Grego's Golf R

[AC_R]

Get Busy Old Man!.....

[ikprojekt]

^^
Hahaha LOL.

[GregoInc]

Get Busy Old Man!.....

Where do you guys get these pics... obviously you have way too much time on your hands, or is it hands on your... LOL

[GregoInc]

Dub is alive and well in Hong Kong...



Sent via Chinese Intergalactic Sub-space

[GregoInc]

Unibrace XB Install DIY

Update: I used this Loctite to ensure the bolts holding the XB in place done come loose.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2-x-Locti...item27c98665f4

I recently installed my Unibrace XB in my 3 door Golf R. The instructions provided by Unibrace are very extensive, so I will only be sharing highlights of the install I felt were either not covered or I felt are important.

First things first... my Golf R is a 3 door, which makes things quite different to a 4 door as outlined in the Unibrace instructions. However it is not that much different but there are things in the Unibrace instructions which didn't apply.

Seat mounting points... You will see in the photo there are two mounting points for the rear seat backs. The red arrows show the center mounting bracket and the side mount pins. This is different to the Unibrace instructions, so don't go looking for clips on the side to release the seat backs.



And here's a close up of the seat back retaining bracket which is covered by a plastic mold. This bracket has a black clip (sorry hard to see) that holds the seat backs in place, which is released with a single screw (red arrow) that allows the seat backs to be removed.



And here's a close up of the seat pin found on either side of the vehicle. Just a simple matter of releasing the seat back from the center bracket and then sliding off the side pin.



To release the larger seat back you must remove the seat belt mounting bolt. I tried to get away without doing this but you run the risk of damaging the seat back. Use an allen key is the best way to remove the bolt, but take care and dont use a rusty allen key like me



To remove the bottom portion of the rear seat you need to remove the 4 x ISOFOX clips (see pic below) which is fairly straight forward.



And here's the clip removed...



Now the Unibrace instructions talk about removing all the side plastic where the seat belt goes to the floor. However in a 3 door this is one molding that is huge and not easily removed. So I just removed the screws as per the Unibrace instructions and then proceeded to remove the rear plastic molding as per the photo. The red arrow pointing to the white screw plug is not easy to get out, but you need to persist and pull hard.



Here's a close up of the white screw plug, there are three that hold the plastic molding on the side. Once the molding is removed, check to see if the plugs released, and if not use some pliers to pull them out.



You also need to remove this screw in the rear to release the rear side molding. It makes it much easier to get to everything and put everything back, especially the white screw plugs.



This picture shows the plastic moldings and felt carpet removed, ready to start marking the holes. As you will see, in a 3 door it is not practicable to remove all the plastic molding.



And the right side showing everything removed and ready to mark and drill holes.



Here is the Unibrace XB temporarily mounted using an ocky strap.



It is extremely important you mount the Unibrace XB to avoid the spot welds. The brace can be mounted quite low, so avoid the welds as much as possible. And remember... Measure twice, drill once!!



And here is the first retaining mount installed... The only way you will get accurate mounting is to measure carefully, scribe carefully, and use multi size drill bits to get to the final hole size. Slowly but surely will ensure an accurate outcome and the brace mounting easily as mine did.



And here is the finished result with everything replaced (carpet, seats, moldings) and the Unibrace XB mounted in place.

[GTItraveler]

Thanks for putting up the DIY Greg! Do you feel that I should add anything specific to the UNIbrace XB installation instructions? Looking forward to hearing your driving impressions!

[GplusH_R]

Greg

With mounting the XB low, were you able to keep the stowage hooks on the back of the rear seats??

Any thoughts on the XB yet??

[GregoInc]

Greg

With mounting the XB low, were you able to keep the stowage hooks on the back of the rear seats??

Any thoughts on the XB yet??

Hey Gary,

I attempted to install the XB leaving the seat hooks behind by simulating a number of mounting positions. The challenge I found was mounting the XB in a position where it would clear the cars metal work and didn't impose on the XB mounting points. I found the lower you go to avoid removing the seat hooks the more you risk that issue.

The photo below shows what I am talking about... you see the XB mounting point and car metal work, so imagine going lower it just wouldn't work.



So in the end I went with a compromise and removed the hooks... after all, I wanted the benefits of the XB more than the hooks

Regards, Mark

[GregoInc]

Thanks for putting up the DIY Greg! Do you feel that I should add anything specific to the UNIbrace XB installation instructions? Looking forward to hearing your driving impressions!

Hi Bruce,

Only mods I would suggest to your documentation would be to add details on how the Mk6 rear seats are removed. I spent some time looking for the clips as outlined in your doco, only to find the bracket in the centre was the key to removing the seats

Apart from that the kit was excellent, and a top notch product.

Thanks, Mark

[BBR32]

sound clip and pics of milltek ?