Hello,

Does anyone have any tips on getting this installed?

My problem is getting the two bolts off the transmission bell housing off... I have really big hands and there are soo many wires in the way...

Any tips/tricks anyone knows to get to these two bolts?

Thanks!
-Mike

 

Which two bolts? You should be able to get all of the bolts onto the transmission using a long extension and a whobbly [U-joint type thing for your sockets] Though you might have to thread them in first [or at least set them in the hole]

 

i have a 1/2" of those joint whobbly thingys, know if they come in 3/8"?

 

They do come in 3/8" and 1/4". they are cheap and very handy to have. You can get very long extensions. I use a 36". but that on is a little too long.
Another thing you may want to try is to support the motor with a floor jack, then remove both of the the motor mounts completely. then gently lower the motor so you can gain access to the bolts. When you are finished, raise the motor back up and replace the mounts.

 

If you decide to go this route, I'd recommend that you also support the transmission and remove the tranny crossbrace bolts.
If you don't, you'll be putting a lot of stress on the bushing in the crossbrace and you do not want to screw that up as it's not replaceable and will require replacing the entire crossbrace.
Better safe than sorry.

 

Wait til you get to the other end of the torque brace, drill the hole in the inner fender well, and then try to get access up inside the fender to install the nut on the end of the brace. What a PITA that was. I didn't notice a significant difference after the install and would not do it again. If you tighten the adjustment nuts too much, vibration is transmitted to the body making a strange sound as engine revs increase. If you back off on the nuts to reduce the vibration transfer, you lose most of the effect of stabilizing engine movement.

I removed mine for some powertrain work and never reinstalled it. In fact, I will give the brace and all the hardware to anyone for the cost of shipping. Or if you live near south-central PA, you can pick it for free. PM me if interested/

 

I didn't want to say anything but I'd never seen the RB torque brace so I looked it up on their site and the first thing I thought was that it looked like a pretty flaky design.

If anything, a bracket on the firewall would have made more sense or, even better, the setup that Mazdatrix has (on the front of the engine, tied to the strut tower brace), which actually works quite well.

Were I to install a brace like the RB version, I think a plate on the fender area to spread the load would be better than just drilling through the sheetmetal and pinning the rod...but that's just me.

 

haha i got the brace for cheap, and the shuddering in first gear is a pita so i opted to try it out.

anyways, i tried getting the swivel socket in there, but the bolts point a bit down so that does not work for me either...

looks like the last thing to do is try removing the mounts...

 

just for a tip witht the wiggle. go to a hardware store and find a spring that'll fit on it. like over the length of the whole thing. makes like a lot easier. makes it so it'll wiggle but wont just flop over on you

 

My free torque brace has been given away to a deserving soul in NC.

 

lol hope he has better luck installing than me >_<

 

You don't need to remove the engine mounts. You could try using extensions / swivels from under the car to reach them. There is also a "swivel socket" you can get at sears that helps. I use a very long wrench from the top. It does help to have the right tool.