Common Problem - "E30 strut bar won't fit during installation"
Overview
Our strut bars are designed based on OEM factory measurements and they are welded in a fixture to ensure no movement and no discrepancies in the welding procedure.
Even with this being the case, it is still common for the strut bar to not line up to the mounting points on the strut towers. The reason for this is typically due to a couple of natural factors. The primary factor is the age of the E30. These cars are now 33+ years old and have experienced quite a bit of chassis flexing throughout the years. It is also possible that your car may have been in an accident at some point in its life which has "moved" or "shifter" the strut tower locations.
How to Install an E30 strut bar when it seems too long
- Step 1: You will need to lift the front of the car, with a floor jack, from the front subframe until the front tires lift off the ground.
- Step 2: Once you have the car lifted and secured from the front subframe, the chassis will now be able to "relax" with the help of gravity. You will want to leave the car in this position for anywhere from 10 minutes up to a full day to allow enough time for the strut towers to fully relax back to their original position!
-
Step 3: Now try lining up the front strut bar and carefully thread the nuts on each side before finally tightening them down.
- Tip: If needed, lower one strut from the tower (studs no longer visible) so that the strut bars landing plate can sit flush on the strut tower, then raise the strut back up through the strut tower and strut bar landing plate!
As long as your car has not been in any major accidents, the strut bar is guaranteed to fit with this method.
Instructions for the E30 Front Strut Bar Installation
Instructions can be found at this link: https://www.garagistic.com/pages/instructions-e30-front-srut-bar-install
Videos explaining the E30 strut bar in detail:
Great Installation video on the e30 strut bar done by a customer:
Comments
0 comments
Please sign in to leave a comment.