ok for those of you who have bent this thing...
HOW IN THE WORLD DID YOU DO IT!?!
help me please!!!

 

haven't done it myself yet, but heard you have to put a towel over the bar to prevent scatching, then roll over it with your car on each side. if it still doesn't fit, roll over it again. that's all i know, do a search for more answers maybe.

 

ROLL OVER IT??? Whoa, dude!! That sounds extreme! There's gotta be a better way! And I know I'm no expert on this subject, but doesn't bending the FSTB kinda defeat the purpose? I mean, I want one, too. But bending it seems (at least to me) to negate the 'rigidity' aspect of the bar itself.... correct me if I'm wrong. I'm always willing to concede stupidity in the face of brighter individuals.

 

I just bent mine the other day. I used two large wood blocks, put them at the ends with the bar upside down then I put alot of pressure on it with my body weight pressing down a few times. I didnt have too bad of a clearence problem so I didnt work the bar that hard. It seems to have worked.

 

that's exactly right. the whole purpose of the bar is to keep the strut towers from flexing inward during cornering. bending the bar just makes it more prone to flexing, and basically defeats the purpose! that's why i just did mine the correct way, without bending it. i cut off the old tabs, made new ones, and welded them on. this raised the bar up over the engine, and i didnt even have to move the a/c hose either.

 

If you want to bend it, put it under a closed door and lift up. That'll get you a nice bend. I'm workin on getting a nice carbon fiber one made from a fellow Max.org user

 

maximamike

 

Thats why I was asking about the custom mounts

 

The Courtesy bar is hollow, so it doesn't take much to bend. To my understanding, auto VE will have a clearance problem while 5spd VE will not. Cutting and rewelding of the tabs on the bracket does seem like the correct fix over bending, but then it falls out of the "bolt on" catagory.

Incase I decide to cut and weld, how much of a increase did you raise the tab?

 

Like I said dude, I never did it. I don't think it's worth all that trouble. I was kind of hoping a manufacturer would just make one that FITS! I'm not into welding and all that, why doesn't someone just make the right one, damn.

 

I wrapped a towel around mine and ran the car on it to bend it.Then bent the AC hose back and put a washer under each bolt I have no problems.But James is sweet if you have access to a welder do it that way...If not then do it the ghetto way!

 

i dont get what you mean by running over it with your car...
do you mean you just run over it and then get out of the car and pull up on the bar?

or do you like prop one side of it up on somethng and then run over it

 

Yes,Drive the car on the bar and pull up on it to give it a bend.It is kind of ghetto but I dont have any access to a vice...

 

how much bending did you actually do?
i have access to a vice, and my dad is going to help me,
he said that we have to do a lot of bending to make the thing fit...

 

I actually just gave it a little tug on each side at first.Because you dont need a huge bend.But I recommend putting thick washer under each strut tower bolt.And you will run into the A/C hose also but I took a wire tie and pulled the hose toward the intake manifold and there is a metal piece you will see there that you can tie it around.Now you should be alright I have about a 1/4 of an inch gap between the bar and the intake manifold the hood closes and the A/C hose barely touches but no problems.And you can feal the difference.(Make sure you wrap the bar with a towel also you dont want to scratch it)