DC Sports Strut Brace does not clear.
 

What's up guys
So I received my DC sports steel series Strut brace/bar.
ordered it from Kspecracing, DC Sports Carbon Steel Strut Tower Bar - K-Spec Racing - racing performance & tuning - air intakes, headers, exhaust, brakes, springs, coilovers, suspension


A few things I wanted to let people know. During install I encountered the brackets that are between the top of the strut housing and upper cowel, that keeps water out. These brackets weren't mentioned in any videos or post about installs.


It is possible to take them out with some mussle and leverage without taking out the top cowel and leaving the windshield wiper motor in place. just take the two outter bolts out and flex it until you can pull the piece out. It did not permanently bend it or alter anything.

Secondly, more specific to the DC Sports bar, it does not clear the two tabs for the certer-ish section of the cowel that pops out. Right now I have something there to keep it from rubbing but I may have to cut the tabs and secure it another way.

This is where I'm looking for suggestions.
Thanks in advance

1. upper cowl should be removed with installation of any strut bar, especially during the very first install

2. cowl clearance of DC strut has been noted and is known by DC, but not a big enough to be concerned about. it just plastic

3. looks good

thanks for the response! Initially I wanted to try to keep from taking the cowl all the way off, because I assumed it used a sealant to create the seal. Now I know it's just by pressure haha.