Tools needed:
- Ratchet (3/8" drive or 1/4" drive or both).
- Sockets: 14mm and 15mm (deep socket preferred for the 15mm but not required).
- 14mm open-end wrench or adjustable wrench.
- 15mm ratchet wrench (not required but makes rear STB installation much easier. If no ratchet wrench is available a 15mm box end wrench is needed for the rear STB installation).
- 8mm hex wrench or driver.
Total time should be about 15 minutes. Difficulty level - Really easy.
- Start with the car on a level surface with the wheels pointing straight ahead.
- Assemble the STB by bolting the bar to the brackets as shown below using a 14mm socket and 8mm hex driver. Make sure the hex side of the bolts are facing the same way. When installing on the car, you'll want the hex side facing the front of the car. Leaving the bar wrapped until the last step will help prevent scratching of the bar during installation.
- Remove the three nuts from the strut bolts on each of the strut towers with a 15mm socket (a deep socket is preferred to avoid banging the ratchet into your fender while turning).
- On the driver's side of the car, remove and bend out of the way the fastener holding wire loom as shown in picture below (A). There is no need to remove stud marked (B). There is a hole in the bottom of the bracket that will allow for clearance of this stud.
- Lay the assembled strut tower brace in place over the bolts on the driver's side of the car. The passenger side will not go over the bolts just yet. Start the three nuts on the driver's side strut bolts but do not tighten.
- From the passenger side of the car, hold the passenger side strut tower brace bracket and twist the bar. This will cause the rod ends to extend and the overall length of the bar assembly will lengthen. Turn until the passenger side bracket is able to go onto the strut bolts.
- Start the three nuts on the strut tower bolts and tighten down. Torque to 30 lbs. Repeat on the driver's side.
- Twist strut tower brace bar until it is snug. Do NOT load by overtightening. Once it's snug, tighten jam nuts up to the bar with a 14mm open end wrench.
Rear Strut Tower Brace Installation
The rear is very similar to the front. Total time is about 20 minutes (due to use of the ratchet wrench and having to lay in the trunk). Here are the differences.
- When assembled, the bar isn't centered across the brackets, it is offset. When installing, the bar should be towards the front of the car (it can only go one way due to the bolt pattern of the struts).
- The rear nuts on the rear struts can be a bit difficult to reach. A ratchet and socket will not work back there, you'll need a wrench or preferably the 15mm ratchet wrench mentioned above.
- There is nothing in your way in the rear as in Step 4 of the front installation instructions.
This page was last updated on October 20, 2000