DC5-R bracing on EP3 Project

[Hasbro]

Look around. I found the bar and gussets on E Bay for $40.00 !

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/JDM-I...Q5fAccessories

[02ES1]

That listing has ended and when I contacted them 2 days ago they said: "Dear xxxx, nothing right now thanks for checking - prodejayautosales" Since that was a used part anyways, who knows when is the next time they'll get it in.

[SLOW EP3]

That eBay listing doesn't have the right gussets, anyway. It only shows 2 mounting points, the OEM brace has 5 mounting points. Sometimes it's better to just buy it new from the dealer.

[02ES1]

I wasn't going to point that out cus I thought I was being anal retentive, but I'm glad I'm not the only one that noticed. They're probably made of really thin aluminum siding lol.

[Hasbro]

That eBay listing doesn't have the right gussets, anyway. It only shows 2 mounting points, the OEM brace has 5 mounting points. Sometimes it's better to just buy it new from the dealer.

You mean the holes that aren't used? And they are plenty thick and solid. For a savings of over $100 I can sleep at night.

[cody_sir]

is it a direct fit on for the ep3

[02ES1]

Read the thread more carefully, yes.

[02TWSI]

EPIC, are you going to do the front brace too? And the seat brace?

[RedSiBaron]

Thanks for bumping this...ya adrian you are slacking, we are missing the rest of our info!!

[Kerby]

woops.

i guess i should state that both interior aluminum underseat bar and sub-frame bar are installed. Installation was very simple.
I'll be posting up pictures tonight.

The subframe bar fitment is flawless. Even the header heatshield attaches correctly.
The DC5R underseat bar is somewhat okay. The pictures will explain it better than me typing it.

[02TWSI]

woops.

i guess i should state that both interior aluminum underseat bar and sub-frame bar are installed. Installation was very simple.
I'll be posting up pictures tonight.

The subframe bar fitment is flawless. Even the header heatshield attaches correctly.
The DC5R underseat bar is somewhat okay. The pictures will explain it better than me typing it.

awesome!

[NEO_FOLLOWER2]

if you don't mind me asking...
how does the rear strut tower dc5-r bar compare to say an aftermarket bar?

[makavelibranded]

its the same thing, except the typer is a 3 peice, it may be sturdier though

[usedep3]

if you don't mind me asking...
how does the rear strut tower dc5-r bar compare to say an aftermarket bar?

the itr rear strut tower brace is popular bc its an oem piece. there are several rear strut bars that have the same/similar mounting points. the cusco, mr alex, j's racing rear strut bar just to name a few

[Kerby]

as promised here is the rear DC5R rear underseat bar. Sorry guys for forgetting about this.

The DC5R aluminum bar is a really nice piece. The welds are good.
The four mounting points that are right below the seat line up perfectly. You simply unbolt the old one and use the same bolts. Don’t worry about purchasing new bolts, the thickness of the aluminum bar will not impact the amount of threads available. These bolts in my opinion are really the only important ones.

So basically all the bolts line up. The only bastard ones are these
The other side (driver) is the mirror image of this photo. So in total (2) bolts do not line up.
Here’s a side view shot.


I’ve been thinking about hammering out my frustrations on those tabs and move them in, then using a cylindrical spacer. The gap is about a finger width.

I’ll try to take pictures tomorrow of the subframe bar. If not, then maybe Sunday. I’m in the lookout for dry-ice right now. My other post kinda explains why...

My interior is going to stay apart for a while... I'm thinking it might be for the next month or so. It's apart, so i might as well do as much as I can now.

While taking the plastic pieces off i can't believe how much wear they experienced in the last 6years so i'm debating on whether to order new OEM pieces or not. Expensive yes, but the car isn't going to be driven as much anymore anyway, so I'm sure now with these new items I'm really gonna be anal about the interior.

If you guys need a comparison between the stock OEM bar and the DC5R, let me know. i think I still have the EP3 bar in the basement. The EP3 bar is almost stamped. They basically took steel square hollow stock and stitch welded end plates. Really cheap and lazy piece if you ask me. The DC5R looks engineered and from what I've been told, each were hand made. Its CONSIDERABLY thicker.