), loosen the bolts and remove the cockpit brace.

There is a small plastic clip at the rear of the trim panel just behind the hole the shoulder harness guide bolt goes through. Remove the clip by pulling it toward the rear of the car.

Remove the rectangular seat belt trim ring at the front of the panel and the 2 fasteners in each trim panel located on the inside just above the package tray, one is a kind of plastic rivet that is loosened by lifting the center portion and pulling it free, the other is another of the boot cover snaps with the 10mm head. If you have an NB with the wind blocker, remove the screws and lift the wind blocker out. The trim panel can now be removed by pulling it toward the center of the car, there's a couple of snap type fasteners down low just behind the door that you will need to pop loose as the panel is pulled free.

3) PUT THE TOP UP - Loosen the carpet from the front of the package shelf behind the seats and fold it back. A claw hammer is a good tool for removing the plastic carpet fasteners. Lower the top. (Pre '99 leave the window zipped in, be careful not to crease the plastic window) Some sort of cover for the window is not a bad idea. Remove the large silver metal panel that makes up the front part of the package shelf by removing the several bolts w/ 10mm heads that hold it in place and releasing any wire loom fasteners. Lift the cover up and out of the car. Remove the insulation pads on either side of the fuel tank cover.

On the '94-97 models there's a computer mounted behind the passenger seat, the outer mounting bracket will need to be modified and the upper mounting stud removed to allow clearance for the roll bar mounting plate. (FIG# 8)

If you are installing an M1 SPORT or any version HARD CORE HARDTOP: Trim the package shelf area just behind the fuel tank cover opening as shown in (FIG# 5). You will also need to remove the spare tire and the metal panel at the front of the trunk on the driver's side (the one with the jack handle attached) if you are working on a pre '99. While it's not absolutely necessary to do so, I find it helpful to remove the front trunk panels in the NB, they are held in by several plastic push-pin rivet fasteners.

If the car has antilock brakes and you are installing an M1 SPORT or a HARD CORE HARDTOP: Relocate the ABS sensor wiring harnesses. Jack up the rear of the car and support with sturdy jack stands. Remove the wheels and the plastic inner splash panels. The harnesses run from the sensors, mounted next to the brake rotors, up through rubber bulkhead plugs in the areas just to either side of the fuel tank. Trace the harnesses forward to the connectors just behind the seats, on either side of the area just uncovered by removal of the package shelf panel. Unplug the connectors, untangle the harnesses from the wire holders and other wiring, push the bulkhead plugs through and pull the wires out under the car. After the roll bar is bolted in, using a holesaw, open a 3/4" hole just far enough to the front or rear of the foot plate to clear, reroute the wiring and reinstall the bulkhead plugs

4) REMOVE THE LOWER SEAT BELT REEL BOLTS (16mm pre'94 17mm '94 and later) AND SPACERS. Also remove seat belt reel alignment screw at the top of the mounting bracket (small screw w/ 10mm head) and discard. Pull the complete assembly forward and bend the alignment tab down flat, this will allow the reel to tilt inward for better seat belt alignment and retraction after the bar is installed. Do not reinstall the small alignment bolt at the top of the reel.
VERY IMPORTANT  GO TO SEAT BELT REEL & GUIDE INSTRUCTIONS and follow these instructions.

 Make certain the area where the rear mounting plates attach is clear of all body caulk and weld spatter allowing the rear plates to sit flat down on the panel.

5) SET THE BAR IN THE CAR - BE CAREFUL The rear brace foot plates will just fit under the front edge of the package tray, work the rear braces past the several wiring harnesses and battery cables in this area being careful not to damage any of the wiring. Also watch the front mounting plates, they will be very close to the seat backs at this point. The horizontal mounting plates half way up the bar should fit over the top of the seat belt tower and align with the bolt hole that held the shoulder harness guide. The lower mounting points align  with the lower seat belt reel bolt holes. The roll bar plates fit against the seat belt reels which stay in their original location but do not use the original spacers. (FIG# 1) Once the bar and the seat belt reels are in position, start but do not completely tighten the seat belt reel mounting plates using the bolts from the hardware kit and the original equipment small OD flat washers from the stock bolts. Make sure that your seat belts are on the inside of the roll bar. On some cars the captive nut for the belt reel bolt will not be exactly vertical and will make threading the bolt difficult or impossible with the bar installed. Use a large Phillips screwdriver or tapered bar working through the roll bar mounting slot to align the nut.

6) Using the bolts and spacers from the hardware kit, install the upper mounting bolts through the upper mounting plate with the spacer under the plate in place of the original shoulder harness guide bolt and spacers, (FIG# 2). If you have a problem with alignment partially tighten the seat belt reel bolts and pull the rear braces toward the rear by reaching through from the trunk or pry back on the front of the bar to make the bolt align. Do NOT slot the hole in the roll bar plate.
Most of the time this is not a problem but we've noticed over the years that NA and NB seat belt towers tend to vary. In some instances, by a considerable amount even from side to side in the same car. If the spacer is too long for your car, it will make the bolt difficult to align and hold the rear plates off the pan. Too short and the plate will distort when you tighten the bolt. Cut the spacer or add a washer or two if needed. The spacer should be a snug fit under the plate but should not hold the rear of the bar up.
Be sure the trim cap mounting washers are under the bolt heads, we want this thing to look nice when you get done!
The shoulder harness guide is NOT installed at this point, DO NOT install the guide under the mounting bolt.

Attach the seat guide to the bar through the smaller, more forward hole in the upper mounting plate using the bolts, washers and bushings supplied in the hardware kit as shown in (FIG# 3) Be careful, don't drop any hardware down in the seat belt reel. Tighten to 20 ft-lbs.

Once you have the seat belt reel and the upper mounting plate bolts started and no wires are pinched tighten the reel and tower bolts to 40 ft-lbs

7) JACK UP THE REAR OF THE CAR AND SUPPORT WITH STURDY JACK STANDS - Remove the wheels and plastic splash panels from the front of the inner fenders. (pre 99 - 4 bolts w/ 10mm heads / NB - 4 plastic fasteners w/ Phillips heads)

8) GET THE DRILL AND SAFETY GLASSES -  Install the rear plates and tighten the rear of the bar FIRST.
Locate the position for the rear back-up plates by drilling the first hole down from the top if you have an angle drill. If you don't have an angle drill, heavily center punch through one of the outer mounting plate holes. You should be able to feel the punch mark from under the wheel well to locate the hole location. Drill fron under the car using a standard drill. Once you get the first hole drilled, bolt the back-up plate in place. The others can be done from under the car using the back-up plate as a template. (FIG# 6) The flanged locknuts do not require a washer. Use the supplied washers under the bolt heads. We want the reinforcement plate to wedge tightly against the unibody rail. Drill at and angle if necessary, put the bolt through and tighten. Do NOT cut down the plates.

Save the easy part for last. Drill through the lower main hoop plates and bolt the back-up plates in place using washers under the bolts. You will notice a purpose built gap between the lower front plates and the bulkhead. Not a problem. Install the bolts though the bar, panel and reinforcement plates, tighten to 33 ft-lbs and let the bolts close the gap.

On the NB, part of the evaporative emission system is located in the wheel well on the passenger side. A snap fastener holds a small filter just behind the battery cable grommet and the front plumbing is held by a 10mm hex head fastener, loosen for roll bar installation. Reinstall the front fastener and relocate the small filter by tucking it behind the wiring harness after the back-up plate bolts are tightened or drill a 1/4" hole and snap it back into the pan forward of the roll bar plate. The filter does not have to be vertical and there's no fuel to leak.

Spraying the back-up plates with undercoating after the fasteners are tight is a good idea. Install the splash panels, rear tires, trunk panels and spare.

9) Check convertible top clearance - it may be necessary to adjust the top frame to allow clearance when the top is lowered and raised especially with the covered bars. Raise the top slowly checking clearance as the hinge points come up past the bar. If the hinge points rub loosen the (3) bolts with 12mm heads behind either doorjamb that hold the top frame. Pull the frame as far to the rear as possible, you might need to lift the top slightly to allow more movement. Tighten the bolts while holding pressure on the top and recheck clearance. See convertible top adjustment page. These adjustments will not cause problems with top fitment at the windows or windshield but will keep the top frame from scratching the bar or cover.

10) TRIM THE PACKAGE SHELF PANEL and reinstall - On the pre 99's it's a small notch at the rear corners.
The NB requires a notch on either side, use the bolt holes for reference points. Bend the rear corners to clear the bar until the panel is in place then flatten into place. Install the package shelf panel, raise the top put the carpet back in place and trim around the roll bar. Cut the carpet in a series of pie-shaped wedges and tuck it down around the rear braces of the bar.

11) CUT QUARTER TRIM PANELS - In order to reinstall the trim panels they have to be cut into two pieces, it's not really all that bad, it just takes some time to do it right. I use a small air powered reciprocating saw to do the dirty work, but a fine tooth jigsaw, Dremel or hacksaw will do. It's fairly evident as to where the cut needs to be made, just cut the panel and trim to fit up to the roll bar, but maybe (FIG# 4b) will help to make things easier. A belt sander gives a nice straight finished edge but a large fairly coarse (wood type) file will suffice. Take several small cuts to get a good fit, you can always take more off but you can't put it back. In addition to the vertical cut, a semicircular area will have to be removed along the outer top area of the panel to fit up to the bar. (FIG# 4a)
The final cut is to elongate the seat belt hole, trim to the vertical edge, cut the end off of the rectangular seat belt trim rings that were snapped out of the quarter trim during the disassembly so that they will fit back into the elongated seat belt holes and butt up against the roll bar. (FIG# 4a) Make sure the seat belt does not drag against the panel.

12) If you are installing a HARD CORE HARDTOP version you will need to grind, sand or file off the rear edge of the hard top side latch hook that mounts to the body just behind the door jamb. Hold the latch hook up to the bar and mark it with a grease pencil. The bar sits at a slight angle requiring more material to be removed on the lower rear edge and tapering toward the top.

13) REINSTALL THE REMAINING PARTS - The NB windblocker is not compatible with the Xtreme, M1 Sport or Hard Core Hardtop. It can be reinstalled with the M2 Sport and clears when up or down but the flap will contact the bar in transition.

Updated January 26, 2018 7:17 PM