I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: __
Reading various threads about the change left me a bit confused to say the least; everything from “took me eight hours” to “ it’s a breeze”.
So, just a post to say I got away with just taking the wheels off following this link found in the forum: Revised NC sway bar installation instructions - MX-5 Miata Forum.
Key points to follow are light the area from above, work from drivers side, steering on full lock and if you are using more than mild effort you have got it wrong. Getting the ends of the bar over and forward of the steering arms is the only time there is metal to metal resistance and it is negligible. On my own it is took thirty seconds to remove and a couple of minutes to replace the loose bar.
My theory is peeps get so cheesed off removing the drop links they have run out of patience by the time they get to removing the bar itself! So, very useful link…Thanks👍
Haha.
It pulls out freely until the last fifteen inches. After that just wriggle the bar to a more horizontal position whilst moving your end down and towards the front of the car. It literally drops out.
I don’t know what is fundamentally different between our cars, but what is described was literally impossible for me. Possibly because my car is lowered? But there was no way to get the ARB past the track rod.
To get the ARB out, I resulted to cutting it in half… then cutting it again.
The drop links came off easily enough though.
To get the new bar in, I removed the track rods, then getting the new bar in was a faff but generally OK.
Anyway, new kit fitted front and back and generally very happy with the improved support and “dartier” turn in.
Well worth doing, but be prepared to suffer for your craft!
Didn’t even think to cut it when I did mine, that would’ve saved me quite a fight. I think I spent over an hour wiggling it, turning the steering back and forth, jacking the control arms and up down, and eventually managed to pull it through.
Sorry to hear that. Not the lowering I think as I’d just done mine prior to the ARB’s. Maybe I just got lucky. As I noted in my thread starter there is a huge discrepancy in people’s experience of this job.
Mines an NC1 but I think the changes were cosmetic. I’m thinking it’s the different makes of ARB. Just a few millimetres difference could have made it impossible to squeeze the end of the bar over the track rods. The fact mine eased over with minimal effort could easily have not been the case. Then you are into all sorts of pain that you experienced.
