Active Tuning Rear Strut Tower Brace

[John A. Heer]

You guys will love this.  Not just the RSTB, but the monkeyness which I
displayed this morning.  Got the Active Tuning RSTB last night and could
not wait to install it.  Got up early this AM to do the deed.  I
followed the install directions posted on Active Tuning's website in
taking the various flare nuts off the rear strut towers.  I had a bit of
a hard time getting the brackets to thread properly over the two bolts
on each side.  I did not want to damage the threads so I spent way too
much time trying to ginger the brackets into place.  Anyway, got them
threaded ... sort of.  I barely had one thread sticking up over the
beefy metal brackets, so especially the two flare nuts closest to me
could not catch and hold in place.  AARRGH.  So I tried to really
pressure the brackets downward to expose more threads.  Finally, I
managed to thread the two problem nuts with maybe 2-3 thread rings.  Not
very comforting, but I had to rush to get my son to school.

I drove my son to school, and then looked more closely at the install
instructions and photos.  DOH!!  I installed the damn thing upside
down!!  I had the bar ABOVE the mounting brackets, and it is supposed to
be BELOW the brackets.  What a goofball!!  So, I undid everything and
flipped the bar over.  Only then did I notice that Active Tuning has
their logo emblazoned on the correct upside of both brackets.  Also, the
correct upside of the brackets has bored out where the nuts fit into the
bracket.  So, there is not a threading problem and the flare nuts are
now solidly in place.

Remember my idiocy and DON'T do what I did.  The Active Tuning RSTB
really makes the rear of the car firm up nicely.  Ride is a bit harsher,
but I love it.  Still need to get better rubber, but that's another
story.

John Heer
93 SE-R some bolt-ons and now RSTB.