Your MGF may already have speakers in the T-Bar. Or, it may not. From researching this it seems the speakers become standard with the so-called mark II cars starting with model year 2000 and some cars built to that specification in late 1999. My mark I car did not have any speakers in the T-Bar. There are some additional pictures at the end of the article, to help with understanding the process.
Replacing Existing Speakers – Getting Access #
If you already have speakers in the T-Bar then upgrading them will be relatively straight forward. I’ll cover adding MGF T-Bar speakers in another section below.
You will need to lower the soft top to start. Then proceed to remove the posts and popper(s) from the top of the T-Bar cover. Mark I cars may have 2 poppers and 1 posts to support the early style tonneau cover. Later cars may have a popper in the middle and 2 posts on the outer edges. Each of these uses a Phillips cross head screw holding it in place.
With the screws removed, carefully pull forward on the plastic T-Bar cover. There are 6 plastic studs/poppers that also hold this cover in place. Two on each side and two more in the middle.
With the T-Bar cover removed slide it forward to move it out of your way. Now you can disconnect the wiring in the center of the T-Bar. This leaves the removal of the four 10mm (I think) bolts on the outer edges that hold the T-Bar into the car.
The final step is to lift the T-Bar up and out of the car. This will give you easy access to remove the factory or other current speakers. Then you’ll be ready to install the speakers of your choice.
Check the connections for the new speakers. I found on one side the existing wiring was fine and the connectors fit the new speakers just fine. On the other side the connection wasn’t likely to remain in good contact. I cut the existing connectors off and used some of the wiring that came with the speakers, to ensure a snug and secure fit.
Replacement Speaker Choices – Dimensions #
I’m not sure of the specifications of the original speakers. However, in the mid/late 90’s when most MGFs were built, its unlikely these were high quality.
Basically these MGF T-Bar speakers are 6 inches by 4 inches. You will find plenty of options available in this 6 by 4 format. This is not an uncommon size.
As long as you have the right size, the one factor you will need to be sure about is the depth.
The plastic speaker pod that is part of the T-Bar is not that deep.
In the specifications of the speakers that you choose, there should be details of the “Top Mount Depth”. Be sure to check on this.
I chose Kicker 47KSC4604 speakers. While the depth was fine they did sit about 1/4 inch proud of the plastic speaker box. Luckily I didn’t need to trim anything. I was able to get them fully seated by using the mounting screws and working on each one a couple of turns at a time. This squeezed the speakers into place.
Adding T-Bar Speakers #
If you have a mark I car (pre-model year 2000) or otherwise don’t have speakers in the T-Bar you can add them.
Cutting Holes #
I have seen an option where holes for speakers are cut into the T-Bar, and speakers mounted in them. That might be an option in the USA where access to parts is not that easy. As I have the ability to periodically bring parts from the UK back to the USA, I went a different route.
Switching In A T-Bar With Speakers #
I was able to purchase a complete speaker and T-Bar setup in the UK. These are regularly available on eBay and/or via the Facebook MGF/MGTF specific sales groups.
The speakers do not change anything as far as installing goes – the T-Bar and cover are a direct fit. The one thing I will note is that after install, 3 of the engine cover bolts become very difficult to access. The plastic speaker box sits directly above 3 bolts leaving very little room to remove them. I basically don’t use the front one on the right of the car anymore (see picture).
Wiring #
Your mark I car will not have wiring for the rear speakers so you will need to run some wiring from the radio/head unit area back to the T-Bar. This may go along/through the tunnel or potentially under the carpet.
The wiring on my replacement T-Bar unit had been cut but left the plastic connector to the T-Bar in place. I used a sound system as a test platform to determine which wires were positive and which negative. If the wiring is reversed, I got no sound. So it was a definitive yes/no on what was correct.
As noted earlier, make sure the connections onto the speakers themselves are snug. You may find you need to cut off the originals and splice in cabling provided with the speakers.
Seat Belts #
The other element of the install is that you must deal with both seat belts. The seat belts pass through the T-Bar cover. So, you must detach the seat belt from the side of each seat. Based on my experience, this cannot be done without removing/loosening the seats. Pay attention, before starting, to the under seat connections as part of the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS).
Remember – this is the SRS you are dealing with. Disconnect the battery and make sure you follow the instructions in the workshop manual to ensure nothing can cause an airbag to go off!
You will need a T50 Torx bit to remove the 4 seat bolts. Of the 4 bolts the front 2 are into the floor as is 1 in the rear, closest to the door. The other rear seat bolt is horizontal into the tunnel. The objective is to be able to move the seat enough to provide clearance to remove the T50 Torx bolt that is holding the seat belt to the frame of the seat. I found it was not necessary to remove the entire seat. I was able to create the necessary space by removing the 3 floor pan bolts and loosening the 1 bolt into the tunnel.
This provided enough room to get my T50 socket bit and ratchet onto the bolt securing the seat belt to the seat frame.
With this bolt removed you can then work to remove the seat belt escutcheon in the T-Bar cover. This allows the seat belt to be completely removed from the T-Bar cover. Then you can proceed to put the seat belt back through the new T-Bar cover with speaker screens. Do this for both sides of the car.
You can then mount the new T-Bar and speakers back into the car. Complete your wiring connections and be sure to test. If everything is OK then you can put the T-Bar cover back on and refit the popper and stands for the tonneau cover back on the top edge.
Additional Pictures #
Some extra pictures to help explain the MGF T-Bar Speakers.
Other Materials #
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