ATTN: B14 Guys, Everyone!!! the Cusco FSTB Fits!!! LOOK!

XxToKeSxX · 08-16-2006, 09:55 PM

Well, I went over to Brennan's (sinistersntra91) a little while ago and saw one of his Cusco FST Bars. The bar was originally made for the N14 Pulsar (Correct me if I'm wrong)... The consensus was that they only fit on the B13 Chassis (91-94 Sentra, NX1600/2000)... Well I wanted one for my 200sx bad. I knew the suspensions were pretty much the same in the front... so I figured why wouldn't the strut bars be interchangable... Sooo....

Long story short... I talked to a few people, bumped a few heads, and got to be the guinea pig for the B14 guys... I recieved the bar today and was very excited to prove the consensus wrong... Well, after about an hour outside...

The Cusco GTI-R FSTB Fits the B14 (200sx/Sentra)!!!!
***This is especially great for the 98/99 guys that have the Emissions nonsense on our Intake Manifolds that bumps into most fstb's made for the b14... So now were not forced to go with the Stillen, and the Courtesy Strut Bar...

Here is the Group Buy for it!!!!! (happynole)
http://www.sr20forum.com/group-buys/165435-cusco-fstb-round-3-a.html

ATTN: This is a B14 200sx... specifically, My B14...

It was furnished w/ a b14 eBay Upper Front Strut Bar...

Nice, Cheap, but Flimsy; doesn't clear my Emissions Stuff... Rattles on my hood and I hate it...

This is a Cusco Front Strut Tower Bar for the n14 Pulsar, usually the B13 guys use it...

This is the bar on my B14... Yes...

Any Questions???

NOW GO FREEKING BUY THE FREEKIN BAR... There is a GB

More coming...

XxToKeSxX · 08-16-2006, 10:02 PM

Here is one on Adam's b13... (Knuckleduster)
http://www.sr20forum.com/img/data/6222/medium/stb1.JPG

Here is a thread that Adam made a while ago concerning the fitment on the B13
http://www.sr20forum.com/classic-se-r/136725-cusco-gti-r-stb-installed.html

Here is the Group Buy going on NOW! It is being Extended for the B14 Guys
http://www.sr20forum.com/group-buys/165435-cusco-fstb-round-3-a.html

Okay... here is where I will explain how things went...
--There were literally no major problems
--I got the bar today shipped from Joe (happynole)
--took less than an hour w/ a few quick modifications
--Fitment is perfect...
--Essentially, here is the How-To

This is what I started with... my eBay Front Strut Bar... I hate it... People w/ 98/99's Hate it... it doesn't clear the emissions crap on my car so I had to cock it forward like the uncool fellow I once was... if it didn't vibrate on the emissions stuff, it vibrated on my hood at low rpms... Cot Dammit!

Get the hell OFF my car...

The main problem w/ using the Cusco GTI-R Bar on the B14 is the bracket for the powersteering hard line... on the b13's the bar can't be put on unless the line is moved out of the way... (check above), On the B14 I took a little bit of Brennan's and Kent's advice and dissasembled the line (very easy) and attempted to fit the line around the bar. Well the bracket STILL got in the way...

I attempted to move the bar out of the way and only bolt the outside bolt in, but that does not work for the B14... So I said "F*** it" and took the bracket off... You have to remove the electric connector and remove this 10mm bolt on the rear of it... Very Simple

Here is a picture of it removed...

And Busted out the Dremmel on that mug... rrrrrrrrrnnnnnnnn

Bang Bang Bish...

Reconnected the PS line, and Bolted it down... Double Bang

Here's another pic... Bang Again...

I thought I would have to remove the bolts on my cruise control apparatus... just like Adam did in the thread above... but nope... the bar touches it, but it clears fine... which made be happy, because my bottom bolt on the cruise bracket was pretty seized in from Ohio weather... I loosened the upper bolt on the bracket, to turn the electric connector bracket downward, but other than that... YOU DON'T HAVE TO MESS w/ THE CRUISE CONTROL.

Here is another pic bolted down...

Now, What to do w/ my old eBay Bar?...

It is a great Holder for Punting 24oz Beer Cans...

Combined w/ an Altima Hubcap it makes a Great Ring Toss Game...

Actually its pending to be sold to Kent, to put on his b13...

A big Thanks!!!
Big Thanks to Brennan and his family for allowing me to come over for a little bit and check fitment, Kent for giving his insight about putting this thing on, Joe for going out of his way to send me his only spare bar to test fit on my B14... also, big thanks to Adam for posting that great how to for the b13... it helped me out some with preparing on how to do this...

NOW GO BUY ONE in the GB!

MeeN Dizzle...

98sr20ve · 08-16-2006, 11:10 PM

Sell the other one to someone with GC plates as it's perfect for that.

XxToKeSxX · 08-16-2006, 11:17 PM

It was actually sold before I could even take it off... to Rittmeister (Kent)

I didn't really use it as a ring toss game.... LOL

sinistersntra91 · 08-16-2006, 11:23 PM

Pssh I knew it would work, I guaranteed it.

Now get it PCd by me, btw the material for your VC is on the way.....

XxToKeSxX · 08-16-2006, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sinistersntra91

Pssh I knew it would work, I guaranteed it.

Now get it PCd by me, btw the material for your VC is on the way.....

Aww yeah, I'm getting excited... once that gets done, if I like it I might go ahead and do up the bar and maybe even my intake pipes...

and maybe even my turbo parts...

NismoB14SX · 08-17-2006, 12:10 AM

Damn man! You're an innovator for our cars. I swear by it. If you lived by me, I would drive to your house to shake your hand. Ameenzing...

XxToKeSxX · 08-17-2006, 12:17 AM

Naw! I just like my car... even though it needs some love.

A lot of the info from the forum helped me out, including some advice from some local members...

STRATTON · 08-17-2006, 12:20 AM

good work homie.

stratton.

sinistersntra91 · 08-17-2006, 12:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XxToKeSxX

A lot of the info from the forum helped me out, including some advice from some local members...

Na man you made it happen, I just loaned the bar for test fitting, and assured you it would fit, but you should take all the credit, you did the actual work I just gave some advice.....

XxToKeSxX · 08-17-2006, 12:41 AM

Needless to say, I'm glad it fits... Got to give cred where its due.... if I didn't see the bar on your ride I would have never thought about it...

I hope the B14 guys can take advantage of this.

I'm happy as fawk right now... where is Kent, he needs to pick this thing up before I use it to hang clothes or something... lol

sinistersntra91 · 08-17-2006, 01:03 AM

Not sure, last I saw him was last night, we buffed his front bumper and headlights on his B13, brought some shine back on his faded bumper and took the yellow haze off his headlights.

brokeser · 08-17-2006, 01:04 AM

Tokes you car and engine bay looks bad*ss.

I'm not a fan of the B14 SE-R but yours have changed my mind.
Your ingenuity continues to impress me...good job..

L

Vex630 · 08-17-2006, 01:07 AM

Awww that sucks.... and I got a Stillen bar.... Im going to have to spend more money and see if this makes a difference.

98sr20ve · 08-17-2006, 01:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vex630

Awww that sucks.... and I got a Stillen bar.... Im going to have to spend more money and see if this makes a difference.

The stillen bar is a nice piece. No better or worse then this bar. Swithing won't make much if any difference at all.

spdracerUT · 08-17-2006, 01:34 AM

I would weld a bracket to the firewall and bolt the STB to it! It'd tighten up the front end even more!

XxToKeSxX · 08-17-2006, 01:59 AM

I can definitely vouch for this bar... I just came back from a nightly drive to McDonalds for some Orange Drink... that eBay bar didn't do a DAMN thing. I took a couple turns in this thing on and was left in awe. Cot Damn that was fun...

The car feels more solid and takes more advantage of the lower stance... when I get this Thicker Front Sway, G bar and Rear Sway sitting in my trunk on... I can't imagine how it would feel...

The bar is great mainly because of the following:
1) One thing I like is the adjustment is all in the middle, and its easy to adjust it... and...
2) its great because since its designed to be out of the way of the TMIC on the GTI-R; its out of the way of everything...
3) The bar has a truss like structure... it seems to be designed to resist vertical and lateral flex. I hated my structural classes, but I'm very confident that the design is better than most of the bars made out there with uni-directional resistance in compression. I tried to bend it and that sh*t aint moving...

I can't vouch for the stillen, but this thing beasts the sh*t out of the bar I had on it... Probably the same for the Front Courtesy...

I don't give a damn... I'm now a fan.

Quote:

Originally Posted by brokeser

Tokes you car and engine bay looks bad*ss. I'm not a fan of the B14 SE-R but yours have changed my mind.
Your ingenuity continues to impress me...good job..

L

Thanks Mang! the pictures make it look better... its the poor man's b14 over here! I appreciate the comments... More b14/RR love son!

Meen

Sentrixx · 08-17-2006, 06:23 AM

WAHOO!... Now time to paint it.

XxToKeSxX · 08-17-2006, 08:06 AM

Ya Damn right!!!

98sr20ve · 08-17-2006, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XxToKeSxX

The bar is great mainly because of the following:

3) The bar has a truss like structure... it seems to be designed to resist vertical and lateral flex. I hated my structural classes, but I'm very confident that the design is better than most of the bars made out there with uni-directional resistance in compression. I tried to bend it and that sh*t aint moving...

If you had loved your structural classes you would know that curving that bar around to the firewall actually diminishes it's ability to resist the exact force it is there to withstand.