TRD Strut Bar Install for 97 ES300

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Jul 11, 2003 | 06:38 PM

Nixsun79

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From: Florida

TRD Strut Bar Install for 97 ES300

I recently purchased a TRD Strut tower bar for a 2000 Camry Solara hoping that it would just bolt on to my 1997 ES300. The chassis type is the same as the 2000 Camry Solara, and I know that the suspension parts are interchangeable.

The Strut Tower Bar bolted right on with no problems, it fit perfect, so I thought, until I closed the hood. Apparently the hoods are configured different on the ES than the Solara. There are two support beams that hit the tower bar, preventing the hood from closing correctly.

The damage to my hood:

The good news is that you can still install the strut tower bar, if you have these supports cut. I used a dremel to do the job, so make sure you have something similar to a dremel handy if planning to do the install. The supports will be covered by the firewall type material that lines the hood. Make sure that you spray with some primer after, to prevent rust on the raw metal.

Overall, the car handles great now. I am greatly impressed with the improvement that this tower bar, and would highly recommend it.

One more thing to add: DO NOT CLOSE THE HOOD UNTIL THE SUPPORT BEAMS ARE CUT. I did, and had to bend my hood back into shape.

Last edited by Nixsun79; Jul 11, 2003 at 06:39 PM.

Jul 11, 2003 | 06:44 PM

Nixsun79

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From: Florida

If you are interesed in purchasing the tower bar there is information located HERE

Jul 11, 2003 | 07:22 PM

snboarder8

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From: California

that looks great, i would like to get a strut bar too... but don't wanna dish out $100 for it. i've seen ones by ractive and such for $20-$30. are those any good? i would need to get the one they have for the camry though.

Jul 11, 2003 | 07:38 PM

Nixsun79

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From: Florida

Quote:

Originally posted by snboarder8
that looks great, i would like to get a strut bar too... but don't wanna dish out $100 for it. i've seen ones by ractive and such for $20-$30. are those any good? i would need to get the one they have for the camry though.

I wouldnt cheap out on any parts for my car, if you want top end performance, dish out the cash, otherwise just leave it stock. Just my way of seeing things.

Jul 11, 2003 | 09:33 PM

steviej

Lexus Champion

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From: Scituate, MA

Nixsun79, you didn't completely cut through the entire rigid crossmember support of the hood but do you feel that you sacraficed some structural integrity of the hood by doing this? Does the hood tend to twist or feel like it will snap here if pulled quickly?

Other than that, I give you an A for effort and ingenuity.

I wonder if the crossmember of the TRD brace would fit under the hood and over the plenum if the crossbar was simply inverted so it was like \___/ instead of the how it is supposed to be. Just a late friday night thought. Probably won't be as supportive.

steviej

Last edited by steviej; Jul 12, 2003 at 08:32 PM.

Jul 11, 2003 | 09:58 PM

squarehat

Lexus Test Driver

Joined: May 2002

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From: Ohio, USA

Flipping the bar upside down would probably cause it to bump the intake plenum (I think that's what it's called), would be my guess.

Jul 12, 2003 | 10:20 AM

Nixsun79

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From: Florida

Quote:

Originally posted by steviej
Nixsun79, you didn't completely cut through the entire rigid crossmember support of the hood but do you feel that you sacraficed some structural integrity of the hood by doing this? Does the hood tend to twist or feel like it will snap here if pulled quickly?

The hood is still very stable. I had a machinist (person who works with metal) look at the structure of the hood before I cut. He said that by cutting those beams, there would be no risk of weakening the hood. There are plently of other support beams on the hood, and I also did not cut completely through the beam. I think that it was well worth it, I cannot believe how much better my car handles. I am also glad that I am using a genuine Toyota part to improve the performance of car, plus you cannot even tell that my hood has been cut.