1997 Eagle Talon:
Strut Tower Bar Installation

Installation Procedure (front):

1. Here is the engine compartment before installing the strut tower bar. As you can see, with the exception of the K&N air filter, it's pretty much a stock engine.
2. The first thing we want to do is clean the strut towers. Unless you keep your engine compartment spotless, there is probably grime on the top of the strut towers. Since at least some of that grime is probably sand, you'll want to clean it before installing the braces, as you don't want the sand to grind away at either the towers or the braces.
   pics here and here .
3. The passenger side strut tower is a little different than the driver's side tower, since it's got the battery hold-down bolt. You'll need to find out which mount on your strut tower bar aligns properly with the battery hold down bolt. Also, although this picture doesn't show it, you will want to make sure that the positive terminal on your battery is well insulated before continuing. The strut tower has about 1/8 inch clearance over the terminal here...and shorting out the battery can cause all kinds of (TM) BAD THINGS to happen :(
   pic
Unlike the strut tower bar I installed on my 1992 Eagle Talon the strut tower bar for the '97 Talon fits over all three strut tower bolts. So, remove all three 14mm nuts that hold the struts to the towers (since the car is -- presumably -- stting on the struts, they won't go anywhere when the bolts are removed :) . I removed the nuts on the driver's side, placed the strut tower bar on the studs, then tightened the nuts finger tight before removing the nuts on the passenger side.
pics here , here and here
Note that in the second picture, the strut tower bar is installed the wrong way!!!. The 2G strut tower bar is not symmetrical--the bar has a short (six inch) straight length before bending upwards to clear the engine on the passenger side, but the driver side of the bar immediately bends upwards. This is because the driver's side of the hood in the 2G Talon has more clearance for the timing belt cover, while the passenger side of the hood has some additional stiffeners. If you install the strut tower bar as shown in this picture, your hood will not close! Since the strut tower bar is threaded with right-hand threads on one side and left-hand threads on the other side, the bar cannot simply be turned around; the mounting bolts must also be swapped on the base, if your bar -- like mine -- was positioned like this from the manufacturer (what do you expect for $9 plus shipping on E-bay? <grin>)
4. Now, adjust the distance between the mounting bases by holding the loose base in one hand and rotating the bar with my other hand to bring the bases closer together. Once the spacing was right, I placed the second base over the studs on the passenger side tower and tightened the strut tower nuts. Don't forget to finish tightening the nuts on the driver's side!
   pic
5. Now, tighten the jamb nuts so the strut tower brace doesn't loosen while driving.
   pic
6. That's it! Here's the completed installation:
   pics
   Notice how the strut tower bar is aligned in this photo--the driver's side of the bar immediately bends upwards, but the passenger side has a short straight portion before bending upwards. This is how the bar should be positioned, unlike the way it was shown in the previous photo. This is counter-intuitive (I wanted the bar as far from the positive terminal of my battery as possible!), but is necessary for the hood to close properly.

Post-Installation Notes:

When I installed the front strut tower bar in my '92 Talon, I could tell a huge difference in handling, so I expected the same from the '97 TSi. I was not disappointed. After installing the bar in the '97, the car feels a lot tighter. Wheel hop on hard, cornering accelerations is greatly reduced, and I don't have to feather the gas so much. This car is a blast on a winding road! :D Like the 1G, winter handling is also greatly improved by the strut tower bar (not that the stock Talons handle poorly in the winter -- the bars just make these great cars even better).

In my 1G Talon, I installed front and rear strut tower bars, but I didn't bother with the rear bar in the '97 TSi. I couldn't notice much difference in handling after installing the rear bar in the 1G, and I really didn't want to cut holes in the interior trim on the new car. Besides, in addition to enjoying fast cars, I also play guitar and bass, and I found that the rear strut tower bar adversely impacted my ability to carry musical gear in my old Talon. The bar got all scratched up by my guitar cases :( and a lot of my gear didn't fit after installation. IME, the front bar makes a huge difference in handling, but the rear bar is pretty much unnecessary.