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Strut Bar Clearance Issues

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Old Nov 23, 2016 | 07:53 PM
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Strut Bar Clearance Issues

Anyone know of a strut bar that will clear a raised engine. I have Xcessive motor mounts coupled with a Banzai oil pan brace and it's pushing the engine up so my Greddy strut bar won't clear the Greddy elbow. I've heard the Improved Racing bar will clear. Is that confirmed and are there any others that might clear?

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Old Nov 23, 2016 | 10:44 PM
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Beware of raising the bar so high that it hits the hood.
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Old Nov 24, 2016 | 09:28 AM
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Originally Posted by adam c
Beware of raising the bar so high that it hits the hood.
The picture shows the amount it needs to be raised, around 3/8-1/2". Currently it rubs the hood felt, but the hood can still close
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Old Nov 25, 2016 | 06:33 AM
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Had the same problem a few years ago. I should have milled the steel motor mount arms 3/16" as suggested here https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generati...-brace-755290/ . Was a suggestion that the Cusco cleared. I ended up picking up a Mazdaspeed bar for cheap and it cleared my Greddy elbow slightly better than the stock brace. I also had some 1/8" sheet plastic that I made a gasket out of to go under the driver's side brace mount. My hood insulator is aftermarket and made of neoprene type of material. It's formed to the brace and doesn't wear.

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Last edited by Sgtblue; Nov 25, 2016 at 09:21 AM.
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Old Nov 26, 2016 | 04:31 PM
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I have the same mounts combined with a bacon sports pan. I have a cusco and it doesn't clear (hits Efini y pipe which is solid) so I've had to just run without one for a year.
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Old Nov 27, 2016 | 08:05 AM
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Both my Autoexe (on my 95 BB car) and my Cusco Titanum (on the 20B car) have quiet a bit of clearance, certainly more than OEM. I have a pair of 4mm spacer plates in a box somewhere that are a good solution.... that's about 1/6th an inch. if you need up to triple that, I'd say it's time for either new thinner motor mounts (IRP has them on Black Friday sale right now) or bite the bullet and join Smokey as the 'We Don't Need No Stinkin' Front Strut Tower Bar' crew
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Old Nov 27, 2016 | 06:37 PM
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Your motor mounts are too tall. Engine with our oil pan brace and mounts (which are stock height), plenty of clearance with stock bar and every other bar.






Cusco bar


Last edited by Banzai-Racing; Nov 27, 2016 at 06:40 PM.
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Old Nov 27, 2016 | 07:25 PM
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Originally Posted by Banzai-Racing
Your motor mounts are too tall. Engine with our oil pan brace and mounts (which are stock height), plenty of clearance with stock bar and every other bar.
The mounts are fine as is the brace, the problem is the combination of the two

Originally Posted by Smokey The Talon
I have the same mounts combined with a bacon sports pan. I have a cusco and it doesn't clear (hits Efini y pipe which is solid) so I've had to just run without one for a year.
That's a bummer about the Bacon pan. Thought that might work

Oh well maybe i'll have something fabricated if there's not enough interest in getting IR to make a run
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Old Nov 28, 2016 | 09:13 AM
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Car with stock mounts and no OPB has more than an inch of clearance. Our brace is 3/16" thick, which means stock height mounts only raise the engine the 3/16"", leaving plenty of clearance. Those mounts must be an inch taller than stock.

No brace/stock mounts



Here is one of our shop cars which has our brace and stock mounts





Last edited by Banzai-Racing; Nov 28, 2016 at 09:25 AM.
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Old Nov 28, 2016 | 09:40 AM
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Doubt the mounts are THAT much taller. My Noltecs weren't. Suspect they just don't compress like the stock mounts. The pan brace adds to it.
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Old Nov 28, 2016 | 10:04 AM
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All I can say is measure them, I am not going to get into an argument over a part I do not use.

I can however post up countless examples of different configurations where there are no clearance issues, leaving the height of the mounts as the only X factor.
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Old Nov 28, 2016 | 10:31 AM
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Doesn't Improved Racing make one for the LSX/20B guys? Maybe it'll work. I know it sits a bit higher and has more clearance.

I'm in the middle of a rebuild and almost bought that oil pan brace while the engine is out. I did some research, though, and I didn't want to have to deal with cutting up my brand new IRP motor mounts to make the brace work.

It'd be killer if they offered a kit. Brace and mounts that work together. I would have bought it without a 2nd thought.

Last edited by Natey; Nov 28, 2016 at 10:33 AM.
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Old Nov 28, 2016 | 10:36 AM
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We do offer parts that work together as already pictured above and IRP has bought many of our braces.
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Old Nov 28, 2016 | 10:43 AM
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Last edited by Sgtblue; Nov 28, 2016 at 10:46 AM.
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Old Nov 28, 2016 | 11:08 AM
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While looking into it, I found more than one thread with people having clearance issues. I didn't want to deal with the 3/16" cut that is recommended. Plus I wanted softer mounts because I drive my car on the street a lot.
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Old Nov 28, 2016 | 10:56 PM
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I had to cut my mounts because I switched to a 13b-re setup which is quite a bit taller. It was extremely easy to cut the pucks with a table saw, I mean EASY.
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Old Nov 29, 2016 | 12:13 PM
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Originally Posted by TomU

That's a bummer about the Bacon pan. Thought that might work

Oh well maybe i'll have something fabricated if there's not enough interest in getting IR to make a run
I originally wasn't sure if my issue was related to the pan or the mounts, but sounds like maybe the mounts are taller than stock (even though they claim to not be). Sucks because I really like the mounts.

The pan is nice, but it's also made to work with the FFE mounts best which are sweet...but not exactly cheap either.

I also don't want to pull the motor or subframe to try to change mounts again if I don't have to, so for now I'll just deal with it and not run a bar if we can't get the IR ones made.
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