HOW-TO: Install a MX-6 Rear Strut Tower Bar in a Protege5

[kyle's protege5]

https://www.ebay.com (commissions earned)

Dang those are cheap on there!

My only complaint would be seeing the bracket where it comes through the plastic. that looks kinda jankity. I would like it better if the bar was a perfect circle and went right through the plastic in a tight hole
(LOL "tight hole").

looks like I'm gonna have to make me one now like that.

 

[Glauconite]

the 99 ones are not circle.. lolz.. i'll take a pic of it in a moment..

 

[ke20sprinter]

I just won a 46mm bar for a REALLY low price. I am alternately scared and excited. I hope it works.

It'll work, and it's easy to do.

WiL

 

[ke20sprinter]

Dang those are cheap on there! looks like I'm gonna have to make me one now like that.

At these prices, why would you make your own? I know people wanted to start a group buy, but we're talking less than $25 on ebay! It's not that expensive of a mod

WiL

 

[kyle's protege5]

At these prices, why would you make your own? I know people wanted to start a group buy, but we're talking less than $25 on ebay! It's not that expensive of a mod

WiL

cause like i said in another post, i dont like the look of the bracket sticking through the round hole, so i'm gonna make a straight round one that fits tightly through the plastic hole.

 

[ke20sprinter]

cause like i said in another post, i dont like the look of the bracket sticking through the round hole, so i'm gonna make a straight round one that fits tightly through the plastic hole.

Maybe using a bigger pipe over the bracket & bar might be able to cover it.

WiL

 

[hyperboarder]

So my laziness finally subsided, and I took some pics of the megan. Pardon the dirty hatch, it's my home away from home. Also, you should enjoy the bigger holes I had to cut because I can't measure worth a damn.

 

[ke20sprinter]

So my laziness finally subsided, and I took some pics of the megan. Pardon the dirty hatch, it's my home away from home. Also, you should enjoy the bigger holes I had to cut because I can't measure worth a damn.

Wow, that megan bar looks nice (cool) you know, maybe you can cover up the big holes with a plastic boot from a plumbing store (kinda like a reducer boot, from 2-3" reduced to 1" & use a hose clamp to hold it to the bar).

Just wondering, is the bracket the same as the my cheapo bar?

WiL

 

[JDM-P5]

Damn. That's hot.
Good going on the install.

Too bad for me. I cannot do it on my P5. I have the MSP sub/amp rack mounted using the stock brackets & mounts. I think it sits too low so the bar probably wouldn't work.

Ignore the Kenwood/JL I just took that pic today since I replaced the stock sub w/the JL 8W0.

 

[JDM-P5]

On closer inspection..it may work.
But it's too close to call....

 

[PR5Matt]

Can't wait to install mine this weekend (if it comes in time )!

 

[Beemer_Killer]

This is what the gtspec one looks like on a p5 (front bar looks identical).

 

[JDM-P5]

On closer inspection..it may work.
But it's too close to call....

Damn...really close...but may work.

 

[ke20sprinter]

On closer inspection..it may work.
But it's too close to call....

Measure ~16" from the floor up & that's how high you need to cut the hole.

WiL

 

[JDM-P5]

Measure ~16" from the floor up & that's how high you need to cut the hole.

WiL

Thanks Wil...I'll check that out.

 

[hyperboarder]

Damn. That's hot.
Good going on the install.

Too bad for me. I cannot do it on my P5. I have the MSP sub/amp rack mounted using the stock brackets & mounts. I think it sits too low so the bar probably wouldn't work.

Ignore the Kenwood/JL I just took that pic today since I replaced the stock sub w/the JL 8W0.

You like my install? I kinda rushed it, but the bar looks great, and doesn't hurt cargo space at all. I've been looking into a quick release with Clevis pins (like $1.57 at Home Depot), but haven't finished it yet. Either way, not a hard removal if I need the room. BTW, I think you should go for it, it may fit, and you can probably tweak it to if it won't.

Wow, that megan bar looks nice (cool) you know, maybe you can cover up the big holes with a plastic boot from a plumbing store (kinda like a reducer boot, from 2-3" reduced to 1" & use a hose clamp to hold it to the bar).

Just wondering, is the bracket the same as the my cheapo bar?

WiL

I really like the look of the bar, very subtle, but beefy. If you look closely at the holes, the brackets aren't centered, they're towards the rear, so the boot probably wouldn't work. May give it a shot though. And yeah, very similar bracket, after an hour with my new angle grinder, I finally put in the seatbelt supports on top of the towers. Between me and another engineering major, we figure those are for crashes, made to take the bulk of the impact so the mechanism doesn't explode. You can roll without em, but I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[SpeedBeaver]

Did anyone tried that on a Sedan? What's the main difference between a Sedan and P5 strud bar anyway? (eek2)

Sorry for my ignorance, I'm starting to get in the suspension world.

 

[hyperboarder]

Did anyone tried that on a Sedan? What's the main difference between a Sedan and P5 strud bar anyway? (eek2)

Sorry for my ignorance, I'm starting to get in the suspension world.

Doesn't fit, it's been tried.

 

[ke20sprinter]

Doesn't fit, it's been tried.

I don't think anyone tried it before, but Cable43 has the GTSpec rear STB...He got the sedan rear STB by mistake and said it was totally different.

<img src="http://corksport.com/store/image/iw9m/99p-suspension_misc_/GT_SPEC_Strut_Bar_-Rear_Sedan.jpg"

Looks as though you have some sheetmetal inbetween the strut towers (the Protege5's have just plastic panels that are in the way of the towers, that would need to be cut). If there's a way to cut some of that metal out to allow the bar to run across, maybe...(I never saw the trunk of a sedan, so I'm just guessing). The strut bolts on the top is the same in both sedans and wagons...So the bracket fits, but I can't tell what's in the way.

Does anyone have pictures of a sedan trunk without the plastic panels? Maybe we can find out.

WiL

 

[JDM-P5]

I don't think anyone tried it before, but Cable43 has the GTSpec rear STB...He got the sedan rear STB by mistake and said it was totally different.

<img src="http://corksport.com/store/image/iw9m/99p-suspension_misc_/GT_SPEC_Strut_Bar_-Rear_Sedan.jpg"

Looks as though you have some sheetmetal inbetween the strut towers (the Protege5's have just plastic panels that are in the way of the towers, that would need to be cut). If there's a way to cut some of that metal out to allow the bar to run across, maybe...(I never saw the trunk of a sedan, so I'm just guessing). The strut bolts on the top is the same in both sedans and wagons...So the bracket fits, but I can't tell what's in the way.

Does anyone have pictures of a sedan trunk without the plastic panels? Maybe we can find out.

WiL

Uuuuhhhhhh...the GT Spec....drrrrroooooooool.
That I KNOW will not fit w/my current sub setup...or will it? Hmmm.
Any MSP owners out there have a GT Spec rear strut bar & STILL USING THE STOCK MSP SUB/AMP RACK???