Pictorial guide: fitting the Forge Rear Strut Brace

[Basil]

Few pics and some tips on a neat mod...

Finally got round to fitting the Forge Rear Strut Brace this morning. Really pretty simple, but a bit fiddly…Took me 30 minutes to do on my own. Done on my black vRS but there are a couple of pics from WW's silver estate here also...

Tools needed:

15mm Allen key
Kraft knife
Medium Adjustable wrench
Smallest jeweller’s screwdriver or ice pick or coat hanger
Channel lock pliers or large adjustable wrench

The supplied two side bolts have a smaller bolt installed to help the guide them into their holes. You remove the smaller bolts after you get the short fat bolt secured into its hole.



Fold the rear seats forward.

1- Working from the rear doors, pull up the trim around the clip that holds the rear seats locked back.
2- Unscrew the rubber stopper by twisting it with your fingers
3- Locate the hole near the rear seat clip - nice pic courtesy of WW - that's the one right there

4- Temporarily place back the carpet trim
5- Feel for the hole underneath and stick any sharp object of your preference (!) through the carpet trim into the hole. I used an ice pick but a small jeweller’s screwdriver or cut bit of coat hanger would do. This accurately locates the bolt for when you have to trim back the carpet.


6- Fold back the trim again, leaving the tiny screwdriver, ice pick hanging for now
7- Remove the nut and washer and insert the large Allen key into the bolt.
8- Thread it into the hole. It goes through the hole misaligned at first but straightens itself out as you progress.
9- Try to straighten it as you give it a few hard twists with the Allen key. As the bolt straightens it gets easier.
10- When you have enough of the short bolt’s thread showing, and not before – place the lock washer over it and start tightening with the adjustable crescent wrench. It’ll be hard at first, and suddenly get easier as the bolt aligns properly with the hole. Tighten up properly and give the Allen key a whack to get it out…


11- Remove the little guide bolt from the main one with your fingers – you won’t need it anymore.

Another neat pic from WW showing how the bolt should look all installed:

12- Replace the rubber stopper in its hole
13- Fold back the carpet trim, making sure that the tip of the ice pick/screwdriver fits into the centre of the large bolt, thus locating where you need to cut keeping all the trim in its original position.
14- Press firmly onto the carpet around the ice pick. Using the Kraft knife VERY carefully cut down onto the bolt top and around its upper edge. As you work away, the bolt will pop through and you can cut around it neatly. The trim stretches slightly around the bolt. No picture here as I kinda need my fingers

15- Replace the trim

16- Screw the shiny bar to its shortest length.
17- Twist the bar ends by hand, screw it onto the two side bolts tightly
18- Tighten up the bar’s centre adjusting nut tightly using channel lock (pipe) pliers carefully or find a huge adjustable wrench. Do up the two locking nuts to prevent it unscrewing.
19- Wipe down the shiny chrome with a soft cloth
20- Done!

[oilburninnut]

top stuff as usuall bas

[WW_VRS]

If only I had known about the neat way of trimming the carpet before I did mine

Some more pics to follow for the estate version, plus pic pointing out the right 'hole', combined with Forge's instructions that ought to get everyone happy