Old Library

Installation of Neuspeed Front Strut Bar for 98 GTI VR6
========================================

Disclaimer:
This procedure was written from my personal experience in installing the
said part on my 98 VW Golf VR6. If this procedure does not work for you or
totally destroys your car because you have a different car, or part, or
last name, or any other reason for that matter, I bear no responsibility.
So proceed at your own risk.

Introduction:
I went into this project with the combined expertise of the VR6 mailing
list and its archives. There are plenty of instructions offered by the list
members in the archives, but in my opinion, they are not detailed enough.
So, with this procedure, I will try to be as idiot-proof as possible. So if
you think that if I am trying to explain the obvious, this is not for you.
You're too smart.

Tools:
1. Neuspeed strut bar
2. Strut bar nutserts and tool
3. A good drill - I don't recommend a cordless unless you have a large
battery.
4. A good set of drill bits gradually increasing in size to 3/8" [or even
25/64"]
5. Adjustable spanner
6. Socket wrench set
7. A torque wrench
8. Touch up paint

Procedure:
There are actually two ways to do this. The first is to use regular nuts
and bolts instead of the supplied hardware [nutserts]. In some cases, this
may prove to be an easier and safer installation method. The idiot that I
am, I chose to do it the hard way, so I cannot comment on this procedure.
All I can about this is:

1. Measure the bolt holes on the strut bar

2. Place the strut bar in its proper location on the strut towers. The
Neuspeed words should be facing the front and the straight piece of the bar
should be back against the firewall of the engine compartment. The curvey
right front leg of the bar should go under the coolant reservoir tube.

3. Mark the bolt positions with a marker or an awl.

4. Remove the strut bar.


5. Drill the 4 holes into the strut tower. Start with a smaller bit first
and make a pilot hole. Then gradually build up to the size of the bolt
holes of the strut bar. If you start with too large a bit it will "walk"
all over your strut tower. The metal skin here is actually quite thick so
this may take some time and effort. Be careful not to use too much force
when you are near then bottom of the skin because you drill bit can punch
through suddenly and scratch a spring. You do have a few inches of
clearance, but not too much.

6. Clean and touch up the holes - inside as well - with paint so it will
not rust.

7. Place the strut bar in its proper position on the strut towers.

8. Using the proper bolts and nuts and locking washers [and some Loctite if
you're paranoid] bolt the strut bar in place.

9. Pack up and go play.

Or you can use the nutserts provided by Neuspeed. Now, these nutserts are
quite an amazing thing, if used correctly. Let me explain how they work
because it took me a while to figure it out [okay, so I'm not a Mensa
candidate]. The nutsert consists of two parts: the threaded bottom, and the
hollow top. There is a rim slightly larger in diameter above the hollow
top. When you mount the nutsert in a hole, you use the provided tool to
"pull" the threaded bottom into the hollow top. When this happens, the top
expands and fills the hole the nutsert is in. This effectively locks the
nutsert into the hole. The end effect is that you get a threaded hole on
your strut tower into which to bolt your strut bar. I have been told that
the nutsert can withstand forces up to 800 lbs, so unless you do serious
high speed turns, this should be safe for you. The one danger with this
installation is when you over torque the nutsert upon installation and
break it. So use a torque wrench if one is available or just be extra
careful. The Neuspeed recommends 12-15 lbs of torque.


1. Place the strut bar in its proper location on the strut towers. The
Neuspeed words should be facing the front and the straight piece of the bar
should be back against the firewall of the engine compartment. The curvey
right front leg of the bar should go under the coolant reservoir tube.

2. Mark the bolt positions with a marker or an awl.

3. Remove the strut bar.

4. Drill the 4 holes into the strut tower. Start with a smaller bit first
and make a pilot hole. Then gradually build up to the required 3/8" hole.
If you start with too large a bit it will "walk" all over your strut tower.
The metal skin here is actually quite thick so this may take some time and
effort. Be careful not to use too much force when you are near then bottom
of the skin because you drill bit can punch through suddenly and scratch a
spring. You do have a few inches of clearance, but not too much.

5. Clean and touch up the holes - inside as well - with paint so it will
not rust.

6. Test the 3/8" hole for size. The nutserts should DROP into the 3/8"
holes made, but not drop through because of the larger top rim of the
nutsert. If you have to force the nutsert in, your hole is too small. I ran
into this problem. A remedy is to use a metal file and slowly enlarge the
hole till the nutserts drop in. Or you can try a 25/64" drill bit.

7. Install the nutsert using the tool provided. The tool comes in two
parts: a large nut, and a bolt. Thread the nut through the bolt and then
thread the nutsert onto the bolt below the nut. Place the nutsert into the
hole. Using a spanner, hold the nut while you tighten the bolt with a
socket wrench. Remember, do not use too much torque. Preferably, use a
torque wrench and torque to 12-15 lbs. This process will draw the bottom of
the nutsert up and tighten it to the hole. When you are done, unscrew the
bolt and remove the nutsert tool. The finished product will be a threaded
hole on the top of your strut tower onto which to mount the strut bar.

8. Place the strut bar in it's proper mounting position and mount it using
the provided bolts and lock washers. Hand screw in the bolts first so you
can adjust the position if you need to. When you are happy with the
position, tighten the bolts using a socket wrench. Preferably, use a torque
wrench and torque to 12-15 lbs. Do not overtighten or you may snap a bolt
or strip the nutserts.

9. Pack up and go play.

Conclusion:
I hope this procedure has helped. If you have any questions, feel free to
contact me.

Eric Liew
98 Black/Black Leather GTI VR6
Modded K&N airbox, Garrett 0.10 chip, Neuspeed strut bar

---
Eric Liew
Information Technologies Manager
NKH&W, Inc.
600 Broadway, 5th Floor
Kansas City, MO 64105

Voice:	(816) 842-8881
Direct:	(816) 460-3025
Fax:		(816) 842-1156

Eric,

I would recommend you add a tool and edit your fifth procedure.   Using a
solid metal center punch(with a sharp wide angle tip - not skinny like a
needle) is "the" way to assure that you drill puts the hole precisely where
you want it.   Carefully position the center punch right over your center
mark, hold it good and steady and give it a wack with your favorite hammer.
Now your ready to use a pilot bit,  you should only need one size (anywhere
from 1/8 to 3/16's is fine).  You will not get any "walking" with this
method

Jim

PS is the Neuspeed bar really a tool?
----------------------
Tools:
1. Neuspeed strut bar
2. Strut bar nutserts and tool
3. A good drill - I don't recommend a cordless unless you have a large
battery.
4. A good set of drill bits gradually increasing in size to 3/8" [or even
25/64"]
5. Adjustable spanner
6. Socket wrench set
7. A torque wrench
8. Touch up paint
>>>>>>>>SNIP

5. Drill the 4 holes into the strut tower. Start with a smaller bit first
and make a pilot hole. Then gradually build up to the size of the bolt
holes of the strut bar. If you start with too large a bit it will "walk"
all over your strut tower. The metal skin here is actually quite thick so
this may take some time and effort. Be careful not to use too much force
when you are near then bottom of the skin because you drill bit can punch
through suddenly and scratch a spring. You do have a few inches of
clearance, but not too much.
>>>>>>>>SNIP

Andy - No need for pictures; here's the text.

When installing the Neuspeed strut brace on my 2002 Jetta VR6 Wagon, I
carefully measured and checked before drilling the 3/8" holes for the
nutserts. When I was done, all the holes lined up perfectly, so I went
ahead and installed the nutserts. When done, I realized that they weren't
aligned correctly, and I couldn't get more than 2 bolts threaded at a time.
I was reluctant to widen the holes because I feared the nutserts wouldn't
be able to get a grip, so I decided to go to the old-fashioned nut & bolt
method instead.

It is extremely easy to remove the nutserts. Take a hammer and punch, and
punch out the threaded inner portion first. It should drop out easily.
Then, punch out the outer ring. This will be a little more difficult, but
still pretty easy. (It is probably a good idea to have an assistant with
their hands underneath the wheel well to catch the nutsert pieces as they
drop out. Mine all fell on the ground, but if one fell into the strut
assembly it would be a royal pain to get it out.) Then, reapply touch-up
paint to the holes.

While the paint is drying, drive to a hardware store and buy four 1/4"
coarse thread bolts that are 1" long. These are the same thread pitch as
the bolts supplied by Neuspeed, only the next size longer. Also purchase
some plain flat washers, and four 1/4" coarse thread nylon locknuts (the
nuts with the slightly rounded heads and the white nylon inserts inside
them).

The trick solution is, instead of inserting the bolts down through the top
of the strut brace, you insert them upward through the strut tower. You
have to do this because it would be highly difficult to get a wrench or
socket up into the strut tower from below.

Put a flat washer on a bolt, reach up under the strut tower, and thread the
bolt through the hole you drilled, and then up through the hole in the
strut brace. The outer ones are fairly easy. The inner ones are fairly
difficult, but be patient and you will thread them through. Not drinking
coffee beforehand helps. If you can't reach, ask a friend with long, thin
fingers. It can be done.

Then, take the small lock washers that Neuspeed supplied, and put them on
the bolts and then thread on the nylon locknuts. Tighten s-l-o-w-l-y and if
you are lucky the bolts won't turn at all and you can tighten the nuts in
no time without having to get a wrench up under the strut tower.

The result looks trick, and takes no more than 30 minutes from start to
finish. I know the nutserts are claimed to have a lot of strength, but you
have to wonder about something that could be punched out so easily. With
these nuts and bolts in place, your strut brace is there for good.

  Hey Lou,

  Looks good.  Can you please clarify a couple of things for me.

&#76;ou_Willsea&#64;B-F<img src=/i/dc.gif border=0 width=35 height=15> wrote:
> It is extremely easy to remove the nutserts. Take a hammer and punch, and
> punch out the threaded inner portion first.

  I have never seen a Neuspeed Nutsert so I have trouble visualizing this.
  By "a punch", do you mean a pin-type punch like this one:

  http://www.insidespaces.com/howto/squeaky-hinge/generic/qr-shinge.htm

  or do you mean a cold chisel, with a flat blade-like head, like this one:

  http://www.insidespaces.com/dictionary/Tool_Pages/chisel-cold.shtml

> While the paint is drying, drive to a hardware store and buy four 1/4"
> coarse thread bolts [...]

  Do you mean 1/4"x20 bolts?  That's the most common 1/4" thread.
  If not, do you have the spec?  I guess it doesn't matter, as long as
  a. it's 1/4" and b. the nuts matches the bolts.

  Thanks.

--
Andy Nguyen \ &#97;qn&#64;panix<img src=/i/dc.gif border=0 width=35 height=15> \ http://www.panix.com/~aqn/

1) Pin type punch. When the nutsert is installed, the tool pulls the
threaded lower portion up into the unthreaded lower portion. So it's kind
of like two rings, one fitting inside the other. The pin punch against the
edge of the nutsert knocks it out.

2) Yes the bolts are 1/4" thread. Very common; easily found at any Home
Depot or hardware store. They're marked as "1/4" coarse" with the length
(3/4", 1", 1-1/2" etc).  This is the same as the ones that come from
Neuspeed, except the Neuspeed ones are only 3/4" long, and you need 1" ones
to reach all the way through the strut tower and up through the strut
brace. The next size up is 1-1/2" but that is too long.

[...]

The really nifty way of mounting one of these with
bolts is to weld the bolt from up underneath the strut
tower, making studs in effect.  That way you can
easily take the bar on and off by just popping off the
nuts.  Hehe, I said nuts.  :-)

-josh