FAQ:  Install Procedure--
TEC Performance Strut Tower Bar

Click HERE for a printable version of the image above.

1.   Remove the negative battery terminal.

2.   Remove the positive battery terminal.

3.   Remove the two 14mm nuts from the side of the shock tower closest to the engine bay.  Similarly, remove the equivalent two 14mm nuts from the other shock tower.

4.   Remove the battery tie-down.  This part will be relegated to your "stock parts" bin, to save in case you ever want to return the car to stock condition.  Keep either the 10mm nut (or the J-bolt wingnut) from the tie-down handy, since you will be re-using it.

Click HERE for a printable version of the image above.

5.   Remove the old battery and replace it with a smaller one, as per the size restrictions above.  If your calculations suggest that it's necessary, place the platform you've chosen beneath the battery.

6.   Remove the spacer which is taped to the battery hold down.  Loosen the adjuster plate at the end of the bracket. The main bracket (pictured) should be attached loosely with the supplied carriage bolts, washers, and flange nuts. Attach the J-bolt loosely to the middle slotted hole on the end of the battery bracket. Use the 10mm nut (or wingnut) and supplied spacer to hold the J-bolt in place.  Place the end of the strut bar over the 14mm bolts on the shock tower - first the passenger side, then the driver's side.
 

Printable Version

7.   And here is the battery, all snug in it's bracket.  The 1" x 3/8" (color-coordinated!) spacer has been placed on the J-bolt; this spacer is necessary, since the threads end just below the wingnut.  Please note that all bracket fasteners should be only just barely hand-tight until the strut bar is fully tightened.  Check the strut bar to make sure it's centered, then alternately torque the four 14mm nuts to 33lbs.  Now you may tighten all the battery hold-down bracket fasteners the rest of the way.

Congratulations!  You're done!

Here's a photo of the completed installation. Now that wasn't too hard, was it?  If you've followed this guide exactly, (well..., without duplicating my miscalculation, hopefully), you have probably just completed the whole installation in under an half-hour.  Your car is safer, stronger, and will handle better during extreme steering maneuvers.  And you have the satisfaction of knowing that it was done right.  You undoubtedly saved about $100 in labor charges, too!

The TEC Performance Front Strut Tower Bar is every bit as solid as they claim.  It is well-made, impeccably finished in a thick powdercoating, and is incredibly easy to install, even by someone with only minimal skills.

The improvement in high-speed handling is substantial.  Cornering is smoother, with less "dip" in the hardest turns.  Body-flex is reduced significantly, as well.  Previously, when I would enter a raised driveway, for example, or go up on a berm during racing, you could actually hear the car "creak" a bit, as the entire frame twisted slightly.  By coupling the front towers, a more rigid engine "cage" is created apparently.  The car definitely feels more solid.

The only negative comment that I have is regarding the claim on the 3SXPerformance website, that "The end pieces not only attach with the strut bolts, but angle down to rest against the strut frame/body itself". On my car, at least, they do not. The passenger side of the bar has the angle piece just barely touching the tower, while on the driver's side, it does not touch at all. I would have liked the fit to be perfect. Oh, well, we'll see what the folks at 3SXP have to say...