I am getting ready to install my Lower Tie Bar Stage II from BlehmCo.
I looked at the instuctions from his website and then i looked under my 2003 Maxima SE.
I see things that are different on my car that affect the installation.

I took the LTB under the car and i tried to put it on the car without mounting just to see if everything matches and fits. Well, compared to the pictures, the biggest difference i see are the REAR mounting points. On my car, i will have to mount the rear mount point on the brackets that hold the rear main bushing. See pictures below. Yellow arrows show where the LTB should be mounted on my car.

I am guessing that the pictures from BlehmCo's site were taken on a 2000-2001 Maxima. Is it normal to have such difference between the 5 Gen and 5.5? My car does look different compared to what i see on these pix and these difference will affect the mounting points.

I have circled the area where the LTB fits on my car. You can see that it does NOT match the instructions on BlehmCo's site. (red arrows are from BlehmCo's instructions, yellow arrows are mine) Is this a problem and should i proceed installing the LTB?


^^^ The LTB does not reach this far on my car. It fits perfectly if i mount it where i put the yellow box. Is this OK?




Thank you for any input.

Btw, how easy is to replace the bushings on the control arm?? Can i do it without press or it's too much work/impossible? I have a full set of Energy Suspension Polyurethane bushings but if the OEM bushings are too hard to be removed, i may not touch them. Let me know.
Thanks again!

 

It would be easier on you if you had a press to install and remove the bushing.

 

I believe it's a 4th gen on those pictures. I would contact Matt and and ask him directly if you are not sure about something.

BTW, I'm not sure if he'd appreciate you posting those instructions for everyone to see.

 

I did NOT know that the instructions were "confidential" information. It looks like a public web site.
Anyway....they were removed 2 mins ago from my original post.


Has anyone here installed the LTB II on a 5.5 Gen?


Thanks!

 

The install instructions for the LTB are no problem.. It's a bit different with the ground kit, as anyone can copy my hard work on the ground kit by just buying some wire and doing it themselves. the LTB takes someone with metal fab tools, and anyone that has those tools can build one of these things without much trouble- and so far I have yet to see a copy of it anywhere.

anyway, yes the pics on my site are from a 4th gen. the instructions provide a general basis of how to do things and with a bit of common sense, it should be obvious which bolts need to be removed and reattached to install the bar on any car.

 

Thank you!

I just wanted to make sure that i will not mess up anything by putting the LTB the wrong way. The good thing is that on my car it can only fit in one certain way....so i guess, i can't really go wrong. Now i know why the pictures look so different.

Thanks again!

 

Let us know how the drive feels after you install the LTB. I was thinking about getting this.
Where did you get it from?

 

http://www.mattblehm.com/suspension.htm

 

Yes, things can still go wrong. You can easily strip the threads where the rear bolts go in. Double check the torque specs you have for the rear bolts. When I installed mine, I caught an error in the tq spec being too high (87 to 108 ft-lb IIRC), but last I checked (I don't have the link any more), Matt had not corrected it. The correct tq. is 69-83 ft-lb.