Strut bar
02-22-06, 10:32 PM
#3
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cp racing is the only place i can think of besides racing beat....but like drugblock said, they are a pretty sucky company
if you do a search, you can find threads on people modifying FC strut bars to fit the FB...in fact all you have to do, is "elongate" the holes on the bar mounting plate to fit...they only need to be "elongated" like a 1/4 inch or so.....and if you look on ebay, you can find FC strut bars for real cheap...i mean like 25 bucks or so plus shipping...maybe 50 bucks total shipped.
of course these ebay strut bars are only a single bar from strut to strut, not like the cp racing or racing beat that also bolts up to the firewall
if you do a search, you can find threads on people modifying FC strut bars to fit the FB...in fact all you have to do, is "elongate" the holes on the bar mounting plate to fit...they only need to be "elongated" like a 1/4 inch or so.....and if you look on ebay, you can find FC strut bars for real cheap...i mean like 25 bucks or so plus shipping...maybe 50 bucks total shipped.
of course these ebay strut bars are only a single bar from strut to strut, not like the cp racing or racing beat that also bolts up to the firewall
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02-23-06, 04:33 AM
#11
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Originally Posted by trochoid
Make one. 1/8" plate. 8 nuts,bolts washers, lock washers and a bar. If you want to get fancy, weld in right and lefthand heim joints for adjustability.
i was about to say that. I had the machine shop he fab me up one for the front. I did a 1/4" round plate, with 1/4" sides then welded them into place to make a kind of holder thingy (ueah im not to technical) and added a pipe that was flatended in the middle to make it oval. Added Hiem jonts and boom head shot you got your self a custom strut bar. I paid about 30$ for the steel and the pipe, had the joints. Got it painted and polised up and havnt looked back since.
02-23-06, 04:48 AM
#12
I just realised, heim joints are easy to come by, but they defeat the purpose of the bar because they can rotate. 
Any one of those cheap eBay bars that have the right and left hand threaded ends will work fine if the bar is wide enough. It will look better too.
Any one of those cheap eBay bars that have the right and left hand threaded ends will work fine if the bar is wide enough. It will look better too.
02-23-06, 05:10 AM
#13
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But the main point in a sturt bar is to keep the towers from moving seperatly. and most of the movment is tilting inward so they arent totaly useless. I love mine but I havnt pushed it yet. I plan on getting a tri point bar later. Because to me a strut race is just taking to wobbly sticks and tieing them together. but thats just me.
02-23-06, 09:20 AM
#15
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Originally Posted by Zyrano
justint5387 if you want to try the ebay one, i have an unmodded one sitting in my shed, you can have it for 10 bux.
Alvin
Alvin
i sent you a pm with myaddress
02-23-06, 10:00 AM
#16
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[QUOTE=trochoid]I just realised, heim joints are easy to come by, but they defeat the purpose of the bar because they can rotate.
As stated earlier, the heim joints rotating is NOT defeating the purpose. The little deflection afforded by the movement of the spherical bearings will not hinder a thing. Also as stated, the purpose of a strut bar is to keep the strut towers from deflecting inwards toward each other. The main load is perpendicular of the bearing, thinking of it as pushing or pulling against the threads. The other thing, putting on a strut bar with sperical bearing will allow for a little misalignment from wear, stress over time, or not measuring 100% correct. I have one that was made to mount to the front cage tubes that come through the firewall and attatch to the strut towers. then two tabs to attatch the strut bar by two spherical bearings.
One last thing, the racing beat strut bar is illegal in Street Prepared SCCA Auto-X IIRC. As I remember, thought things may have changed since I was in SP, the bar may only attatch in one direction, from strut to strut but not strut to strut AND to the firewall. I could be wrong as all get out, but that is me.
Cheers,
Travis
As stated earlier, the heim joints rotating is NOT defeating the purpose. The little deflection afforded by the movement of the spherical bearings will not hinder a thing. Also as stated, the purpose of a strut bar is to keep the strut towers from deflecting inwards toward each other. The main load is perpendicular of the bearing, thinking of it as pushing or pulling against the threads. The other thing, putting on a strut bar with sperical bearing will allow for a little misalignment from wear, stress over time, or not measuring 100% correct. I have one that was made to mount to the front cage tubes that come through the firewall and attatch to the strut towers. then two tabs to attatch the strut bar by two spherical bearings.
One last thing, the racing beat strut bar is illegal in Street Prepared SCCA Auto-X IIRC. As I remember, thought things may have changed since I was in SP, the bar may only attatch in one direction, from strut to strut but not strut to strut AND to the firewall. I could be wrong as all get out, but that is me.
Cheers,
Travis
02-23-06, 11:18 AM
#17
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i got a cusco bar after much searching on ebay. for 60 bucks. took me 2 or 3 months to find one. just seach ebay weekly and ull find one sooner or later. and mine is made for the fb it came from some guy in california
02-23-06, 12:16 PM
#18
I just need to step up here. This has been bothering me for some time now. This is not directed towards anyone within this thread. It just seems like a good place to put this info for later searching.
**********
Strut braces that use rod ends can be just as effective as a strut brace that does not have them. I hear all the time, that strut braces are useless if they have threaded joints. IMO, This is false.
In the world or motorsports and engineering, we have threaded joints. They are just a solid as a welded joint when the part is designed correctly.
We all know most strut brace found for a 1st gen is going to have bends in the tubes. That is a fact of the engine sitting higher than the strut tops. All the one on the market that have straight tubes will have long mounting plates extending far away from the mounting bolts. A bent tube used in compression will flex at the bends. That is just common sense. the long mounting plates on the straight bar types are prone for flex at the mounting plate.
My statement is this: A bend in a tube is going to flex more than the threaded joint of a rod end.
*******
Ok, I am done
-billy
**********
Strut braces that use rod ends can be just as effective as a strut brace that does not have them. I hear all the time, that strut braces are useless if they have threaded joints. IMO, This is false.
In the world or motorsports and engineering, we have threaded joints. They are just a solid as a welded joint when the part is designed correctly.
We all know most strut brace found for a 1st gen is going to have bends in the tubes. That is a fact of the engine sitting higher than the strut tops. All the one on the market that have straight tubes will have long mounting plates extending far away from the mounting bolts. A bent tube used in compression will flex at the bends. That is just common sense. the long mounting plates on the straight bar types are prone for flex at the mounting plate.
My statement is this: A bend in a tube is going to flex more than the threaded joint of a rod end.
*******
Ok, I am done
-billy
02-23-06, 06:16 PM
#19
Good points from both Travis and Billy. The reason I feel the threaded rod ends would be more effective is that they would stiffen the trapezoid better. I agree that the main purpose of the strut bar is to keep the strut tower tops from flexing in and out, a better bar can also reduce the diagonal flexure between one strut top and the other strut housing base.
To do this effectively, a 'V' brace is usually required between the bar and the hatch floor.
I have heim joints on my adjustable rear sway bar. The click and clack that they make can be really annoying at times. For those that have heim joints on their rear bars, do you hear the same movement? If they do make noise, that would be an indication that there is some movement/flexure between the strut tops and the bar is limiting the flex. If that is the case, then the threaded rod ends may be more effective.
Interesting discussion gentlemen.
To do this effectively, a 'V' brace is usually required between the bar and the hatch floor.
I have heim joints on my adjustable rear sway bar. The click and clack that they make can be really annoying at times. For those that have heim joints on their rear bars, do you hear the same movement? If they do make noise, that would be an indication that there is some movement/flexure between the strut tops and the bar is limiting the flex. If that is the case, then the threaded rod ends may be more effective.
Interesting discussion gentlemen.
02-23-06, 06:31 PM
#21
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Originally Posted by riceburner1r2001
man i wonder if the guys at cp see any of these ims that people say about them and try to fix what they have messed up.
02-23-06, 06:40 PM
#22
Originally Posted by trochoid
I have heim joints on my adjustable rear sway bar. The click and clack that they make can be really annoying at times.
-billy
02-23-06, 09:20 PM
#23
Wackyracer shows a strut bar that is indeed good to lean on when changing plugs, but my engineer's opinion is that it probably has very little other benefit. A good strut bar has to be triangulated to the firewall. The reason for the bends and odd shapes of many of these is that they are formed sheet metal, which necessarily takes up more space than a proper rod or tube.
A properly designed strut brace will have all elements in tension or compression, not in bending. Consequently, the rod ends, or Heim joints, are the best way to mount them because this allows adjustment, including the possiblity to preload the bars.
I had to deal with more space and clearance issues than most of you , and I had no trouble getting past the engine and intake system with my homemade strut brace, shown here. I built mine from solid aluminum bars, but a good quality steel tubing will also work well and is comparable in weight.
A properly designed strut brace will have all elements in tension or compression, not in bending. Consequently, the rod ends, or Heim joints, are the best way to mount them because this allows adjustment, including the possiblity to preload the bars.
I had to deal with more space and clearance issues than most of you , and I had no trouble getting past the engine and intake system with my homemade strut brace, shown here. I built mine from solid aluminum bars, but a good quality steel tubing will also work well and is comparable in weight.
Last edited by stilettoman; 02-23-06 at 09:24 PM.
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