EVO Trunk Bar Solution - Cheap and Clean!
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From: Clarkston, MI
EVO Trunk Bar Solution - Cheap and Clean!
Okay, a few months back, frustrated by there being no cheap option for a rear strut bar for the EVO (I don't consider the very nice, $200 bars to be cheap enough for me), I went ahead and bought one of those super cheap bars off Ebay that were labeled as being for a Lancer, '02 and up. Someone on here said they bought one and got it to fit with some 'modifications', so I expected it to be troublesome. Here's the exact bar I bought, though I think I paid a little less than this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=33591
Anyway, even with some mods, there's no way in heck this bar is going to fit on an EVO. I re-drilled holes in the strut brackets to get the orientation correct, but the bar itself is just way too long (by about 6 inches). Maybe if you're willing to cut the bar and retap the threads... but that's beyond my abilities. On a whim, I decided to see if I could somehow use it as a trunk bar instead. Surprisingly, it's a PERFECT FIT. The hardware that comes with it is even the correct thread pitch. The only thing I had to do was to add a couple washers to each end so that the locking nuts wouldn't be pressed down against the sheet metal -- even this is optional if you just locked the nuts down before installing the bar, but I thought my way was a little cleaner.
I then followed the excellent instructions on this site for the minor trunk trimming that needs to be done. Overall, it was a great install.
Rob
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=33591
Anyway, even with some mods, there's no way in heck this bar is going to fit on an EVO. I re-drilled holes in the strut brackets to get the orientation correct, but the bar itself is just way too long (by about 6 inches). Maybe if you're willing to cut the bar and retap the threads... but that's beyond my abilities. On a whim, I decided to see if I could somehow use it as a trunk bar instead. Surprisingly, it's a PERFECT FIT. The hardware that comes with it is even the correct thread pitch. The only thing I had to do was to add a couple washers to each end so that the locking nuts wouldn't be pressed down against the sheet metal -- even this is optional if you just locked the nuts down before installing the bar, but I thought my way was a little cleaner.
I then followed the excellent instructions on this site for the minor trunk trimming that needs to be done. Overall, it was a great install.
Rob
Thread Starter
Evolving Member
iTrader: (8)
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From: Clarkston, MI
NO. All EVOs come from the factory with the trunk bar holes already. There is a small black sticker covering each of them up. There are weld-nuts underneath the holes. The bolts that came with the bar perfectly fit the nuts. The bar adjusts to be perfectly the right length to use the factory holes. No drilling required.
Rob
Rob
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Joined: Feb 2003
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From: Seattle, WA
Originally Posted by Rob W.
Okay, a few months back, frustrated by there being no cheap option for a rear strut bar for the EVO (I don't consider the very nice, $200 bars to be cheap enough for me), I went ahead and bought one of those super cheap bars off Ebay that were labeled as being for a Lancer, '02 and up. Someone on here said they bought one and got it to fit with some 'modifications', so I expected it to be troublesome. Here's the exact bar I bought, though I think I paid a little less than this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=33591
Anyway, even with some mods, there's no way in heck this bar is going to fit on an EVO. I re-drilled holes in the strut brackets to get the orientation correct, but the bar itself is just way too long (by about 6 inches). Maybe if you're willing to cut the bar and retap the threads... but that's beyond my abilities. On a whim, I decided to see if I could somehow use it as a trunk bar instead. Surprisingly, it's a PERFECT FIT. The hardware that comes with it is even the correct thread pitch. The only thing I had to do was to add a couple washers to each end so that the locking nuts wouldn't be pressed down against the sheet metal -- even this is optional if you just locked the nuts down before installing the bar, but I thought my way was a little cleaner.
I then followed the excellent instructions on this site for the minor trunk trimming that needs to be done. Overall, it was a great install.
Rob
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=33591
Anyway, even with some mods, there's no way in heck this bar is going to fit on an EVO. I re-drilled holes in the strut brackets to get the orientation correct, but the bar itself is just way too long (by about 6 inches). Maybe if you're willing to cut the bar and retap the threads... but that's beyond my abilities. On a whim, I decided to see if I could somehow use it as a trunk bar instead. Surprisingly, it's a PERFECT FIT. The hardware that comes with it is even the correct thread pitch. The only thing I had to do was to add a couple washers to each end so that the locking nuts wouldn't be pressed down against the sheet metal -- even this is optional if you just locked the nuts down before installing the bar, but I thought my way was a little cleaner.
I then followed the excellent instructions on this site for the minor trunk trimming that needs to be done. Overall, it was a great install.
Rob
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Originally Posted by MagEvoVII
shouldn't the rear strut bar be fitted onto the shock towers? The one in the pics looks like it is just bolted onto the trunk panels with 2 bolts on either side.
Last edited by Thoe99; Sep 13, 2004 at 12:53 AM.
