Strut tower bar
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I've been looking for years, Good luck!
I believe if SCP gets 15 people interested, they'll be made. But $220 + Shipping seems pricey.
I believe if SCP gets 15 people interested, they'll be made. But $220 + Shipping seems pricey.
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About a year ago SCP did make a batch. Not sure if they have one lying around or not.
@Noser7mil ,I saw one at the Rialto LKQ a few months back. I thought you grabbed it after I posted it? I would have, but I never had the time to go out there. The car is gone now.
@Noser7mil ,I saw one at the Rialto LKQ a few months back. I thought you grabbed it after I posted it? I would have, but I never had the time to go out there. The car is gone now.
tell me about it, there isn’t enough people to get it going. I’m seriously thinking of doing my own cheapy design and getter welded up soon.
sheesh I would of took off like a bullet to go grab it! I’ve read many reviews on here and some guys say it makes a big difference and others say it’s a placebo effect. Only one way to find out! I have the material to try and knock it out, I’ll keep you guys updated on the project, I’d be down to make a couple sets if possible.
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That notch is going to be an issue as it won't provide much rigidity. I understand now why the SCP design comes forward a little bit. It's to clear the IACV vacuum hose.
Yea for sure I did mock one up a lil while ago that I think would be able to clear that without the notch.
This is the one I mocked up but I didn’t like it. I bought a new piece of metal and gonna try again this weekend. So far it did clear the hood and everything. Next one I’m gonna bend instead of cutting slits
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That I like. Probably the best front bar Ive seen. All the others are too thin, have notches for clearance, or are so bent out for clearance that they wouldnt make a difference either way.
Good job on that.
Good job on that.
They are. It’s convenient to lean on though 🙂
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I wonder how it would fit if it bent going backwards towards the firewall?
Or, what if it kept the shape as the one that is notched (pictured above), but instead of a tub it was a flat "I-beam" type piece? Something similar to this DC Sports bar. Basically, something that would clear the IACV tube and allow for the hood to close, but still have structural integrity needed for the strut bar to be functional.
What doe you mean backwards towards the firewall? Like instead of going directly in line to the other tower, you go behind the plenum?
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The best type of STBs tie into the firewall. So he may mean that. Aka 3 point braces. Cause triangles be strong n' shieet.
Or you can get real creative.
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That's not what I meant, but I did already know that. I have an idea (probably someone had the same idea) on how to make this happen. Essentially, weld a "mount plate" behind the firewall with screws pertruding through firewall. That screw plate would be the anchoring point for the triangulated strut bar.
What I meant was something more along the lines of that Volvo (borrowed from Fox / Explorer 5.0) intake plenum minus the firewall reinforcement. Although the strut bar is over the intake plenum itself on the Volvo, the (main) bar actually "moves back towards the firewall". This is more along the lines of what I mean. As for what type of bar to use, instead of pipe, it would a flat-ish bar, similar to the one on the one presented on the Mazda above.
If the towers actually moved anchoring it to the flimsy firewall sheetmetal will just flex it and crack it. You’d need to reenforce the mounting area for it to be effective which it won’t anyway because STBs don’t do anything.
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Which is why I said....
And if they don't do anything, then why do manufacturers put them on as standard on literally everything out there these days? Even the boat of a car my wife has, the '13 Taurus, has a STB. They have to do something for all the manufacturers to be putting these on everything.
literally everything =/= 2013 Ford Taurus and what’s applicable to one car isn’t automatically applicable to another. GM W bodies used braces diagonally run between the strut towers to the radiator support, does that mean every car that isn’t a W body is a flexi flier? No. Ford doesn’t standard equip a STB on the Mustang, which is ostensibly their sports car, they offer one as a quite clear optional or over the counter dress up accessory, because the car simply doesn’t need one.
Now why does the Taurus have one? The rubber isolated transverse FWD engine/transaxle cradle. There is no K member support in front wheel drive cars effectively bracing the frame rails and the load of the torque from the driven wheels, as well as the twisting load of actual struts(which MN12s don’t use) transmits more stresses through the towers directly than a RWD car that uses a rigidly fastened crossmember between the frame rails with no engine torque transmitted through the towers. I never said STBs don’t have purposes period, but in an MN12 they absolutely do not.
this is another brace I have in my mind to do on the bird. This one is a steeda gtrac and it’s for the 2015+ mustangs. They say it’s like having a strut tower bar but underneath. I think the center bar actskind of like the firewall and the 2 diagonal bars triangulate that whole area. The front of the bird is so flimsy it’s not even funny how much flex is there. All you gotta do it look at the cheap spot welds on the shock towers. And I totally understand XR7-4.6’s point.Cars who use a strut tower brace were designed that way from the factory, to use those bars. Our cars were NOT designed with them in mind. One thing I will say is, all the bracing I’ve done has helped out a ton, and I don’t see why a little more reinforcement would hurt.
I currently have both braces under the front of the car, subframe connectors, REAR STB, rear lower cradle brace and I’ve also recently added a mark 8 X brace along with the factory V and L braces.and I can safely say that this car is stupid flimsy.
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