Lower Stress Bar Group Buy - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Kirk · 04-16-2008, 10:08 AM

Okay, since some people missed out on the group buy I’m willing to put together a few more sets for them. These will be sold on a first come – first served basis. You can wait until I get them in, or to assure one is reserved for you PayPal (kbristol@lycos.com) me now or PM me for my address for sending payment. I’m putting together 6 complete sets and 6 main bars. I’ve put in orders for the parts I need and expect to have everything by May 30th. I can’t hold the group buy pricing though because of the lower volume, higher costs, and a hardware change noted below. Plus the original $10 fixed shipping charge was too low. What I can do now is $75 plus $12 shipping on the main bar and $175 plus $12 shipping on the complete set. Add $5 more for shipping to Canada.

I asked for some feedback from the folks that got the group buy bars and overall it was very positive. One clear area for improvement though is with the mounting hardware (nuts and bolts). I went with zinc plated grade 5 bolts. Compared to the high quality bars, these came across as functional but kind of cheap. I will upgrade the mounting hardware this time around, probably to stainless steel. Here is some of the feedback I received by folks in the group buy:

“I am very happy with the quality of the materials and workmanship.”

“Very pleased with parts quality, first class. Installed them the first day I got them, great instructions for the install. I think I could feel the difference right away on hard cornering and going over sharp bumps, rear end seems tighter. I would recommend the kit to all boxster owners”

“Although I haven't tried to install them yet, the stress bars appear to be very well made and the fittings are substantial enough to take whatever stress may be put on them. My one minor concern is about whether the nuts and bolts will rust and whether it would have added a lot to the cost of the bars to have the nuts and bolts made of stainless steel. I have read the instructions and they seem very straightforward and complete. Overall, the stress bars are excellent and a great value. Couldn't be happier and can't wait to get them installed.”

“The quality of the parts appears to be good. I appreciated that every piece was protected, and when it arrived the shipping tube was intact. Your instructions appear to be well written.”

“The quality of the bars and rod ends is excellent, I really like the look of the parts.”

“I have not installed the lower stress bar yet, but if your products is anything like your communications during this transaction, I'm sure it is top notch. I have been impressed with every part of this group buy.”

Kirk · 06-20-2008, 03:22 PM

BUMP... I'm moving this thread back up to the top since I FINALLY have received the lower stress bars. There was a huge hold up in the plating process, so it took some time. I have a few main bars and a few sets with the side bars. These are for all of those folks that missed the group buy and still wanted bars. Pricing and all of the details are in my last post, but basically it's $87 for a main bar and $187 for all three - shipped. I'm using stainless steel hardware now and it looks great.

For those who pre-ordered bars thanks again for your patience. I shipped the bars out today and have already sent out individual e-mails with your tracking numbers.

Kirk · 07-09-2008, 12:02 PM

Bump to the top again.

As of July 9th I still have a few sets of main bars and complete sets (main bar plus two side bars) left. Speak now or forever hold your peace... once these are gone, they're gone. I don't think there's really enough interest to warrant doing the group buy again, which is okay by me. :dance:

PM me or e-mail me if interested - $87 for the main bar or $187 for the complete kit, shipping to the U.S., stainless steel hardware, and instructions included. I take PayPal at kbristol@lycos.com or e-mail me at that address for my snail mail address.

Kirk

blinkwatt · 07-09-2008, 01:18 PM

Kirk do you have pics of the main bar installed?

blinkwatt · 07-09-2008, 10:00 PM

Kirk how about some pics por favor.

Kirk · 07-09-2008, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blinkwatt

Kirk do you have pics of the main bar installed?

I'll have to dig to see what pictures I've got on the main bar. It's kind of hard to see once it's on the car, so it's definitely not something to show off. The side bars you can show off a bit though. This picture shows the latest iteration of side bars and the main bar is there too, it's just kind of hidden behind the rear anti-sway bar.

Kirk · 07-09-2008, 10:26 PM

I've got some decent pics of the main bar installed and it looks like I haven't posted those before. When I had the rear bumper and exhaust off to install the Gemballa pieces I was able to get in there and get some good pictures. I don't have them on my camera or PC at home though. I'll check my work PC tomorrow and post a few once I find them.

Kirk · 07-10-2008, 09:38 AM

Okay, here's the main lower stress bar actually mounted in my car. The main bar is the one on the top, above the rear anti-sway bar. Now keep in mind that this is the prototype installed on my test car, so it's untreated bare metal. I've since painted it bright red, as you can see in one of the earlier pictures in this thread where my assistant is test fitting it to a 987 Boxster. The bars I had made up are yellow zinc chromate plated for corrosion resistance. You can paint them too of course if you want to make it look cool.