OMP Strut Bar installed

[Ex-Rolla]

Hey guys, Picked up the bar from Whos ur Daddy a couple of nights ago and installed it today.

Installing the bar is pretty straight forward. When I initially did a test fit, I thought to myself that there is absolutely no way this thing is going to fit. The bar did not clear the brake fluid reservoir.

I went ahead and tried it anyway because I wanted to know for sure how this thing fits...

Sedan Owners are going to have to remove the metal plates that are currently in place. Once removed you put the bar on and tighten up the bolts to the proper specs which is 14.1 to 20.5 ft-lb (they were really easy to take off) ... the bar will basically replace those metal plates.

Battery box cover will have to be removed or modified...You may need to cut a notch on the right side of the cover for the bar to fit over. if you choose to go the modifying route, keep in mind that if you need to access the battery, the strut bar has to come off. (depending how you modify the cover). I just took it off.

Here is a pic of the installed bar. sorry for the quality, it was taken using my phone.
http://ca.geocities.com/mp3master@rogers.com/strutbar.jpg


With the cover off, the pipe that is used to keep the batery cool will not stay in place properly. I didn\'t want to remove it because with the CAI, it looks like there is a huge hole on the right side of the engine bay. soooo I needed to figure out a way to secure it in place.

Here\'s what I did
http://ca.geocities.com/mp3master@rogers.com/airbox.jpg

I cut a total of 4 small, barely noticable holes. Two on the underside of the pipe and two more directly below the first two, but on the battery box itself. Ran a zip tie through and tightened it up. If you need to remove the the pipe frequently, instead of using zip ties, you can use black twist ties..

Hope this help!

[whodilly]

Ohh orange! Nice post, hmmm making me consider a strut bar... just because it\'s purdy. I don\'t like that you have to remove the battery cover though.

Hey bow thick are the plates on the end. Don\'t we need the plates that you took out?

[keving]

Nice strut bar. I was just wondering, what exactly does a strut bar do? I think it makes the front of the car less twistable, but i dunno exactly what performance advantages it has...:hoho

[Ex-Rolla]

Originally posted by whodilly


Ohh orange! Nice post, hmmm making me consider a strut bar... just because it\'s purdy. I don\'t like that you have to remove the battery cover though.

Hey bow thick are the plates on the end. Don\'t we need the plates that you took out?

I may be wrong, but I heard the Hatch does not have the plates to begin with. The only thing that plates would do, in my eyes, is that when the strut is bolted to the body, putting the plate between the bolt and the body will disribute the pressure evenly

The strut bar has a plate, so you\'re technically removing one plate and adding another.

[SABIO]

Originally posted by Ex-Rolla
I may be wrong, but I heard the Hatch does not have the plates to begin with.

My Hatch DID have the plates mentioned, I removed them. If you left them in I don\'t think the stock bolts would be long enough.

[Ex-Rolla]

Originally posted by SABIO



Originally posted by Ex-Rolla
I may be wrong, but I heard the Hatch does not have the plates to begin with.

My Hatch DID have the plates mentioned, I removed them. If you left them in I don\'t think the stock bolts would be long enough.

ahhh thanks for clarifying ;)

[SABIO]

Oh... And why do we need the battery vent? with the cover on or off? What does it do?

I have not put mine back on yet... The air still enters through the vent just under the hood, but not directly to the battery. So what gives with the vent??

I think I said somewhere before I have not seen this before(cooling vent). My moms VW actually has the battery wrapped in a blanket thingy.. that won\'t keep it cool?

[Ex-Rolla]

like you, I also have a CAI and to me, without the vent thing, it looks like there is a huge hole in the engine compartment. I honestly think that with the battery cover off, it would make absolutely no difference to have the vent in place.

I just think it looks a lot neater.

[lukel90]

i know many of you dont recomend cutting a little notch in the battery cover as i did. I notched a little rectangular hole in the battery box, it looked cleaner in the engine bay with the box on there IMO. i know im going to keep my car for a long time, so i didnt mind cutting it. when time comes to sell the car, i might just buy a new battery cover and take off the OMP bar as im sure the buyer isnt going to want any aftermarket parts on the car. Again which is why everyone who puts on aftermarket pieces, please keep your old ones stashed away somewhere. Just my .02

[nifty6]

Originally posted by SABIO


Oh... And why do we need the battery vent? with the cover on or off? What does it do?

I have not put mine back on yet... The air still enters through the vent just under the hood, but not directly to the battery. So what gives with the vent??

I think I said somewhere before I have not seen this before(cooling vent). My moms VW actually has the battery wrapped in a blanket thingy.. that won\'t keep it cool?

I think the battery wrapped in a blanket is to keep the heat away from it, like insulation, the thicker the better. just mt 2 cents worth

[nifty6]

Originally posted by lukel90


i know many of you dont recomend cutting a little notch in the battery cover as i did. I notched a little rectangular hole in the battery box, it looked cleaner in the engine bay with the box on there IMO. i know im going to keep my car for a long time, so i didnt mind cutting it. when time comes to sell the car, i might just buy a new battery cover and take off the OMP bar as im sure the buyer isnt going to want any aftermarket parts on the car. Again which is why everyone who puts on aftermarket pieces, please keep your old ones stashed away somewhere. Just my .02

I think those who will buy our cars in the future will be buyers in their late teens or in there yearly 20s. So I think they would jump at the chance of buying a mod up car specially after the 3 year warranty has expired. . Or take the mods off, as you said, and sell them because I am sure they will not fit any another make or model.