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Thread: Chassis stiffening bars

  1. #21
    Supporting Member Turbo Mopar Contributor supercrackerbox's Avatar
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    Re: Chassis stiffening bars

    Quote Originally Posted by Reaper1 View Post
    From my own experience:
    A 2-point strut tower brace does help out with our cars' lack of chassis stiffness. I have never tried a triangulated bar, but have thought about it quite a bit. A lot of the reason a lot of people don't go that way, I believe, is that it can change the class you are in when doing auto-cross and track events. As was pointed out, the firewall is pretty darn thin, so even if you did triangulate, there would need to be a brace added to the opposite side of the firewall to distribute the load.
    ....
    Didn't Brian Slowe make one that triangulated to the firewall for an L-body a few years back?

  2. #22
    Supporting Member II Turbo Mopar Contributor ajakeski's Avatar
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    Re: Chassis stiffening bars

    I heard once that Team Shelby would double up the firewall of their race cars to add stiffness.

  3. #23
    Hybrid booster
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    Re: Chassis stiffening bars

    Quote Originally Posted by supercrackerbox View Post
    Didn't Brian Slowe make one that triangulated to the firewall for an L-body a few years back?
    Yes I believe so.

  4. #24
    Mitsu booster
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    Re: Chassis stiffening bars

    This is a great solution!
    Bravo!

  5. #25
    Hybrid booster Turbo Mopar Contributor 85lebaront2's Avatar
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    Re: Chassis stiffening bars

    I know on the Shelby Mustangs the Export brace and additional tower to tower brace made a big difference in handling and those cars were double wishbone front suspension, I can only imagine how much a good brace would help with the MacPherson struts. Here is what was on my 1966 GT350, the ribbed angled brace is the "export" brace rather than the stamped sheet metal left and right side of the stock US spec Mustang. the bar in front of the engine was called a "Monte Carlo bar" and dates to the Monte Carlo rally Falcons and Comets. That one was specially made to clear the dual Holley 4 barrels.

    On the Mustangs, the pinch weld between the firewall and cowl is right where the four bolts across the back go, on our cars that area has no structure, it is just a sheet metal barrier. I would imagine it could be reinforced with some angle and probably braced across to the inner cowl (I would only try that with the windshield out), this would give a strong enough area to brace too, but it would need to be removable in order to do much on the engine.
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  6. #26
    turbo addict
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    Re: Chassis stiffening bars

    A side to side strut brace ...could feel the difference on my GLHS and the K-wagon.
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    Great stuff for great cars! Poly engine mounts and bushings at: http://www.polybushings.com

  7. #27
    Hybrid booster Turbo Mopar Contributor 85lebaront2's Avatar
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    Re: Chassis stiffening bars

    Maybe I need to find one of those for my konvertible.

  8. #28
    Mitsu booster
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    Re: Chassis stiffening bars

    A 3 point strut tower brace helps an immense amount with cowl shake on foxbody cars. I'm assuming it would do the same on k cars, but on foxbody cars there's a pinch weld that runs across the firewall. You would probably have to do a reinforcement plate to where it would mount to the firewall.

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