The brackets are for an 18mm bar... thats why they were reluctant to push up. They are also old and have a lot of miles on them, so they should be changed anyway. They run about 5 dollars.
2000 CSVT Black
Magna Flow Exhaust
KKM True Rev Intake
17" Enkei DM5 Yokohama ES 100 215/45/17ZR
Carbon fiber front and back
All in all... a fat car