Untitled Document

TRD Strut Bar installation
By Josiah Smith A.K.A. (ProToolsKid)

*Click On The Pictures To Enlarge*

Notice: These instructions are for your convenience only. Anything you do to your car is in your hands. Newcelica.org and I are not responsible for any damage or injuries if you decide to use these instructions for installation.

Tools Needed:
Socket wrench, 8” socket extension, 10MM Socket, 12MM Socket, Phillips Screwdriver, Power Drill, Drill Bit, Razor Blade, Small Saw, Pencil, permanent marker, measuring tape, and a couple of bowls or storage tray to keep parts organized.

You can get the door edge guards at any auto parts store or Wal-Mart…. I got black ones and painted them silver to match the color of my exterior.

Note: My TRD bars are RED because I didn’t like the color they came in, and I’m using red as a secondary color on my car so I got them repowder coated red. Yours will probably be that metallic gray.

*You only need the saw, razor blade, pencil, marker, measuring tape, and Door guards if you want to be cosmetic and keep the interior intact.*

Time needed for this full install: It took me 4.5 hours but that is because I had to document and take pictures. For you maybe 2.5 - 3 hours

3) Remove the Plastic tray just behind the seat by gently pushing the center of the plastic rivets on both sides in. Pull both the rivets out. Pull up on the tray to pull out the plastic anchors underneath. Remove the plastic anchors, place them in a bowl or your storage tray, and set the plastic tray aside you will need to modify it later.

5) Remove the Light fixture. There are two plastic tabs on the top behind the paneling. Reach behind the paneling where you removed the plastic cover in step 4, push down on the tabs, and push the fixture out. Disconnect the Harness from the fixture and tuck the cable behind the paneling.

6) Remove the back panel. Using the 10MM Socket and wrench remove the two tie down Loops. Then remove the two plastic rivets at the top by pushing the center in ad pulling out the rivet. Then remove the center screw rivet W/ a Phillips screwdriver. Once you have these removed pull up and out on the bottom of the panel to release the plastic anchors. Set the back panel aside.

7) To remove the two side panels you need to remove the Net hooks on both sides W/ a Phillips screwdriver. Fold down the Back seats and remove the 2 screw rivets W/ the Phillips screwdriver. NOTE: Do not put pressure on the screwdriver when removing these they are not screws just seat the screwdriver in and turn counterclockwise. Now you can pull out to pull the plastic anchors behind the paneling out. Now totally remove the side panels. Take the plastic anchors off and put them in a bowl so that they do not get damaged/lost later. Now totally remove the panels and set them aside for later mods.

8) To get to the part of the frame where you need to drill holes for the center point of the strut bar you will need to remove the backs of the back seats. You will need a 12MM socket, wrench, and the extension for ease. First remove the two plastic tabs in the center that hold the seat back down. Remove the Drivers side seat back first. Then Remove the Passenger side but, remove the center hinge totally from the body and leave it attached to the seatback. Cover the bottom of the back seats W/ a blanket or towel to keep metal shavings off it.

9) Unbolt the seat hooks W/ a 10MM Socket and extension on both sides and keep them safe but near by.

10) Now you need to mark the holes you need to drill. Position the strut bar and bolt it into the frame on both sides using the Seat hooks and bolts. Just hand tighten the bolts do not torque them down. Center the bar and mark the two holes you need to drill. Remove the Bar and put the Hooks and bolts somewhere safe…. Now get a small drill bit and drill a pilot hole in the center of your marks. Do not put too much pressure behind the drill while drilling or you will break the bit. Now using a 3/8” bit Drill the bigger hole…

11) If you do not want to be cosmetic and replace the panels, skip this next section, just bolt the bars behind the seat hooks and to the center frame and replace the seat backs.

12) Marking the cutout in the plastic tray for the center part of the strut bar…. Place the center tray back in position and reinstall the bar but only use the top bolts to bolt it in. Only tighten the bolts enough to hold up the bar. Position the bar and trace the outline of the center mounting plate on the tray….

Sorry I forgot to take a Pic While I was tracing it but, you should get the idea!!!

14) Cut the hole you just traced by first drilling a hole, big enough to fit your saw, somewhere inside the outline. Carefully cut out the hole in the tray. This takes a lot of patience due to the cut around an edge and stuff. Once you have cut the hole you can use a file to smooth off the edges. I did not because I used the door edge moldings to clean it up.

15) Now to cut the holes in the side panels needs a little measuring and patience. The hole to cut will be a 1.5”wide & 4” tall rectangular hole. The top of the hole will start level with the top of the seat hook slot in the panel and 1/4" from the edge. The top and bottom of the rectangle will be parallel with the bottom of the panel or the edge sticking out for the tray. I cut the 1.5”x4” rectangle out on a piece of cardboard and positioned it on the panel to trace around. I did this to minimize the marks made on the panel. Actually I messed up and cut a 2”x4” hole so it left a wider space on the front of the bar and shows a little too much of the frame behind the panel. Looks like a$$ but it’s OK. Trace the holes on both sides…

16) Once you have the holes to cut out traced on the panel you can cut it out with the saw. Again use the drill and drill a hole big enough to accommodate the saw blade and carefully cut the hole out.

* I used the razor blade and ruler to cut through the plastic but it took a long a$$ time because I had to keep slicing at the plastic to cut through. I did it this way to keep the lines straight and the edge smooth.

17) Now that you have all the holes cut. Look at the back and remember where the plastic anchors, you removed in sec (7), go. You need to do this so you can slide them in after you get the bar in. You cannot put them in now because all the positioning you are going to be doing will either cause one to break or pop off and fall which is a pain to get to when you have the bar in place. Put the two side panels back in the car but do not anchor them down just position them.

Note: Those who do not own the TRD bar yet I recommend buying the 3-point bar that is going to be, or supposed to be sold on newcelica.org. It looks a hell of a lot easier to install with those detachable ears and stuff.

18) Sit in the back seat to do this…. Get the TRD bar and slide one side into the hole you cut into the side panel then slide the other side into the other side panel. Do not anchor it down yet let it hang free supported by the holes in the side panels.

19) Here is the B!+ch getting the plastic tray in position. First, put the plastic anchors back on the bottom of the tray. Twist the bar toward the front of the car and slide the center-mounting bracket, on the bar, through the hole you cut in the tray. Carefully get it into place between the side panels and mount the anchors on the bottom of the tray into place.

20) Position the center and slip the small bracket W/ the Nuts welded to it through the center hole on the bar and into the frame. Slide the bolts into the two holes on the center bracket and hand tighten the bolts in enough to seat them.

21) Now get one of the seat hooks and bolts and you will need a 10MM socket and extension. Put the bolt into the socket and the top hole of the set hook bracket. Pull the front of the side panel just under the slot the seat hook goes through back and bolt the seat hook and TRD bar in. Hand tighten this bolt and then install the second bolt. Move to the other side and do the same thing. Once you have both sides bolted, back in you can torque all the bolts down.

22) Put all the plastic anchors on the driver’s side panel and position that back into place and reseat the anchors. Move to the passenger side but remember to pull the wire harness for the light through the hole before you seat that side panel back in place. Finally, Bolt the net hooks back in

24) Reinstall the rear seats and put the plastic rivets back into the plastic tray.

25) Reinstall the light, the two vented covers from step 4 and 5, and replace the floor mat.

26) For the final cosmetic step cut short strips of the door edge guards W/ a 135-degree angle, or 45-degree angle depending on how you look at it, on both ends for use on the edges of the rectangle holes in the side panels and the front of the tray. Look at how you want to cut them B4 you cut them. You do not want to cut the wrong angle and end up with a huge gap in the corners of the holes. I put the TRD Plate over the hole in the center bracket to clean it up some more.