replacement top for 1997 miata

A lot of folks on miata.net say good things about this vendor and top:

Ditto on the Duetto top - I've heard nothing but good about them.

As for installation, it depends on where you live and where you go to have it done. You might check to see if there's a local Miata club in your area. Someone there might be willing to give you a better recommendation for an installer or even be willing to help you install it yourself. Our local club assists folks with top installations for a modest monetary contribution to our treasury.

Iva & Vixen

Duetto went out of business recently, so their tops are no longer available.

Pat

i purchased a top from kwiktops.com a couple of years ago and installed it on my '95. it is cloth rather than vinyl and so look much better. but cloth requires more maintenance (annual waterproofing). it has a glass rear window that does not need to be unzipped to open the top. however you do need to open/close the top a little differently. of the three bows(?) the third one that is directly above the rear window is not attached to the these zipperless tops and a strap is installed between the second and third bow as well as one between the third bow and the rain rail. to open the top you have to open the doors (or windows) and unhook the latches as usual, then while standing next to the car, you have to reach in and pinch the third bow toward the second before you flip the top open. and you have to do the reverse when closing the top. opening the top can also be done while inside the car to but closing it is more difficult. but the glass window is totally worth it.

oh, one more thing... the style i got looks just like the stock top with the window on a separate panel. there are plenty of zipperless glass tops (like the expensive and popular one made by robbins) that are a one piece top with the window integrated in the top. personally, i don't think they are as attractive as the two piece tops and they have also been know to have problem with the window separating from the top. the two piece versions certainly look much more like stock (at least the way stock looked on the na/nb).

"socamb" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@l42g2000hsc.googlegroups.com...

ps. i see that duettomotors.com is still in business despite a comment above. they certainly have a good reputation in the top business. but notice the animated top show on their web site. it is of the one piece top style that does not look like na/nb stock. also note that the top sits higher than stock when in the down position. i am not sure why this is the case, but recall asking everyone about what their top looks like when down before i purchased... mine site below the beltline like stock even though it has a glass window. this means i can still use my boot if i want to (which doesn't just look good but also prolongs the life of your top).

Ahhh, I just wanted to see how many people commented. Only one, damn.

That was an April Fools, BTW. Duetto probably is not going away anytime soon.

Pat

Geez, Pat. You're like the local guy who posted a death notice of his friend in the Washington Post on April 1. People were crying over the friend's "death". The poster paid for another notice to apologize April 2.

Anyway, back to tops. While the Robbins no-zip glass window top I installed on her '90 was perfect, the Robbins I later bought for my '97 was cut wrong and just didn't fit. Robbins did the right thing and replaced the top (with a zipper glass window top however) and offered to pay the installation fees (hmm....do you think they would send me the 3 Sierra Nevada Celebration Ales it cost me to install it/?). It does bring up the question as to whether I should recommend others buy the Robbins. I guess if no one has anything bad to say about the Duetto, I'd go with their brand next time.

In regards to the after marker glass tops riding higher, I have photos of the OEM top and the Robbins in the down position here:

Adding a repeat here, my earlier posts will show I had the rear window separate from my new Robbins no-zip glass window top, Robbins replaced the top with one they said had a newer process of attaching the window and Mike's Place installed it for free (I'm hoping Robbins paid them for the install?). Since, I've been very pleased with the top and would recommend Robbins.

There's a possibility I may have contributed to the failure of the first top by not leaving it up for the two days recommended?

Of course they ride higher! I have a Robbins tonneau cover and when buying one you're asked if you have the glass window so the cover can be enlarged for the extra height. You can check this online at any of the Miata vendors that sell Robbins.

'of course they ride higher' if you buy one that rides higher. as i mentioned above the kwiktops folding/zippered top with stock oem glass that i installed on my '95 does not sit higher. though it is a two piece top, and the rear window is zippered in place, it can not be unzipped because of the straps that are in place to make the top foldable without the need to unzip the window. looks completely stock (na/nb stock that is, never liked the nc stock top look with the beefy gromit around the window, but the automatic folding feature of the nc top is nice as compared to having to manually pinch the thrid and second bows together), but no need to unzip, and it sits low like stock when folded. no need to buy another boot with this top. i was told that older robbins sat higher but the newer ones do not... but the buyer should confirm this for themselves. also i recall duetto telling me that their tops do sit higher when folded like in their pictures. ask them if they made any improvements to their design.

My Robbins top replaced a Kwiktop zippered glass window that did sit higher, it sat exactly the same height as does the Robbins that replaced it.

That's expensive! I thought about announcing that I was trading my Miata in on a motorcycle, but I didn't figure that XS11E would believe me. :-)

Pat

I wuz aware of the date!