From the Miata.net thread:
Can you also shot [sic] a pic of what the top looks like with the back window zippered on while trying to lower the whole top? I’d like to see/know how far back the top can be brought down with the window still zipped on.
Not very far.
This is the window down and resting on the factory cockpit brace. If I push the window horizontally towards the back of the car as far as I can, the top edge of the window still does not clear the factory brace, stopping less than an inch short. I was very conservative when cutting the Lexan window, allowing a generous frame. If I had used a better template, I could have cut the window to a tighter tolerance and perhaps avoided this issue.
This is the window bent to clear the cockpit brace. Pushing horizontally on the top edge of the window with one hand and pushing lightly in the middle of the window with the other, will bend the window enough to clear. Once an edge is wedged against or under the brace, it is easy to push the window all the way through. This does not appear to be hurting the integrity of the epoxy seal and it certainly doesn’t hurt the Lexan. However, the cosmetic tape frame is not handling it very well. Oh, and clearly I need to take a sponge to the top’s hidden folds.
This might be the most critical issue. Once the rear panel is unzipped and the window is tucked under the cockpit brace, this is where the top wants to stop. It’s difficult to see, but the top is resting on the Lexan. The Lexan is being held up by the bottom of the rear panel (highlighted), which is stretched tight as a drum and doesn’t have enough slack for the Lexan to rest on the package shelf. I can push the top down and the Lexan deforms to take it, but I don’t like the amount of stress that puts on the epoxy seal and especially the rear panel. It seems like something has got to give. If I had a better understanding of how a glass window works in a Miata, I might be able to modify this design so that it is more satisfactory.
In further testing news, I drove at sustained highway speeds today with the top up and the windows down to test the integrity of the epoxy. It held together just fine, even at speeds of up to 90 mph.
The next challenge will be getting this to work with a Hard Dog Sport Rollbar, which isn’t designed to work with a glass window. If that doesn’t work, I will probably exchange the Lexan in favor of the more traditional vinyl replacement window. Otherwise, I will keep testing this until it fails.
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