So I got my STB today (Saturday delivery by FedEX) and you know I had to install it right away. Woud have been 30 mins top if I hadn't dropped one of the nuts and had to spend time on that
Anyway, pics first then some notes from my experience.
How 'bout this decal placement?
But what about the rubbing mod, you ask? Okay, here's what I did:
Checked the fit of the STB and saw there was some room for play in the mounting bracket holes/slots. So I placed the STB on the smooth, hard, concrete basement floor with a layer of cloth under each end to prevent scratches. "Leaned" on each end of the STB right where the bend is and was able to lower the bar height over 1/10" (you can do that when you weigh 250+ ).
Covered each end of the STB with a couple layers of cloth and "flattened" the mounting brackets again so the bar wouldn't bend back up when it was installed. Added the decal before heading to the garage.
Installed the STB on the car and tightened the nuts 'til they felt about as tight as the others. I'll check them with a torque wrench at work on Monday.
Then, to see if I'm going to have a rubbing problem, I put a few drops of "thick liquid" (ketchup ) along the bar, closed the hood completely, then opened it again and checked for any ketchup .. er, liquid ... spots on the bottom of the hood. Over several attempts it took almost a 1/8" bubble of liquid before I got even two tiny specks on the hood, right where the rubbing happens.
Maybe the aftermarkarket MPD ram air hood has a little more room, maybe I was able to lower the STB enough, or a little of both, but I think with 1/8" static clearance I should be alright even with the dynamic forces and stresses during cornering (I don't drive it that hard most of the time).
I'll keep an eye on it and let you know.
Anyway, pics first then some notes from my experience.
How 'bout this decal placement?
But what about the rubbing mod, you ask? Okay, here's what I did:
Checked the fit of the STB and saw there was some room for play in the mounting bracket holes/slots. So I placed the STB on the smooth, hard, concrete basement floor with a layer of cloth under each end to prevent scratches. "Leaned" on each end of the STB right where the bend is and was able to lower the bar height over 1/10" (you can do that when you weigh 250+ ).
Covered each end of the STB with a couple layers of cloth and "flattened" the mounting brackets again so the bar wouldn't bend back up when it was installed. Added the decal before heading to the garage.
Installed the STB on the car and tightened the nuts 'til they felt about as tight as the others. I'll check them with a torque wrench at work on Monday.
Then, to see if I'm going to have a rubbing problem, I put a few drops of "thick liquid" (ketchup ) along the bar, closed the hood completely, then opened it again and checked for any ketchup .. er, liquid ... spots on the bottom of the hood. Over several attempts it took almost a 1/8" bubble of liquid before I got even two tiny specks on the hood, right where the rubbing happens.
Maybe the aftermarkarket MPD ram air hood has a little more room, maybe I was able to lower the STB enough, or a little of both, but I think with 1/8" static clearance I should be alright even with the dynamic forces and stresses during cornering (I don't drive it that hard most of the time).
I'll keep an eye on it and let you know.
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