I searched but apparently this is another "Everyone already knows this but me" things. I'm gonna do a TII conversion and I'd like to have a turbo vert. I have a few simple questions on the convertable chassis

1. Were there both S4 and S5 verts?
2. What is the top made of?
3. Is the top automatic or manual?
4. What are some handling characteristics of a convertable FC? How much floppier is it than the coupe?
5. Would it work for a daily driver and occasional autoX car?
6. How much does the a well designed roll bar stiffen up the chassis (in comparison to the coupe)?

 

1. Yes.
2. Vinyl coated fabric.
3. Electric, but not automatic. Easy, but not simple.
4. Great. Not floppy at all, but not as stiff as a coupe.
5. Works great for me.
6. Dunno. I don't need one for my purposes.

 

electric but not automatic...wha? im confused

 

Car must be in Park\neutral with ebrake engaged. 2 front latches need to be undone. Once the top pulls back you have to flip a latch on the targa section to fold that part down or remove it and your done. So it requires a bit more work than a fully automatic modern vert top.

 

Ooh...Awesome. How well do the tops hold up in the rain and snow? How much are replacements?

 

Here are a couple sites with top repleacements. I believe there are a few other sites too but I can't find them right now.

http://www.convertibletopguys.com/cg...at.cgi?cat=862
http://www.autostyles.com/mazdarx7.htm

I dunno how they hold up in snow, mine has been garaged since I've owned it and never driven in snow. In the rain it seemed fine. Mine has since sprung leaks at the front corners, I'll have to get new seals soon. I think Victoria british used to have seal kits for the tops. But from looking at their site right now it would seem that they have stopped carrying rx7 parts!

 

Victoria British has changed their name for non english imports

demon or something like that

 

Black Dragon Automotive is their new name. A quick serach of their website showed this as the new site local: http://www.blackdragonauto.com/

 

Nicely stated. Add in another step if you want to attatch the boot cover.

 

No problem with snow. The only problem area in the rain is the front corner seals that are designed to catch and channel water to a drain. The seals can slip, so they are no longer aligned perfectly. If that happens, your left knee gets wet. Don't ask me how I know.

IIRC, the parts cost for a new top was $525 about 7 years ago.

 

Not on my 88 S4 vert. I can undo the top and put it up and down going down the highway at 60 if the targa top is already off. But I guess the s5's must be different. Also my top switch is not on the guage cluster anymore. It was relocated to a toggle switch installed on the control panel by the previous owner.

 

A note about the turbo for autocross. N/A rx7's race in the ES class, TurboII FC race in BS. Since the vert never came factory witha turbo then that could possibly put you in a Street Modified class or something like that. Out there with all the supercharged miata's, They will mop the floor with your 7 on an autocross track.

I am facing the same problem by the way, I have a tII 'vert that I want to autocross. Its hard enuogh in my dad's FB to keep up with the n/a miata's... lil bastards