thanks! so, once installed can you still see it or is it 100% covered with the carpet? Also in the first pic i see blue, and the other 3 are chrome or polished, do they come in different colors?


for all of you with this bar already installed, did you feel any difference?

thanks....

 

Thanks Cal,

I just finished the install. Took like 6 mins once I saw the picks and found the black stickers. I'll give you guys feed back tomorrow. I'm 2 deep into a sixpack and I never drive after drinking. That's no joke. The beer does help with installs!!! You can't see it once you lay the carpet down. I'm thinking of triming the plastic like Cal did, but I like the stealth look.

Have a good weekend!!!

Unkle Ronnie

 

Great work, Ron! haha Please give us some feedback!

 

there is no negative side of the trunk bar. After u install it, it's like it was never there since it hides at that 90 degree angle area.

 

That's not entirely true. You have to trim the black plastic piece at the back of the trunk as well as trim the carpeted panels on the side otherwise it won't fit.

Which leads me to a question: I have pulled the 4 trim pin things out of the plastic bit but something else is holding it on there. What is it???

 

Grab the bottom and pull out toward the back seats. You will feel the 2 or 3 clips pop out. Then give a big Texas pull up and the 2 clips holding it on will pop loose.
There ya go.

 

My beautifully shiny bar came with 2 bolts, 2 lock washers, 2 flat washers, and 2 small, flat, rectangular aluminum pieces with a nut a piece welded on.

The japanese instructions call those aluminum pieces "stays" and they're supposed to slide in from underneath the car to secure the bolts. I don't know if they're necessary for the Evo 8 because I couldn't get the black plastic piece off and that nipped my installation in the bud.

Anybody know if they're necessary (or if it's even possible to install them)? You would need 2 people to do it.

 

I didn't use them. The 2 holes in the trunk, covered by the black stickers, are threaded so the supplied bolts just screw into them. Which black plastic piece can't you get off? If it's the piece at the back of the trunk that surrounds the trunk mechanism then you need to pop out the 4 plugs that hold it in. Once these are out then you have to be quite brutal and lift it straight up as there are a further 4 plugs connected to the top of the plastic that need to pop out. You'll also need to cut that plastic to make the bar fit. I cut all along the bottom edge but, with hindsight, you probably only need to cut the portion at the edges where it flares out. I have some photos of the install at home that I can post if you like; just let me know.

 

Well, I was wrong (and my last post got deleted in the upgrade) stating that you only needed to cut the 'bulges.' I completely forgot the plastic piece has a lip on the bottom of it that will hit the bar anyway. All you really need to do is cut that lip off and then cut more material off where the bulges are.

To take the plastic piece out you need to first remove the 4 plugs here:


Then, pull straight up so that these 4 plugs will pop out:


This is how much I initially cut:


As you can see, more has to be cut where the bulge is:


And, finally, this is the other piece you must cut:

 

Wow that sucks. I don't wanna have to hack apart my entire trunk. Grrr.

 

Dude, it's really easy. Took me like 20 mins total including beer breaks.

 

Awesome looking bar! Too bad they don't make one of these for the WRX, they would sell like hot cakes!

 

UFO,

Thank you for the detailed picture installation instructions!!!

Cal
gruppe-s

 

Got mine in - much easier than installing rear strut bar (which isn't that hard either).

thanks for pics UFO

 

any possiblility of a group buy on these? there is a strong interest in a group buy on the evo rs trunk bars but the supply is extremely limited and might not accomadate a group buy. thanks.

Here is the link to the people interested in the rs bar:
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...4&page=1&pp=15