I just had the same problem over the weekend. Turned out that the nut that goes on top of the plate is taller than the nut that goes underneath the top plate. With the taller nut underneath the top plate, the top plate rests on the nut instead of seating down in the tower......swapped that around and problem solved

98 T Red SVT CF hood and trunk, Vogtland springs, KYB struts, 8mm wires, KKM intake, BAT intake pipe, resonator removed, Steeda Short Throw, JVC MP3/WMA head unit, Alpine Type-S surround, 2 10in, Kicker subs, Soundstream amp,