I just bough a rear upper strut bar for my 97 sunfire (Vibrant).
I went to install it, and realized that I can't just bolt it on because I only have one strut tower nut on each side. The holes line up OK but here's the problem.
Out of the 3 bolts, the 2 on the outside near the fender use bolts that go in from the bottom from the fenderwell, and the 3rd one toward the inside of the car uses a stud that pokes through with a nut on top. There's no way to flush mount the brackets and I'll have put a nut on top of one of the bolt that come from the bottom, and use washers for a shim under the bracket where the threaded stud comes through on each side wich will end up posistioning the brackes about a quarter inch off the strut tower but will still be bolted down, because the bolts that come from the bottom thread into a pressed in fitting in the strut tower instead of using a nut, and the fitting is higher (not flush) with the top of the tower.
The bar came of a 99 Sunfire, where they different or something?
I ran into the same thing..Take out 1 of the Bolts and go to a hardware stor and a longer bolt with the same thread..Pick up a few washers and lock nuts...Go back to your car and put new bolt in nice and tight..Then put your rear bar on...Put on washer put on New lock nut tighten it down and injoy...
Jason Burten wrote:I ran into the same thing..Take out 1 of the Bolts and go to a hardware stor and a longer bolt with the same thread..Pick up a few washers and lock nuts...Go back to your car and put new bolt in nice and tight..Then put your rear bar on...Put on washer put on New lock nut tighten it down and injoy...
It's been a little while since I installed mine, but I believe I did the same exact thing, and it works fine.
I remember getting the bar, climbing in the trunk to install it, and going
(well it was one of those cheapo eBay bars, not the Vibrant, but I figured, a strut tower bar is pretty much a strut tower bar, especially the rear one...)
I've got a front bar, but I didnt' notice much of a difference...
Can you feel the rear that much?
Buddy Club Ecotec Cavalier
* More to come *
