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Help identifying this strut tower brace?

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Old Jun 22, 2020 | 07:53 PM
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Help identifying this strut tower brace?

Hi guys,

I was told to post on here because someone will be able to identify this in a heartbeat. Backstory is this strut brace came on my friends RX7 when he bought it around 11 years ago, maybe longer. He changed his turbo setup and this didn't fit his car anymore so he took it off. I bought it thinking it was a stock one from the photos he sent until I saw it in person and realized it was a lot thicker. There aren't any markings on it indicating a manufacturer. The plates on the strut towers are marked L and R on the underside.




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Old Jun 23, 2020 | 04:53 PM
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It really looks like a later model "R1" strut bar with upgraded ends. The later one did not have the "RX-7" badge but were usually painted black. To confirm if the center is OE see what the back side looks like, the original is stamped pieces.

Vince
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Old Jun 23, 2020 | 11:19 PM
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That looks like a stock style strut bar. But it appears to be a flat piece of aluminum that was bent. Looks super solid.
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Old Jun 24, 2020 | 08:23 AM
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That strut bar is most likely a Japanese made bar. The bolts on the ends are true JIS bolts like what's used elsewhere on the car.

It's 100% NOT a stock brace.

There are a zillion little shops in Japan that do all sorts of interesting parts. I don't know if you could easily figure out who actually made it. Could be a stamp or mark on the underside of the bar.

Regardless that's a quality piece and the quality speaks for itself. You should be able to ask a premium price for it.

Dale
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Old Jun 24, 2020 | 11:56 AM
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Those end-plates are thick. Check to make sure the 3 shock tower nuts have enough threads to be secure.

Looks like a very solid piece!
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Old Jun 24, 2020 | 01:18 PM
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Originally Posted by Brekyrself
Those end-plates are thick. Check to make sure the 3 shock tower nuts have enough threads to be secure.

Looks like a very solid piece!
Im definitely considering having them milled so the nuts can get a few more turns in. They're fastened but I am a little concerned at how high the nut sits.
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Old Jun 24, 2020 | 01:52 PM
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Originally Posted by DaleClark
That strut bar is most likely a Japanese made bar. The bolts on the ends are true JIS bolts like what's used elsewhere on the car.

It's 100% NOT a stock brace.

There are a zillion little shops in Japan that do all sorts of interesting parts. I don't know if you could easily figure out who actually made it. Could be a stamp or mark on the underside of the bar.

Regardless that's a quality piece and the quality speaks for itself. You should be able to ask a premium price for it.

Dale
The bolts came off a renesis I tore down a few months ago. When I got the bar it was missing the bolts. Good call on a small shop in Japan could have made it. That's not something I considered.
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Old Jun 24, 2020 | 03:20 PM
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That explains the bolts!

That's definitely not an Ebay cheapie or a Chinese-made cheapie from the looks of it. I haven't seen any US shops do anything like that.

Dale
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Old Jun 24, 2020 | 07:35 PM
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How heavy is it? Looks like aluminum, but man that thing is chonky.
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Old Jun 24, 2020 | 07:49 PM
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Originally Posted by RX2fan
Im definitely considering having them milled so the nuts can get a few more turns in. They're fastened but I am a little concerned at how high the nut sits.
At a minimum snag some nuts that thread all the way down, from memory the OEM nuts don't thread all the way to the bottom of the inner bore. You'll want M10x1.25 which can be a bit tough to find...... that fine thread pitch in a larger diameter size isn't very common.

Badass lookin' bar for sure Any stampings or markings at all on it?
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