dcb0821

Here is the deal:

I purchased a pair of spoon strut tower bars for my 4G about a year ago from satan_srv and am now selling them.

senate1123 from this board purchased the rear and when he got it he said it is not real because it has small pinholes in it and there are no spoon stamps on it.

I told him that welding processes requires those holes to be there so that hot gases can escape, and that spoon probably doesn't stamp something that no one ever sees.

Basically, I am certain that this bar is real since I purchased it from a reputable board member.

So here is the question: Spoon strut tower bar owners, go look at your rear bar and tell me if it is stamped and if there are tiny pin holes near the mounts.

any help/advice you all can offer is greatly appreciated.

cdpyro425

No stamp, but there are pin holes near the mounts. ill try to take pics. (got mine from JDMConcepts, reputable importer.)

dcb0821

Thank you. What you are describing is exactly what I sent him, there are no stamps and there are pinholes near the mounts.


Can we get a few more guys with spoon rear bars to confirm this so that senate1123 with be 100% satisfied that I sold him a real spoon bar, because that is my goal.

cantdrive55

I don't remember, because you can't see it, but I'm pretty sure the rear's had no stamp.

And Joel is reputable...however, I wouldn't say he's got a good reputation with several members on the board.

__________________
Gone, but not forgotten...rest in peace Jon.

dcb0821

Thanks for the reply

keep them coming

Senate1123

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4287800769

thats the hole i was referring to. and i did some searching and the logo is not stamped onto the brackets. that was my mistake. however im fairly certain that the bar itself was not supposed to have a hole on the center of it. and the bar is supposed to be made of aluminum. however it is not aluminum. if the general consenus is that the bar is real then whatever ill suck it up. but i dont think it is. ive also never heard of requiring holes due to welding but that might just be something i never heard of. but how come the spoon front bar doesnt have a hole like that?

George Ku

put a magnet to the bar and it doesnt stick. could be aluminum. i retract my previous statement.

cantdrive55

Certainly looks real to me. Looks aluminum too, what is it made of?

I'll go check mine later to see if it has that pin hole, although, I'm sure it does. That bar looks real to me.

__________________
Gone, but not forgotten...rest in peace Jon.

dcb0821

Senate1123 I know that you already have this info from my PM's and previous posts, but I am going to restate this for everyone else, so that we are all on the same page.

Aluminum is NOT magnetic, so stick a magnet up to it and that will give you an answer as to the material it is made of.

Also, look at the size and quality of those TIG welds, all characteristic of alumuminum.

The spoon front strut tower bars DO have the hole in the bottom side center.

TIG welding takes place at about 10,000 degrees F, if that hole is not there all the hot argon gas from the welding process will get trapped and compacted inside the bar, when you got to lay your last bit of bead all the argon is going to be trying to get out of the bar, since as you are welding you are shooting more argon gas in there and there is not enough space for more with the intense heat and whathaveyou. Essentially what happens is you will never be able to lay that last bit of weld, it will constantly "blow out." With that hole there all the hot gases are able to escape the bar and you can finish the weld.

Whhhhhheeee, that is a lot of explaining just for a couple little holes But anyway that is my limited knowledge of welding that I picked up from my buddy who builds the baja car for his college team.

dcb0821

Oh yeah and senate1123 my grandmother has a chair just like that

Senate1123

im telling u that my front bar does not and i know for sure its real. shipped from spoon to me. that is y i even brought up the issue to begin with. i dunno man...lilke i told u in my PM ive seen spoon replica bars made like that and r marketed as replicas. also the weight/feel of this bar is not quite the same as my front one. that is y im claiming it to be fake. but yes it is not magnetic so we can assume it is aluminum.

George Ku

dcb0821

If your front doesn't have a hole in it, I have no clue how they welded it, but they probably have some trick.

If the hole is not supposed to be there and that rear one is fake, then so is my front one, and I would have to have a conversation with satan_srv to see what the deal is.

I am wondering if spoon made changes over however many years they prduced these things. I am going to do some research and see what I can come up with.

In the mean while the more people who own these things that can get pics up or describe them the better.

Also, I just thought that the weight difference that you are talking about might make sence since you are comaring a rear and a front bar. It would make sence making the front more stiff is more desireable since there is all that weight up there. Whereas with the rear where it would take less to acheive desired stuffness, you could save weight, and not go overboard on the stiffness. Just a guess

cantdrive55

My rear one has that little hole in it as well, and mine is 100% genuine.

__________________
Gone, but not forgotten...rest in peace Jon.

dcb0821

Thank you. George, I hope that you are satisfied how that you indeed have a genuine spoon bar on your hands since we have established that:

spoon bars are aluminum, as yours is
they have no stamps on the brackets, like yours
they have pin holes that are required for the welding process

TrustJDM

my front has one small pine hole underneath once installed. my rear doesn't have any pine holes that i can locate. if my rear one is fake, than they did a damn good job tricking me. the stickers and the box looked authentic. the blue wrap even comes the way spoon sells them. i guess some are made different?

Senate1123

ok...but i got my front bar thats 100% real that doesnt have the hole as well as 2 rear bars for other cars that r 100% real that dont have the hole. ill show pics prob tomorrow but whatever. either spoon changed the design or everyone has fakes.

George Ku

cantdrive55

Mine is not fake, and it has the pin hole. Spoon probably made changed to their manufacturing process, companies do this all the time.

__________________
Gone, but not forgotten...rest in peace Jon.

dcb0821

I agree, changes in manufacturing processes is the only thing that makes sense. Other people that I have talked to in the past day have had different descriptions of what thier genuine spoon bars look like.

Senate1123

ok sorry about all this.

George Ku

Keith

You should wet sand and polish that bar up. I did that for mine and it came out almost looking like new...

Before:


After:

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cantdrive55

^ Some good metal polish, like BRASSO will make it look beautifully shiney too.

__________________
Gone, but not forgotten...rest in peace Jon.