Can anyone tell me how the OEM strut brace mounts under the bonnet, in particular how it attaches to the bulkhead?
As many pictures as possible would be ideal!
My actual question is, I donāt get how this would attach to the bulkheadā¦ Is there some missing hardware?
Looking at this one there is no bulkhead anchor point.
But this type has specific mounting brackets welded in situ.
Something doesnāt seem right with that thoughā¦
From looking at Google images they appear to mount on the bulkhead somewhere, i canāt understand why it would go back towards the bulkhead without mounting there at all.
Similarly, MX5 parts sell this: https://www.mx5parts.co.uk/front-strut-brace-mounting-bracket-mk3-35-p-1451.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=googleshopping&utm_campaign=googlebase&gclid=CjwKCAjwnef6BRAgEiwAgv8mQdbygh5rO2RQ__vzD0Mm_TCHhcaTNjU3yQwfAHT_hrOGuPfxngclYRoCG-QQAvD_BwE
Iām pretty certain that there is something missing from that centre section.
If no ones comes back within the hour, iāll go out and take some close up images of mine.
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I agree - thanks! 
Hi Chris, it needs the part you linked to from mx5Parts in order to be mounted correctly. Nothing missing from the 3 piece strut brace you have (apart from possibly a bolt or two). My previous nc1didnt come with a brace from the factory and I needed the mounting bracket swapped out with the basic one that was in the car, to fit mine. I actually bought the ILMotorsport one but same fixing points needed at the bulkhead. They do pop up on ebay for half the mx5Parts price now and again.
This explains it better possibly.
Barrie
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Directly behind the engine is the black steel cover plate.
This plate has 2 x L shaped brackets spot welded to itā¦
The brace mounts to these brackets.
I could imagine a car that doesnāt have the brace ordinarily may have a different cover plate and missing those L shaped brackets.
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Perfect, thanks chaps!
Is fitting the mounting bracket as I linked to MX5 Parts a straight forward job or do I have to gut half of the engine bay to access it?
Ah well, you have to remove the plastic trims around the wipers plus the rubber seal along the top edge of the bulkhead, a trim tool helps here as the little white plastic fixings can easily be left behind when removing the rubber. The new bracket gives you a ātemplateā for where the fixing bolts/nuts are on the OEM one. Not a difficult job but you may have pipes running along the bulkhead where the bracket is, held by plastic standoffs IIRC. It can then be wiggled out and the new one put in 
Barrie
i had the plate out on mine to replace the egr valve.
its only 30 minutes work really, and same to put it all back.
@Keat63 Yeah removing the scuttle panel is straight forward, had to do it on my last car because of the leaky grommet issue. So aside from that, and the (I believe) coolant line that runs alongside the bulkhead, itās quite straightforward, no further disassembly required?
I was also looking at this one which would negate the need for the rear bracket completely: https://rb.gy/zhdmp6
Safe to say it wonāt be as effective as an OEM rear mounted bracket, but to be honestā¦ Iām really only after it to tart the engine bay up - donāt do track days or anything like that.
Hi Chris , not sure if all cars have the brackets on the top of the shocks for the brace to attach to either shown below hopefully just wanted to mention before you got stuck in 
Yep my car has those already, same for my last MX5 too. I think they all come with those, itās just the bulkhead mounts that are vacant!
Yes, its odd that 
I wonder if they strengthened the top mounts for the coilovers.
Barrie
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I can believe that.
My Dad had an old Mazda323 in Africa, and one day he hit a drain cover or something which knocked the left front wheel so hard it pulled the bolts holding the back end of its lower suspension bracket out of the floor. There was no reinforcement, no washers, just bolt heads on thin metal!
When I went out tthere to sort out his estate I found the car had been sitting like this for a couple of years. So I added penny washers each side of the floor panel to beef up the enlarged hex-shaped holes, and used it as the runabout while I was there. Amazingly it just needed air in tyres and the battery charging.
The guy we sold it to asked if it had the suspension mod. I asked what mod. He said āThe usual penny washers.ā I pulled up the mat and we both had a laugh at how Mazda could be so stupid as to make such an obvious weak spot.
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I remember my driving instructor telling me a very similar story many years agoā¦
One of his students passed and her dad bought her a sh!t box corsaā¦ It was so rotten that she went over a hump back bridge a bit quick and upon getting over it, the car came down on its suspension so hard that not only did it snap a coil spring, but worse yet, the engine mounts completely failed, resulting in the 1.2 powerhouse detaching itself from the rest of the car and escaping onto the road!
Not quite the same but Iām sorting one of my sons Corsa C ready for MOT. Broken front spring + worn discs/pads + outer cv boot split. Bangernomics comes into play here got a pair of new springs, pair of discs and pads and a cv boot kit, all for the princely sum of Ā£49 delivered, obviously free labour from Dad too! 
Not rusty but its a few hundred pounds car but worth the expenditure if it gets a test pass 
Barrie
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My first car was also a Corsaā¦ A P-reg 1.2 Merit in Flame Red.
I loved and adored it at the time, but on reflection, it was genuinely, unequivocally the worst car Iāve ever seen, let alone owned.
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I bet a lot of folk have owned one, including me! Had a 5 door Corsa C! Also in red but more pinkish as it faded It did its job to be fair and as Iāve found out, bits are for nothing! OK not OEM but who cares? It will probably get scrapped or sold on before the new bits fail
Barrie
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