apt_lude
02-16-2008, 10:05 PM
THIS PART REQUIRES MODIFICATION OF YOUR REAR SEAT BELTS. NEITHER I NOR EM RACING ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INJURY OR DAMAGE THAT MAY OCCUR BY INSTALLING THIS PRODUCT. IT MAY BE ILLEGAL IN YOUR AREA TO RIDE IN THE BACK SEAT WITH THIS PART INSTALLED.
So I received my EM Racing C-Pillar brace today, opened the box...I found the bar, mounting hardware...but no instructions...
I was a little nervous about ripping apart my interior to do this so, I did some research and this is what I came up with...
This modification requires trimming of your C-Pillar panels. There are ways to minimize the cutting that you need to do, but I chose to do it in a way that I will be able to easily remove the brace, since pretty much any form of modification is illegal in Virginia.
I'm working up a snap on cover to restore a OEM look of sorts to the interior when the bar is installed but I need to find some good vinyl before I can show you that.
YOU WILL NEED:
14MM wrench/socket
Flathead screwdriver
Dremel or other cutting tool
Step 1:
You will be removing the C-Pillar interior panel.
Here is a picture from the Honda Service Manual (copyright Honda Motor Co.):
http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/3975/honda1qe4.gif
An actual interior shot:
http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/1655/26654640lh0.jpg
To remove this panel you will need to stick a flathead screw driver into the gap as shown in this image:
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/3491/87234843zc1.jpg
I've covered the tip of my screwdriver with heatshrink to prevent scratching the panels. You can use electrical tape or something similar.
Once you have the bottom pried off enough that you can stick a finger in there and pull it off by hand just give it a few good tugs and it should be off.
***WARNING*** pay close attention to these hooks:
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/9097/honda1alc5.jpg
OR you may end up like this:
http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/1567/94560363eb3.jpg
I broke one of the hooks so be careful in this area to unlatch it before you pull to hard...
Once you get the panel off it will look like this:
http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/6899/97555771ou2.jpg
Our area of interest is circled in red.
The 14mm socket comes in handy right about now. Righty tighty, lefty loosey...do that for a while and you get something like this:
http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/3998/80664447nh7.jpg
An exploded view of what we have (copyright Honda Motor Co.):
http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/9786/honda2gp4.gif
We're going to be getting rid of the "collar" and "spring washer" in the above image and replace it with the the bracket that was provided with the brace.
Put the bracket in place and replace the plastic "toothed lock washer" it will look like this:
http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/3340/97718010fq0.jpg
Reinstall the seatbelt anchor. the mounting bracket should be facing straight back to the rear of the car:
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/6799/45006417on1.jpg
Repeat on the opposite side. Ensure the bracket is mounted at the same angle the opposite is.
Now comes the painful part. If you're like me cutting into your baby is right on the top of you list of things you don't want to do. I was especially skeptical because I was drunk when I ordered this part on a whim and didn't know if it would be worth defacing my precious. I still am bothered by the hole that this left in my interior and like I said, I have a plan to make this super cool and custom. Stay tuned people.
I cut my panels :`-( like this:
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/5540/85165211bd7.jpg
This cut was just barely big enough, it was a slight pain to install the bar with this cut, so you might want to make it a little bigger...
Once you cut both the panels and push them back on to the car you can install your bar. Be careful not to drop the hardware behind the panels. I didn't , but I'm sure it wouldn't be fun to take the car apart to find a pin...
Once the bar is installed you can tighten the bar by rotating it.
Your finish product should look like this:
http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/9937/97780951rj6.jpg
If you have any questions, send me an e-mail @ austin_pittman@live.com
Have fun...
So I received my EM Racing C-Pillar brace today, opened the box...I found the bar, mounting hardware...but no instructions...
I was a little nervous about ripping apart my interior to do this so, I did some research and this is what I came up with...
This modification requires trimming of your C-Pillar panels. There are ways to minimize the cutting that you need to do, but I chose to do it in a way that I will be able to easily remove the brace, since pretty much any form of modification is illegal in Virginia.
I'm working up a snap on cover to restore a OEM look of sorts to the interior when the bar is installed but I need to find some good vinyl before I can show you that.
YOU WILL NEED:
14MM wrench/socket
Flathead screwdriver
Dremel or other cutting tool
Step 1:
You will be removing the C-Pillar interior panel.
Here is a picture from the Honda Service Manual (copyright Honda Motor Co.):
http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/3975/honda1qe4.gif
An actual interior shot:
http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/1655/26654640lh0.jpg
To remove this panel you will need to stick a flathead screw driver into the gap as shown in this image:
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/3491/87234843zc1.jpg
I've covered the tip of my screwdriver with heatshrink to prevent scratching the panels. You can use electrical tape or something similar.
Once you have the bottom pried off enough that you can stick a finger in there and pull it off by hand just give it a few good tugs and it should be off.
***WARNING*** pay close attention to these hooks:
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/9097/honda1alc5.jpg
OR you may end up like this:
http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/1567/94560363eb3.jpg
I broke one of the hooks so be careful in this area to unlatch it before you pull to hard...
Once you get the panel off it will look like this:
http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/6899/97555771ou2.jpg
Our area of interest is circled in red.
The 14mm socket comes in handy right about now. Righty tighty, lefty loosey...do that for a while and you get something like this:
http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/3998/80664447nh7.jpg
An exploded view of what we have (copyright Honda Motor Co.):
http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/9786/honda2gp4.gif
We're going to be getting rid of the "collar" and "spring washer" in the above image and replace it with the the bracket that was provided with the brace.
Put the bracket in place and replace the plastic "toothed lock washer" it will look like this:
http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/3340/97718010fq0.jpg
Reinstall the seatbelt anchor. the mounting bracket should be facing straight back to the rear of the car:
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/6799/45006417on1.jpg
Repeat on the opposite side. Ensure the bracket is mounted at the same angle the opposite is.
Now comes the painful part. If you're like me cutting into your baby is right on the top of you list of things you don't want to do. I was especially skeptical because I was drunk when I ordered this part on a whim and didn't know if it would be worth defacing my precious. I still am bothered by the hole that this left in my interior and like I said, I have a plan to make this super cool and custom. Stay tuned people.
I cut my panels :`-( like this:
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/5540/85165211bd7.jpg
This cut was just barely big enough, it was a slight pain to install the bar with this cut, so you might want to make it a little bigger...
Once you cut both the panels and push them back on to the car you can install your bar. Be careful not to drop the hardware behind the panels. I didn't , but I'm sure it wouldn't be fun to take the car apart to find a pin...
Once the bar is installed you can tighten the bar by rotating it.
Your finish product should look like this:
http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/9937/97780951rj6.jpg
If you have any questions, send me an e-mail @ austin_pittman@live.com
Have fun...