riclewallen

Hello, I have a 2004 black cherry mica Miata. My trunk lid has a spoiler on it. My wife and I want to travel in the car and want to install a luggage rack. I am looking to see if there is someone who has a spoiler-less trunk lid of the same color to swap. If interested, let me know.
thanks,
ric lewallen

sixshooter

I have a trunk lid off a first generation car with the factory rack on it but that won't help you. And FYI it says in it that it is only rated for 22lbs of load weight, which isn't much.

Have you looked at aftermarket ones that could mount to the trunk and still be removable?

Or some guys who take their cars to the track pull tiny trailers like motorcycles sometimes pull with their extra tools and gear in them. Bethania Garage (they make Hard Dog roll bars) makes a hideaway trailer hitch for this very purpose that doesn't mess up the car's rear bumper.

Here is the link: http://www.bethania-garage.com/hitch.htm

riclewallen

Hi Steve,
thanks for the response. Yes, I had thought about the removable luggage rack. I found this thread on miata.net which got me tracking i nthat direction:
http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=363012
In researching the removable luggage rack, I found out that the removable rack will not go on a trunk with a spoiler. Then researching that led me to the idea of swapping the trunk lid.
I had not really researched idea of the hitch and will look at it. Do you have a hitch and what do you tow with?
cheers, ric

y8s

did someone say hitch?

I have a barely used hitch that I thought I was going to install about 7 years ago... never got around to it.

I'm not sure which one it is but it comes straight out the back with the 1-1/4 receiver.

sixshooter

You two guys should definitely meet.

Yes I have a hitch. I tow a car dolly with my Miata on it to the track and back. But it is on my Tundra pickup.

There are plenty of tiny trailers that would do fine behind a Miata. You just need to find one that is within its rational limitations. I would think that a gross weight of a trailer of around 800lbs would be about that limit for me, and would likely be more cubic feet of additional space than you would need.






Here:
http://www.sportutilitytrailers.com/...2TA-TS32BX.htm

mytwo

Just to throw a thought in here .According to Mazda or so I am told you cannot pull anything behind a miata .
I know it is done quite often ,just check with your insurance company and check with Maxda to see if you would be covered for the trailer.
Here is a tid bit I do know ,most insurance companies will not cover a trailer that you tow belonging to someone else and the person that owns the trailer will not be covered by his insurance .
If you borrow a trailer to pull behind anything check with your agent and make sure you see it in writing if he says you are.
I have a friend that is going thorugh this now

MF-Brain

iTrader: (1)

hell, adding a passenger (or your fat self) pretty much puts you over Mazda's weight allowance for the car, which is at 200 lbs.

riclewallen

Thanks to everyone who replied. I had considered the idea of the trailer, which looks now like that would not have been a good idea. What I wound up doing was removing my spoiler. It is held on by 3 screws and some very robust double sided tape. I slowly, steadily worked at it until I got the spoiler to come off and then used goo gone and its variants to remove the double sided tape. I purchased some 3/8" sheet metal plugs for the holes. The color of my car make those plugs practically invisible. I then purchased the luggage rack from moss motors. It is not as cool as the classic carrier model, but it was 50% less.

The trunk lid shows some effects of the spoiler being attached for 8 years, but with the rack on, they are not noticeable unless you are really paying attention. We will give it a test out on Easter Sunday trip to the beach for a week from Birmingham, AL.

Pictures for those who are interested.

mytwo

does not look bad at all,now wonder if I can talk the wife into one