NASA_Tuner
01-05-2007, 04:09 PM
This is a very easy installation, but I'll walk you through it. The Strut Brace or Strut Tower Brace or Front Brace or Strut Bar or whatever you like to call it is a stiffening device for the chassis. It allows less movement of the chassis (chassis is the backbone of the car which the body panels mount to) by tying the left and right strut mounts together via, in this case, a solid aluminum bar. This particular bar is made by Pilot for my 1990 Nissan 240SX.
The car should be on level ground, not on a jack or jack stands.
First, use a 14mm wrench or deep-weel socket to remove the six bolts atop the front struts. Place the new STB (Strut Tower Bar) mounting brackets over the bolts and put the nuts back on the struts, leave them loose. The Pilot STB has reverse threads on one end of the brace, so the large threaded pins only go in one side. Put thread locking compound on all new hardware, but not on the strut threads. I had to thread them in until only two threads were showing. Test fit the crossbar until the width is correct and then attach the bar to the mounting plates with the supplied hex head bolt and 14mm nut. finger tighten all fasteners. Be sure the crossbar is level, and clears the motor completely.
I loaded the bar with a few pounds of force, effectively pushing the strut towers away from one another, and tightening the assembly in compression (versus tension). I believe this will maximize the rigidity of the chassis. 14mm nuts get torqued to 29 Nm and the 17mm nuts get torqued "tight" singe the jam is aluminum and will otherwise damage the metal.
Limp chassis "before" shot:
http://www.tunernetwork.com/forum/gallery/data/500/No_STB_makes_jehzus_cry.JPG
Strut Tower Brace installed:
http://www.tunernetwork.com/forum/gallery/data/500/STB_holy_freaking_crap.JPG
The car should be on level ground, not on a jack or jack stands.
First, use a 14mm wrench or deep-weel socket to remove the six bolts atop the front struts. Place the new STB (Strut Tower Bar) mounting brackets over the bolts and put the nuts back on the struts, leave them loose. The Pilot STB has reverse threads on one end of the brace, so the large threaded pins only go in one side. Put thread locking compound on all new hardware, but not on the strut threads. I had to thread them in until only two threads were showing. Test fit the crossbar until the width is correct and then attach the bar to the mounting plates with the supplied hex head bolt and 14mm nut. finger tighten all fasteners. Be sure the crossbar is level, and clears the motor completely.
I loaded the bar with a few pounds of force, effectively pushing the strut towers away from one another, and tightening the assembly in compression (versus tension). I believe this will maximize the rigidity of the chassis. 14mm nuts get torqued to 29 Nm and the 17mm nuts get torqued "tight" singe the jam is aluminum and will otherwise damage the metal.
Limp chassis "before" shot:
http://www.tunernetwork.com/forum/gallery/data/500/No_STB_makes_jehzus_cry.JPG
Strut Tower Brace installed:
http://www.tunernetwork.com/forum/gallery/data/500/STB_holy_freaking_crap.JPG