i was think of fabbin up my own strut tower brace. i want one kinda of like the edelbrock one 3 point. is there any good threads where i can see how someone made theres. i searched but couldnt find much. i am wondering how to mount the bar to the strut towers . should it just bolt in the metal or bolt where the strut mounts bolt up to ? and also how would i mont the third poiint to the firewall? any help would be much apprecited
thanks
bruce

 

Here is a 2-pt one, that you could use as an idea to build off of for a 3-pt.

 

so does this one actually bolt to the strut mounts or do you have to drill holes on the side then bolt it down?

 

In the first pic, you can see the 2 holes, per side, to fit the stock strut mounts.

It used NO new holes or bolts to mount. It is as bolt-on as any aftermarket unit. Just that he didn't slot the mount holes, so it can't be used, if the alignment changes. Simply slotting will change that though.

 

i have been looking at pics of some other ones and some look to be drilled oof to the side of the strut tower. which way would be the right way or the stronger way?

 

IMO, one that mounts to the strut mounts is the stronger version, since it connects to the steel plate that receives the upward force from the suspension.

I've had both & honestly? There isn't really a noticeable difference. However.....On one version you have to drill new holes & on the other you don't.

 

The STB isnt there to resist the upward forces of the suspension though. Its there to add lateral support to keep the deflection between the strut towers at a minimum. If there was movement up and down, the STB would simply move up and down with it.

In my opinion, the best way to mount the brace is to the strut towers directly as opposed to using the strut mount bolts. Couple reasons for that. One is that you can use beefier hardware. Second you dont need to worry about an alignment change affecting the brace. Third, you are trying to impart rigidity to the strut towers...so thats the logical attachment point. Tehnically, you could still get some movement with it bolted to the mounts. If the strut tower were to deflect from under the mount, the bar wont help if its bolted to the mount. That could only really happen if the strut mount bolt wasnt tight I guess. That being said, I know there are reputable companies that make the bar with strut mount mounting locations.

In any case, drilling holes in the strut towers isnt a big deal. If you are building a STB, you are probably going to have to be doing some welding unless you are just cobbling something together. So welding up a couple of holes if you decide to un-install the STB shouldnt be a big deal. If you didnt want to do that, some plastic plugs from the hardware store would be a clean, fairly descrete solution for the holes..

Not saying the other way is wrong btw!!!! Dont take me as knocking what Steven was talking about! Just giving my opinion on them as I did a bunch of thinking on this when I was going to build my own.

OP...why not check out some of the aftermarket versions and base your custom one off of a proven design? Or better yet...find the two that you like best that implements your desired mounting, and blend the two together.

There are lots of threads on 2pt vs. 3pt STB so do some more digging. Lots of talk about different ways to attach to the firewall. There are def good ways and bad ways to do this.

I will say...you can build your own STB for WAY less than buying one if you are handy and can weld/fab stuff pretty easy. Especially if you already have material laying around!

J.

 

Don't mess around with building just a 2 or 3 point STB.

 

Now if I only had the funds to copy that and build one out of 6AL-4V Titanium. Half the weight and 3 times as strong.

One day perhaps.

 

That is pretty stout haha. That'd look good over top of an LS1 haha. Ive seen Jeep exo cages built worse than that thing!

Who's car is that anyway?

J.

 

You're going to see more of an improvement keeping the strut towers from flexing forward and backward than inward and outward (Meaning, the extra bracing to the firewall is almost a must if you want any actual benefit what little there may be).

 

I forget who's car that is. Found it here on TGO & IIRC, it is his daughters car that he built it for. Like adding "framework" to strengthen it up if she got in a wreck.

 

Thats "Jerrywho" old strut brace.He made it himself at home, but sold it to another member "greygoose".Jerry made an even better one!Ive not seen it though.

 

thats tgo member JERRYWHO

from so cal

 

lol we replied at the same time.. but yeah that looks like his recent one though

 

Yep

I.....and don't anybody faint here.....SEARCHED & got ONE result, and it was the correct one! And who says the Search feature doesn't work? I typed in 'stb daughter'.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/susp...0-point-s.html

 

Thats assuming you knew to tag "daughter" onto your search...otherwise searching for just "STB" gives you lots and lots of results, which if looking for that specific set up, could take quite a long time to sift through.

But thanks for the link! One of these days, after my car gets its rotissere work, Ide like to build something nice up front. Maybe not that involved but it def shows you can build something really stout that still looks good.

 

so i finally got the stb built. i still have to finish weld , paint and bolt it in . i just wanted to post some pics to see what yall think

 

ok i got it paintd and installed . let me know what yall think.

 

Looks great!

 

looks good, but why blue? white or black would fit better IMO

 

i thought about white but thought blue would stick out better. i always see red and black stb's but i never seen a blue one. when i redo the motor it will be red with blue accebrs on it should all tie in with the them. just in case you never seen my car i am doing the red white and blue them on it.

 

Huh... For someone that started a thread asking how to build one, you sure did do a good job on your own!!! That actually looks really good. I might have made the attachment plates a bit bigger, but you got two bolts in it looks like. I know space is tight over there when youre avoiding the strut mounts.

Good job man.

J.

 

thanks man .i used 6 3/8" grade 8 bolts . two 2 1/2" on the cowl and 4 1" on the strut plates. all have washers and lock washers on them. i think it should be strong enough. i am not making alot of power with a stock engine in it right now anyway.

 

Looks great! and I love the color.

 

I would leave it just how it is. Blue is my favorite color. I also have a white camaro but with blue pearl in it and marbled blue stripes and going to paint my cage the same marbled blue effect along with my stb, suspension parts and even the block unless I make it polished aluminum. Blue and white looks sick. Looks real good man.

 

I would leave it just how it is. Blue is my favorite color. I also have a white camaro but with blue pearl in it and marbled blue stripes and going to paint my cage the same marbled blue effect along with my stb, suspension parts and even the block unless I make it polished aluminum. Blue and white looks sick. Looks real good man..

 

If you don't mind sharing what was the cost of building the stb including hardware and paint?

It is a very cleanly made piece nice work.

 

i got about 20 dollars in this stb. the pipe i used i got free from a welding shop free scraps that were long enough for me. i had some left over paint from when i painted the strips on my car. the bolts were about 10 dollars and i figure 10 for the paint scence i used left over.

 

i don'd know how thick the metal at the windshield is but you might want a backing plate there.and under the fenders.but im armchair quarterbacking...