as promised more pics...click one of the pics to go to album and view/download high quality + more pics.

<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kAndaBxCU1ic2eMmOF40sg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_EDb1cJHu1bk/ScmY-7gSxkI/AAAAAAAAAJU/03d3VhFTlD8/s800/DSC02163.JPG" /></a>

<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Nc_AoAPOINyI3LWHtpT4LA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_EDb1cJHu1bk/ScmY_a9Y6pI/AAAAAAAAAJc/khjSPChSJvk/s800/DSC02164.JPG" /></a>

<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bmH7FyEaINUQ80HsYxX0HA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_EDb1cJHu1bk/ScmZAosjlYI/AAAAAAAAAJk/W-sPvEa4dVI/s800/DSC02171.JPG" /></a>

<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ONnxfqJGtW1r9kmWabBpsA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_EDb1cJHu1bk/ScmZCJX5foI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/CqklJ_UNdFg/s800/DSC02174.JPG" /></a>

<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bImrunZgLn6yLfPEO4B6eA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_EDb1cJHu1bk/ScmZdZoWL7I/AAAAAAAAAKY/hlr1kDEqIoI/s800/DSC02190.JPG" /></a>

<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tqJtim-IV4oKZKCx8tSekg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_EDb1cJHu1bk/ScmZsgyL16I/AAAAAAAAAK0/JKdrVynZWW8/s800/DSC02195.JPG" /></a>

 

^^ DAMN DUDE. Makes me nervous.

Well, like I said earlier, I'll be getting mine installed the first weekend in April, along with Hotchkis sways. I'll definitely let you know how the install goes with my RA bar.

 

^^^ that thing looks like it sits waaayyy high... I wonder why it was designed to sit so high? Clearance is not an issue.

 

Versa, have you shown these to or informed Scott of this?

 

^yes, i have spoke with him on the phone several times and he only told me its probably my car and that i should try and bend the bracket down. Brought it to 2 shops, both said they wouldn't try to bend that bracket and a new one should be made. I just finished up writing him an email with these pictures giving more detail of the problem and the corrections that need to be made to the passenger side bracket. He said on the phone he will be able to send me new bracket once he sees the problem im having.

I spoke with another member on the forums who bought this bar years ago from Scott and said he had the same exact problem with the passenger side bracket and had to get a new one made for him. I'm just wondering why the hell did I not read anything about all of these problems before i forked over $500????

 

I didn't have any problems with it clearing my hood. It cleared fine. The only problem I had was the bar seemed to not reach all the way to each bracket. Turning it the other way worked, I'm thinking someone put the logo on the wrong way.

 

damn! that gap is crazy! sorry to hear it didnt work out
hopefully you get it resolve soon coz for the price of the bar ill be PISSED too!

 

I've never heard of any of these problems before... mine fit fine, although it was a b*tch to install...

 

Well, to be honest, I'm very close to being totally p!ssed about how this bar turned out.

This might be sort of a rant-post, but please, bear with me. Please consider that I am very difficult to anger; in fact, I'm pretty sure I had a very positive attitude towards this whole group buy and how long it took for Scott to get these things out. Also, take note of the time I am writing this; I have not gotten any sleep, tonight, yet.

My friend and I tried installing this bar earlier tonight. Besides being a little out of the ordinary for a strut tower bar installation (this bar is supposed to be excellent, so it's understandable), it was a pretty uneventful install up until I finally had to close my hood.

Hell, I have a Stillen intake kit and my friend figured out a way to fit everything so the only thing we had to do to the heat shield was drill another hole through [no other cutting required]. No crescent wrench, none of that ****.

However, once it came to shutting my hood, it looks just like the pictures that viceversa posted up. We took off the "shield" on the underside of the hood [the name of it escapes me at the moment, but it has "Advanced Front Midship" on it]. Still, the hood would not close without the passenger side bracket hitting the hood. Every spot where viceversa's hood is rubbing is the same with mine

Yes, I called Scott at 12 midnight pacific time. Yes, he offered for me to send back this bracket and send me a new one.

My friend and I tried turning the bar different ways. It actually fits, too, upside down with no interference from the hood [it closes]. However, the bar literally sits on the engine, sandwiching the harness wires in the middle. A piece of the plenum touches the bar in this position, and my friend and I even tried dremeling out part of the plenum that touches (didn't dremel the bar) so that I had about a hair's width of room. No go, still, since the entire car shakes in sync with the engine in this position.


The part that ticks me off is that we all paid half a grand for this bar, but it doesn't fit. Yes, Scott told me about how each car is different, but then why doesn't this problem happen with other strut tower bars on the market? Scott tells me that I'm #3 out of 15 that have complained about this problem. I don't think he thinks I realize that not everyone has gotten a chance to install theirs yet. I'm sure after waiting this long for these bars and the vastly positive reviews, they'd post up the difference it made to their cars. And, yes, I realize that some people have successfully installed their bars without any problems.

I guess the part that angers me the most is that I'll have to wait until summer time [late late May] so I can attempt to install this bar again since I'm going to school in NorCal, but my car stays in SoCal. Right now, I'm home for spring break.

/endRant
:-\

 

I've never heard of this issue before, but considering that this thing has not been made for over a year, and since it's most likely a different manufacturer (I believe mine was manufactured by GT Spec), it might be a manufacturing issue on this specific run of strut bars... mine rubs the heatshield under the hood, but I never had any serious issues like you guys are going through.

 

Consider yourself lucky, then, man.

Edit: Good luck to you other fellows who haven't yet attempted install. I hope your bar fits better than mine.

If not, then hell might be raised.

 

wow, that really sux

the last thing you want when you dish out that kinda cash is to mave fitment problems

 

Half a grand.....I thought this think cost $250 to $300

If it cost anywhere close to $500...why didnt you go with ARC or the guy that made one that looks like the ARC??

http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_i...0580_large.jpg


Here is a pic of my ARC STB....It has been well tested on a car with well over 700 REAL whp on DD and over 800 whp on DJ. It works and install takes less than 5 minutes

 

^^^ lol

inbeforethemoderatorthatalsodoescustomerservice-openlyformrsshowsup

 

posting this for my buddy who is so miserable