i decided to try my hand at making a front and rear strut bar heres the results pretty damn happy with the way it came out, the mounting plates are 3/16 plate alum, the main crossbar is 1.50x.750 .125 wall tubing and the angle bars are .750sq .125 wall , the top plate is .125 plate

plates cut out
<a href="http://s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa216/fast87t2/?action=view&amp;current=Photo12131529.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa216/fast87t2/Photo12131529.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
braces mocked up
<a href="http://s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa216/fast87t2/?action=view&amp;current=Photo12131530_2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa216/fast87t2/Photo12131530_2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
crossbar mocked up(i used wood for the first design cause its way cheaper)
<a href="http://s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa216/fast87t2/?action=view&amp;current=Photo01111608.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa216/fast87t2/Photo01111608.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
side braces mocked up
<a href="http://s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa216/fast87t2/?action=view&amp;current=Photo01221252.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa216/fast87t2/Photo01221252.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
mostly welded
<a href="http://s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa216/fast87t2/?action=view&amp;current=Photo01260944.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa216/fast87t2/Photo01260944.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
final product
<a href="http://s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa216/fast87t2/?action=view&amp;current=Photo02270829.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa216/fast87t2/Photo02270829.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa216/fast87t2/?action=view&amp;current=Photo02270828_1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa216/fast87t2/Photo02270828_1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

all thats left is a good cleaning and perhaps powercoat and to mount it to the fire wall wall with some nice button caps

now on the the rear bar all the cross peices are 1" od alum round stock birdmouthed at the ends with .750 round stock welded to it, the strut plates are .125 steel, and the middle mount i machined on a manual turn brideport outta a solid chuck on alum, its designed to bolt down with 1/2-13 socket cap bolts ,only thing left to do is weld a plate under the car for the middle mount to bolt to . wish i had taken more pics during the fab process
<a href="http://s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa216/fast87t2/?action=view&amp;current=HPIM2229-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa216/fast87t2/HPIM2229-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa216/fast87t2/?action=view&amp;current=HPIM2230-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa216/fast87t2/HPIM2230-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

what do yall think?
--joe

 

Good work. Cool to see the progress.

 

OOOOH shiny!

 

it's lookin' pretttty good.

 

Very nice!

 

Looks great thats some nice fabbing keep it up!!!

 

Keep us posted on the results! Look damn good! Any chance you'd make them for others?

 

Very nice! Your front bar is actually disturbingly similar to a front strut bar I was going to produce. All the prototypes are made, the jigging is done and it could be mass produced. But when I ran the costs, I figured no one would pay $300 (+ shipping) for a front strut bar for an FC.

The rear bar though, with all those hinges (bolts), won't be very ridged. I love the machining though.

 

Very nice fabrication.

Front bar looks great. I have to agree with Aaron about the rear bar. You can torque the bolts down to prevent them from pivoting, but a solid connection would be better in the long run.

 

Nice front brace. You need brake fluid. I like the air filter box, do you have more pictures of it?