by "AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
Published 03/06/2017 at 23:17
by "AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
Published 03/06/2017 at 23:17
Tags: Miata
; Mazda
; Rollbar
; Blackbird fabworx
; Garagestar
; Garage star
STARS: 5
Blackbird Fabworx rollbar in pearl gunmetal grey, well designed seat rails from Garage Star, an oil drain valve (it was cheap enough to qualify for an impulse buy) and.... New soft top! Pics and info after the jump.
Assuming the switch is robust and won’t get bumped when I’m a hundred miles away from civilization draining all my oil and leaving me stranded, this could be pretty neat. I’m sure that won’t happen.
My current setup was the side mount brackets included with the Brides (heavy duty but lacking in adjustability) bolted onto the stock sliders. Far from ideal, and it actually had me sitting HIGHER than stock. These will allow me to get my seat 3 inches below stock, and most importantly they bolt directly to the floor so I don’t need to do separate seat and floor mounts. I’m not ready to get custom brackets welded in as I’ll be changing seats eventually when these get too tight.
I saw this picture and something looked a bit off... Oh! Stock belts with a racing seat. Now they at least don’t have the belt going over the seat bolstering but still... I would imagine this isn’t the safest? Oh well, onto the rollbar.
NB GT3 Rollbar was $1115.00 shipped. It’s a lot when some of the competing manufacturers charge half that, but spend some time looking at anything Moti—Blackbird Fabworx owner—has designed and you’ll see why his name is synonymous with quality. Also worth noting, the bar comes with the harness bar and backing plates that most places would charge another $200 for.
Once I have the bar and seat brackets I’ll finally be able to finish with the seating setup. Schroth 6-point harnesses with cheap, heavily bolstered and incredibly light bride racing seats. Nothing like an impending roadtrip to make you get your car projects moving along.
"Nothing" (nothingatalluseful)
03/06/2017 at 23:35, STARS: 0
Doesn’t “cheap” Bride mean “fake”? That seems to against the quality comment with the Blackbird bar.
I had PCI mounts for my seats in my old Miata. They worked well. Being tall, I had to lop off the seat mounts and go to the floor to fit under the roll bar (Boss Frog CV Maxx). Even then, with a helmet, I needed to pull the cushions off the seat bottom. At least then I could street drive without fear of whacking my head.
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
03/06/2017 at 23:50, STARS: 0
Not 100% sure. Probably, as I got them off Craigslist in like new condition. But at 300 for both it’s hard to complain. I need a seating solution by April 15th and I still have a lot of other areas to work on as well, so I can’t really dump money into other seats. That said, the seats are comfortable and heavily bolstered!
I seem to recall looking at pci mounts. Eventually once I’ve picked out a “forever” seat I’ll get them welded to the floor pan. Might even cut out a section and weld in a slightly lower floor section. At 6 feet though I should pass the broomstick test pretty easily with the garage star setup, and be under the bar when street driving. Haven’t tried sitting in the seats cushionless yet... One thing I did notice was a huge increase in leg room switching from stock seats. Did you get that as well?
"Nothing" (nothingatalluseful)
03/07/2017 at 00:10, STARS: 1
I had Corbeau FX1 Pros in my car. They fit snugly (for me) and held me in place really well. Since I was the only one to drive it, I had no qualms with bolting the seat to the floor. I had a 5 point Corbeau harness for mine. My legroom ended up being about the same, despite the seat not being able to be as far back as I would’ve preferred. Big guy, small car, compromise had to be made. It wasn’t uncomfortable, it just wasn’t perfect.
Sounds like you’re well on your way to a really fun car!
"ateamfan42" (ateamfan42)
03/07/2017 at 09:56, STARS: 0
NB GT3 Rollbar was $1115.00 shipped. It’s a lot when some of the
competing manufacturers charge half that, but spend some time looking at
anything Moti—Blackbird Fabworx owner—has designed and you’ll see why
his name is synonymous with quality.
I just put in my single diagonal BFW bar. It is a nice piece, and when you consider the harness bar is included, plus the overall quality of the design, the price makes sense. It is a chore to install though— plan a whole weekend. I had to move ABS sensor wiring, and trimming and fitting all the pieces to back in around the bar took almost as long as getting the bar in the car.
Once I have the bar and seat brackets I’ll finally be able to finish with the seating setup.
I’m still searching for my “unicorn” seating solution that will get me low, fit my not-small body, fit in the car, and not break the bank. I got to sit in a Bride seat last year and was astonished how narrow it was— skinny folks only I guess! I do like how those Garage Star brackets give all the height benefits of a side mount while still providing some level of adjustment.
I saw this picture and something looked a bit off... Oh! Stock belts
with a racing seat. Now they at least don’t have the belt going over the
seat bolstering but still... I would imagine this isn’t the safest?
It seems to me running the belts through the seat openings would be the safest option, since the belts would be in contact with the body as much as possible that way. For a street-driven car, some kind of factory belt option is necessary, since wearing a harness without a helmet and head restraint is a bad idea.
"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
03/07/2017 at 13:53, STARS: 1
I’ll definitely review the garage star mounts when they come in. Apparently they can be slid plus or minus a few inches by loosening 2 bolts slightly.
I’m hoping lack of abs will make it a bit easier... Any recommendations as far as what type of cutting tool to use for the sheet metal?
"ateamfan42" (ateamfan42)
03/07/2017 at 14:55, STARS: 0
I’m hoping lack of abs will make it a bit easier... Any recommendations
as far as what type of cutting tool to use for the sheet metal?
The ABS wasn’t a huge deal, but an extra inconvenience. The wires to the rear wheel sensors run through gromments in the sheet metal exactly where the rear support legs land. So new holes had to be drilled a few inches forward to relocate the wires. On non-ABS, the holes are plugged with grommets and are used to help locate where to drill the roll-bar holes.
The sheet metal on the rear deck that needs to be trimmed is pretty minimal. I used a grinder with a cutoff wheel and finished up with tin snips. I wished the directions had specified what to trim prior to putting the bar in the car— once it is halfway in and you can see what needs to go the room to work is a little tight. I’m sure different models and generations vary slightly what has to be cut.