i need a way to install the FSTB without wearing out the air conditioning pipe....any ideas?

 

Shouldnt be a problem, have you installed your FSTB already? Is it rubbing?

 

i heard too many stories of the a/c pipe wearing out after installing the FSTB resulting in a hole in the pipe...so just wondering if anyone did anything to avoid that problem.

 

I havent heard that,...I have about an inch clearance between FSTB and AC Line, most people I know don't have the problem you are referring to.

What year is your car?

 

Mine is a 95SE and there definitely is contact. There is a bracket that holds the AC line in place with a piece of blk rubber. I drilled a hole about 3/4 inch higher on the bracket and resecured it with the bolt, effectively lowering the AC line about 3/4 inch. There is a limit on how low you can lower the line as you start to feel pressure caused by the lowered bracket.

 

air conditioning systems. THe GXE manual system doesn't have the rubbing problem. The AutoAir conditioning system in the GLE and some SE's has some sort of air pressure chamber that sits up just high enough to rub against the FSTB that Nissan should have made standard equipment. I have done nothing to prevent this rubbing and the tubing has now cracked but the AC still works just fine. Knock on wood.

 

I have a GXE and I dont have the rubbing problem. There was a bracket holding the AC line up which I simply removed, pushed down the AC line about 1/4 inch and re-attached.

 

Those are good looking wheels and Tires. How do you like the RE730's?

 

I just recently installed my FSTB on a 96SE manual. i put a piece of rubber between the FSTB and the ac pipe to help reduce the wear. i used some aluminum tape to hold the piece of rubber in place. i plan to monitor this set up to see if the rubber strip helps the wear. so far so good..

 

i don't think this should be a problem though... i have a 96 gle, and for me after i tightened it, it still had a gap between the ac pipe and the brace... no problems so far...

 

your tail lights look great where did you get em if you mind me asking...

 

I installed courtesy FSTB on my 96 GXE auto with Security an Convenience package. I don't see anything touching the FSTB, except for the material attached to the hood. There is a mark of the FSTB left on it. The mark is not deep at all.

 

They are fantastic, especially in the rain. Not so good in snow though, which kinda sucks because I live in the mountains 8 months a year.

 

Tail lights were done by David L.

 

I have a Cattman FSTB on my 95 SE with A/C. I have about 1mm of clearance. I'm going to check and see if there is any marking on the AC pipes. If so, j_bryan's suggestion of putting rubber in between sounds like a good solution. I'd refrain from bending the pipe--you could cause a stress fracture that will eventually leak.

 

I have a 95 GXE w/ the C&C package. Is this A/C line thing everyone is talking about the tube that passes just under the passenger side of the strut bar and is held up by a bracket attached to the strut housing? Or are you all referring to the the tubes that run under the middle of the bar?

I just installed my StreetBeat FSTB and there is like a very small gap between the FSTB passenger side bracket and the tube under it. The middle tubes have plenty of clearance. But I think I'll check the bar tomorrow just to see if it does anything to any of the tubes.

BTW, on a little side note, what's the easiest way to expand the bar (since it works best when it pushes the struts further apart)? At first I thought of attaching both brackets and then rotating the middle bar. But that isn't possible since the middle tubes prevent the bar from rotating. Did you guys just lines up the brackets as far apart as possible before you screwed them on?

 

I have the procarparts FSTB and while it is close to the line, i see no contact and no wear when i took it off to paint the ends of it. I would just wrap the pipe in some thick weather stripping if your that worried, i NEVER heard a story on here of that causing a break in the line.