Miata List Archive

This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: romad (Dennis B. Swaney)

At 12:55 -0500 5/19/02, David B wrote:
>
>We finally got the missing pieces from Harddog so we've been finishing
>up the Extreme install on the Miata today.

David,
Is it a single or double? Did you take pictures while installing it?
Most important: did it come with instructions? If so, could you scan
them and email them to me? Thanks
--

Miataly,
Dennis
---
Dennis B. Swaney "I think, therefore I Mac"
Oroville, California TEAM USAF
Founding Member, S.A.M.O.A. Team Flyin' Miata
Team California License Plate Blue Team Valentine 1
('90 VIN: 7028)

This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: carguy (David B)

If you go to

bethania-garage.com/extreme.htm

you can view the instructions. They were a little obtuse, but you could
follow them. More pics would have been nice.

Ours is the double hump and it looks nice - as long as you don't get too
close. The metal was pitted and the welds were very rough. It took us
about 8 hours to clean the welds up enough to go get it powdercoated.

We didn't take pics of the install since there were several already
posted elsewhere and it was pretty straightforward. Once you sit it in
place you can see how to install it. The only really confusing part was
the instructions on the seat belt tensioners. You are supposed to leave
them in place and remove the riveted top mounting bracket so that the
tensioners can sort of free float in the cavity and not get bound up
coming around the bar.

We did not get all the backing plates and, besides a crappy finish, the
bends in the backing plates were all at the wrong angles and places.
Oh, the holes in the backing plates did not match the holes in the bar
so we spent hours fixing that. They weren't off enough to allow you to
drill new holes, you had to dremel a slot in the steel. 6 Dremelled
slots later (read that as about 3 more hours) we have the backing plates
in and are starting the rear speaker install. Then we can cut the
plastic and put the trim pieces back in place.

We also powdercoated the valve cover to match the roll bar.

We will have pics up some day, but the bar took 2 months longer to
deliver than he said and by the time it came we didn't really have time
to put it in. Then once we carved out some time it took all the extra
time to finish it off and then we had to stop again because we didn't
have all the pieces. Quality wise it wasn't up to the standards of
other bars I have seen and installed and timeliness of service was
definitely not up to snuff.

Other than that I am glad we got a bar.

"Dennis B. Swaney" wrote:
>
> At 12:55 -0500 5/19/02, David B wrote:
> >
> >We finally got the missing pieces from Harddog so we've been finishing
> >up the Extreme install on the Miata today.
>
> David,
> Is it a single or double? Did you take pictures while installing it?
> Most important: did it come with instructions? If so, could you scan
> them and email them to me? Thanks
> --
>
> Miataly,
> Dennis
> ---
> Dennis B. Swaney "I think, therefore I Mac"
> Oroville, California TEAM USAF
> Founding Member, S.A.M.O.A. Team Flyin' Miata
> Team California License Plate Blue Team Valentine 1
> ('90 VIN: 7028)
>

This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: romad (Dennis B. Swaney)

Thanks for the reply, David. The last time I'd checked the web site,
the Extreme instructions weren't there. According to the web site,
the bar comes either powdercoated or polished. Due to the
manufacturing defects, did you have to have the bar re-powdercoated
completely or did you just have the weld areas re-done?

I'm concerned about the poor manufacturing with this bar; I'd always
heard good things about Hard Dog. I wonder if it is just "teething"
problems with the new bar?

BTW, where are you located?

--


Miataly,
Dennis
---
Dennis B. Swaney "I think, therefore I Mac"
Oroville, California TEAM USAF
Founding Member, S.A.M.O.A. Team Flyin' Miata
Team California License Plate Blue Team Valentine 1
('90 VIN: 7028)

This read-only message was archived from a public mail list.
Mail From: carguy (David B)

I am sure some of the scheduling was due to teething probs, but there is
no reason to believe the welds and quality of the material to have been
due to a new bar.

I bought the bar un powder coated because I knew I wanted to have it
done a custom color. It is a 2 stage candy mettalic blue.

I forgot to mention that the inside base legs and the backing plates
were all bent at the wrong angles. The inside leg could be tightened
down, but the backing plates had to be beat into submission.

"Dennis B. Swaney" wrote:
>
> Thanks for the reply, David. The last time I'd checked the web site,
> the Extreme instructions weren't there. According to the web site,
> the bar comes either powdercoated or polished. Due to the
> manufacturing defects, did you have to have the bar re-powdercoated
> completely or did you just have the weld areas re-done?
>
> I'm concerned about the poor manufacturing with this bar; I'd always
> heard good things about Hard Dog. I wonder if it is just "teething"
> problems with the new bar?
>
> BTW, where are you located?
>
> --
>
> Miataly,
> Dennis
> ---
> Dennis B. Swaney "I think, therefore I Mac"
> Oroville, California TEAM USAF
> Founding Member, S.A.M.O.A. Team Flyin' Miata
> Team California License Plate Blue Team Valentine 1
> ('90 VIN: 7028)