I just installed the bars last weekend and this thread was super helpful. There was some good bits of info spread over a couple pages that I thought’d be useful to consolidate
The upper bar
I also used the radiator duct method and it worked well. It looks like it won’t come out, but like a couple other posts mentioned, it’s super pliable. The crux was bending the sides in toward the center of the car to work them around the ac lines. Once it’s out, there is tons of room to work.
The cable stay clips for the hood latch cable and the horn wiring on top of the radiator duct were hard on me. They probably took me more time to pop out than extracting the duct. Someone else mentioned using a 3/16 socket to pop them out, which was helpful. Also the duct is softer than the clips. I was able to just pull on a couple of the hard-to-reach cable stays without damaging anything.
The plastic push clips holding the radiator duct on are fragile and hard to extract. I broke a bunch of them and so did someone before me. They are Auveco 16782 clips. They are the same as fender liner clips and probably other stuff on the car. Places on eBay have them for $20ish for 25. Search for auveco 16782.
The OP has a whole discussion about keeping or omitting one of the tow hooks. My upper bar from SoS had slotted holes on one side. It fit with both toe hooks or one (I tried both!). Not sure if SoS did that or it’s a thing from Honda these days.
The lower bar
On my 91, the lower bar went in really easy without dropping the battery tray. Once the big 17mm bolts are out, slide it in on its side from the drivers side with the ends pointed toward the back. Get it close, then flip it 90deg into position.
Buuut, once it was in and the car was on the ground, my stock front sway bar was resting on the bar (91, maybe different on later models). No bueno. Seems there are 2 options to fix
1. Some people make a spacer kit that drops your battery tray a bit (SoS makes this kit, though not clear on their site if it is a battery tray spacer kit or a sway bar spacer kit). But that lowers your ground clearance :/
2. The NSX-R front sway bar (22mm, SoS and mita sell it) is shaped differently and clears the new lower bar. I have mine, and it definitely clears.
The difference in sway bars
Some pics of the lack of clearance on the stock bar. I’m really surprised more people haven’t had issues with it, and that SoS doesn’t mention anything. The sway bar is straight up resting on the tie bar:
The NSX-R bar clearance
Thanks to all for the info in this thread!
