Road Warrior

iTrader: (16)

i used two spacers under each of the holes(4) on the strut bar brackets and did the same for both sides. i had to adjust the strut bar in order to get clearance and to line up the holes on the strut bar brackets.

i went maybe three or four turns on the strut bar...but i don't remember what direction. you should be able to determine which way to go by looking at how your holes are lining up on the brackets. after you get your bolts secured on the brackets you may need to re-adjust the strut bar again for clearance. seemed like i needed to adjust the strut once to line up the holes and then again after the bracket bolts were tightened down.

your situation sucks....your strut bar should barely clear the plenum and then i think you will be fine....at least i hope so. good luck man

Th3Cleaner

Mine is showing a wear mark on the top of the plenum from the engine vibrating against it at heavy load (maybe 1/8 inch clearance). I am trying to determin if I need to adjust the Strut bar or add another spacer on the drivers side to raise it up a bit.

So far It seems to have been a good mod, I can feel a slight inprovment in stronger motor, but at my elevation its hard to tell.....

jester7500

I ended up with 3 spacers for each bolt on the passenger's side, and 2 spacers for each bolt on the driver's side. On my first test drive, I used 2 spacers all around and my strur bar was vibrating like crazy. After the test drive I noticed the clearance on the passenger's side was much smaller, so I just added another spacer. I did not have to adjust the strut bar. So far, it's smooth without any vibrations.

Zquicksilver

iTrader: (5)

bump.

Looks like I'm in for some good-old-fun I bought a new engine dampener off ebay...alloy red $50 May come in handy...

Can anyone "add" a confirmation to my illustration. Correct or not?

Zquicksilver

mikedZ33

iTrader: (1)

One spacer makes alot of difference. I would try to adjusting the strut bar first. Plus you have to take the whole bar off anyways to get under the studs to add an extra spacer. 3 spacers didn't work for me. I'm gonna try 2 all around at each end and hoplefully have enough clearance with the strut bar after tweaking it.

I also had another thought of putting a spacer (couple of small washers) between the hood and the hood brackets. I was thinking it might give me the extra room, but I really dont want to have to take the hood off and try and line everything back up.

jester7500

I used your illustration as my reference . All the bolts worked out fine, so I say it's correct.

Actually, I used the bolts that AAM sent me for locations 3, 1, and 6, which were 75mm.

Th3Cleaner

Yes the strut bar is vibrating on the drivers side of the plenum..I need to shim that sides strut bar up just a little... Others reported the vibration as well, so I am sure this is where your s is also.

Road Warrior

iTrader: (16)

hey zquicksilver, is your diagram the same as the aam instructions?

also, can you breakdown what sizes are needed again?

such as 1,3,5...60mm x 1.0 (example only)

thanks man

Zquicksilver

iTrader: (5)

Road Warrior,

No, AAM gives slightly different bolt sizes which I thought work, or at least don't require you to go out and buy new ones? As far as the bolt sequence ie # positions, yes, mine is the same as AAM instructions.

I like many others, seem to be spending some extra change for the longer and better seated bolts. Peace of mind I guess...

I thought you already installed and didn't have any problems? I was going to ask you to confirm my illustration also... What was the end result with the two threaded studs at positions 12 and 17? The two bolts that require the E-6 socket for removal.

ROARK bolt list:
8,14,15 = 30mm
12,13,16,17 = 35mm
7,10,11,18 = 40mm
2,4,5,9 = 60mm
1,3,6 = 70mm

my illustration uses his bolt info...print it out



Zquicksilver
ps The longest bolts AAM sent me were 75mm in total length, but the SHAFT of the bolt is actually 70mm. And the threads go all the way to the tip. It's not a manufacturing/assembly bolt.

Road Warrior

iTrader: (16)

mine is installed, and i did buy additional hardware...but there were a few sizes that i couldn't find so i used what i had at the time. i will be installing all of the corrected sizes this weekend. you will not regret buying the longer bolts, trust me....there are a couple of bolts that would really be too short if you reuse the stock ones or go by aam instructions.

at the e-6 stud removal spot i replaced those with bolts...i don't remember the exact size but i believe according to your drawing you should be ok. i think they were in the 35-40 mm range. if you have access to those sizes and a good selection of hardware you might as well get some spares of each size just in case....heck its only a couple of extra bucks anyways.

i need to go back and check everything out too...i only have a couple of miles on the car since i installed the spacer.

i didn't seem to have any problems with my strut bar (knocking on wood) with using two spacer per hole....i will be inspecting this also to make sure i am ok. i didn't have any strange noises or clearance issues so far though so i hope it remains that way!

good luck...its an easy install so don't worry too much about it

roark

iTrader: (2)

Stainless Steel washers will be thinner. I'd recommend using some of these if the supplied washer's can't get you the adjustment you need.

LITE SPD

I just helped my brother install his spacer on his 04 G35 coupe. Install was not that bad but we are getting leaking from hole number 2 and 6. I know this because I put my palm against them and they do suck pretty hard, but not enough to make a whistling sound or noise. We did use the rubber gaskets that came with the kit, but I am wondering if I should go out and buy different rubber gaskets. The bolts did seem to get pretty hot so I am wondering if 100% rubber gaskets would melt? As far as the drive after the install, the car did seem to pull harder at higher rpm's. And my brother did notice the tach would move alittle faster towards redline. Idle seems to be alittle low too but it could just be the ECU learning. I hope someone from AAM or someone from this board can help us with these issues. It would be most appreciated from this newbee!

Brandon@Forged

I forgot to mention I received mine on Wednesday and it was in good shape, packed well, everything was included. So Dave, are these latest shipments ok as far as the bolts?

Z-Z

Wow! I was extremely interested in this product. . . until I read this thread:

- no one seems to know which bolts to use
- the instructions are not real clear
- people are having leaking issues
- People are having rubbing issues with the strut bar

The kit should come with all the exactly-correct bolts that work every single time, on every stock Z, with no extra washer ********. If i'm going to spend that much money for one peice of thin metal, it better be PERFECT and include all the correct mounting hardware.

This is just my humble opinion. And that is speaking as a potential customer that likes to buy mods and work on his Z for fun. So far, this mod sounds like *hassels* - not *fun*.

Road Warrior

iTrader: (16)

the bolts are fine...really....just not comfortable with a few of the sizes which you can buy down at the local hardware store if your worried about it. otherwise, you should be fine

the install is a breeze....very easy

there are no clearance issues if you use the spacers provided with the kit and adjust the bar correctly

believe me....this mod is worth the gains in power you will get, and the spacer is very well made and the instructions are clear too

their customer service is great so if you have any questions or problems they will help you out

it wouldn't bother me if you didn't buy this mod though...just makes me faster than you

Zquicksilver

iTrader: (5)

That may be the problem...you read this thread As far as I know this was AAM's first run on this product and they wanted to make it a simple install. With the bolts they supplied in the last shipment you should not have a problem. But, many of us on this thread want things to be perfect, or close to. So some of us have gone out and bought slightly longer bolts. If you look at my illustration you will see the proper bolt lengths. Just buy them and you won't have a problem with the install

I knew there would be some modifications and changes to stuff. That's why I decided to wait a little for my own install. The spacer is beautiful and the gasket is OEM, so it should work as well as the one already in place.

King Tut

iTrader: (1)

Well I just installed mine last night. I also could not get one of the newly supplied bolts to catch on the front, so I used one of the real long 6 black bolts that hold the center down. I also had a leak issue on one of the front row of the 6 on top. If you stuck your palm in the indention you could feel all the vaccum pressure. I tweaked the washer a little and torqued it a little more and it sealed. I would make sure you check those bolts if you haven't already as OEM torque specs might not be enough. I am still working on the strut bar and engine cover, but I am confident I can get everything working together. I got mine yesterday and everything listed on the sheet was in the box and the bolts came in a zipped zip lock bag.

King Tut

iTrader: (1)

Update time. I ended up using 3 washers on every bolt except the outer rear bolt to try and give it a slight lean backwards. The clearance is great on the driver side, and a little smaller on the passenger side,but I don't forsee any clearance issues. I plan to get the torque dampener to ensure that. As for the center forward bolt of the 6 on top of the plenum, I think it ended up that bolt was too long so when I torqued it, it didn't actually seat enough and was bottoming out. I went to a shorter one and it seems to have sealed just fine. I used torque specs on everything. My one casualty was I managed to break one of the engine cover bolts cause it was at an angle and I cranked on it till it snapped. I'm still working on removing it then I will modify one of my extra bolts and re-tap the threads and she will be good as new. I used some small rubber spacers on the front engine cover studs to lift it up a little more due to the added height of the spacer.

Road Warrior

iTrader: (16)

good job....have you had a chance to check out the power gains?

the more i drive the car the more i realize the gains i am getting out of this spacer....well worth the money imo

jester7500

Haha, I did the same exact thing to the upper right bolt. I've yet to remove and replace that bolt. So far, the engine cover hasn't vibrated on the strut bar, but then again there is plenty of clearance between the two.