Polished Aluminum Rear Shock Tower Braces [Archive]

SupraWes

06-24-2003, 05:29 PM

Who would be interested in buying a polished T6 Sch 40 Aluminum Rear Shock tower bar. Pricing will be in the $25-30 range plus shipping. The Bar would weigh approximately 1.5lbs. I could probably make some painted bars also if you don't want polished.

Supra Bob

06-24-2003, 08:42 PM

I would definately be interested in one... but like my vote above said, I'd perfer one to mount to the seat latches so I don't loose too much cargo space.

SupraFiend

06-24-2003, 08:45 PM

its not so much a cargo space issue as it is an effieciency and wear issue. The tops of struts aren't designed to take those kind of gs. Unless your talking about a brace that requires drilling holes and bolting it to the shock tower

Muchbzy

06-24-2003, 11:56 PM

I would definately be interested in one... but like my vote above said, I'd perfer one to mount to the seat latches so I don't loose too much cargo space.

Okay, this is news to me...I didn't know about attaching one to the seat latches. :shock: Can this be done and still latch the seats? What's the cons on the stress factor on the tops of the struts, I haven't heard of that until now either! :oops:

3000cc MK2

06-25-2003, 01:24 AM

Pics would be nice????

dohc82

06-25-2003, 03:02 AM

I have had a strut mount type on my car for a year with no problems.

skip

06-25-2003, 03:44 AM

i have a strut mount type for a year as well and havent had any problems...damn hope we dont jinx ourselves :lol:

supra_toy

06-25-2003, 06:33 AM

I would

Will

Stefan

06-25-2003, 10:27 AM

Great idea. I hadn't heard of one under the seat latches... I'm thinking this would brace the chassis better than using the top of the shocks. The coupes (celicas) are sposed to have a stiffer chassis, and this would hopefully mimic it.

Anyone have some pics of one made this way, or is ait just an idea being bandied around? I'd be interested, Wes, $30=$45aud at the moment - not so bad - but probably not worth my while after shipping.

suprathepeg

06-25-2003, 11:42 AM

I have looked at this for a while and myonly question is does it make a differance to have a bar that only uses 2 bolts?

Racefiend

06-25-2003, 11:54 AM

If you make a combo of the two, I'd be interested. I was thinking about making one that mounts to both strut towers and seat latches. If someone (you) beats me to it I'd just buy it.

Christian

Andrew

06-25-2003, 02:17 PM

http://www.celicasupra.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=357&highlight=

SupraFiend

06-25-2003, 03:57 PM

I'm sure a strut to strut brace could be put on a mk2 and driven with for years with no damage, but personally I'd be woried about really stressing the car with one. The studs on the tops of the struts are pretty thin, its only a 12 or 14mm nut on there. That and the shock itself has rubber bushings between it and the body to reduce vibration. I think those bushings would reduce alot of the effect of the brace as well. I've seen a brace for the AE86, which has the same rear shock setup we do, that attachs just like a typical front brace with the three holes and shock tower shaped end piece. You have to drill holes in the tower and bolt it on though. Personally I like the seat latch brace, but I'd want to make mine thin enough so I can still latch the seats.

suprathepeg

06-25-2003, 04:24 PM

This is an interesting problem my thoughts are the same in regards to the top of the shock bolt. I think the only answer as far as performance is concerned is to bolt the brace to the tower, bite the bullet and get out the drill.

Andrew

06-25-2003, 04:24 PM

If you compensate for the width of the bar on the latches, you're OK.. I can still latch my seats well..

Stefan

06-25-2003, 08:49 PM

The Ae86 doesn't really have a similar rear shock arangement. It's solid axcel so I imagine it would be more like a solid axcel A6 celica - shock tops extend into the floor a little. Ours are way up in the air with sheetmtal hills to accommodate.

Anyway, the important difference here is that the rear shocks don't play nearly as important a part in suspension geometry (if at all) as a strut tower brace in the front, so the way I see it all you are try to do with a rear brace in our cars is bracing the chassis - not locating the shocks relative to one another.

SupraWes

06-25-2003, 11:23 PM

A bar that braces between the seat latches will probalby be more efficient as it will be nearer to the springs where all of the force is being applied and it is not being damped by the rubber or poly bushings at the top of the shocks. I mainly use my "shock tower brace to hold in my small subwoofer box, and for a camera mount. i tend to not slow down at all for corners so i cant have anything loose in my car at all or they become a deadly projectile. I have taken a few pictures of my prototype brace that is out of polished steel that I will try and get onnline soon, but I have a wedding and an Autocross to get ready for this weekend so it may be sometime next week. I will also make a prototype seat latch brace out of steel before I buy the aluminum tubing, and make sure there are no issues that I need to work out. I would be willing to deal, say one bar for 25 or both for 45, not sure on pricing for the camera mounts yet I need to do more research.

Muchbzy

06-25-2003, 11:53 PM

If you compensate for the width of the bar on the latches, you're OK.. I can still latch my seats well..

Okay, here's my .02. If every other maker of strut bars makes them so they attach to the strut what makes are cars so different that we can't? All the ones I've seen for VW's, Honda's, and Bimmers all mount that way so why can't we? If the strut couldn't take the stress wouldn't it bend from driving, dragging, or autoxing? :?:

82Spearco

06-26-2003, 12:25 AM

I built a custom sub box like Wes, but didn't take into account the extra amount that the subwoofer sticks out of the box, so my Lewitz rear strut bar will not fit. I am having a friend of mine make a custom bent strut bar that will brace between the shocks and hold the subwoofer in place. However, I would be interested in your bar if it attached to the seat latches, then I would run bars in both locations and never have to worry about my sub box going anywhere! I could have my friend make both bars, but if you are going to bite the bullet, I will support your cause for a seat latch bar.

SupraFiend

06-26-2003, 11:38 AM

The Ae86 doesn't really have a similar rear shock arangement. It's solid axcel so I imagine it would be more like a solid axcel A6 celica - shock tops extend into the floor a little. Ours are way up in the air with sheetmtal hills to accommodate.

Yes it does, its almost identical to ours in fact. You can even swap struts back and forth between the two cars, though the lenghs are a little different ( a couple inchs). Trust me, I have both cars sitting outside right now.

Okay, here's my .02. If every other maker of strut bars makes them so they attach to the strut what makes are cars so different that we can't? All the ones I've seen for VW's, Honda's, and Bimmers all mount that way so why can't we? If the strut couldn't take the stress wouldn't it bend from driving, dragging, or autoxing?

Most of those cars you mention have macpherson struts or some varient in the rear. We have a single skinny stud attached to the end of a strut going through our shock tower, theirs are more like our fronts, where theres 3 big studs attaching to the top of the spring perch.

Thats what I'm afraid of, I think some serious autoxing could bend the tops of our struts with a strut mounted bar on it, at the very least it will mess up the threads on the strut (which you don't want to do, not fun).

Sounds good Wes, good luck with the project.

suprathepeg

06-26-2003, 11:51 AM

so then the million dollar quetion is where is the best place to attach the bar(s) and what is the best method to use to attach the bar(s)? It would be good if we could have a suspension expert give some advice.

Racefiend

06-26-2003, 03:04 PM

I think what Stefan is talking about is the actual strut tower shape. The ae86 has a MUCH shallower and wider strut tower. Ours sits really high and is very narrow. But I would think that our towers, because of this, would flex MORE than an AE86 would.

Christian

suprathepeg

06-26-2003, 03:15 PM

sorry what is the ae86?

SupraWes

06-26-2003, 05:26 PM

The reason ours are different is that we dont have struts in the rear. A strut is where the shock is nounted inside the spring an there is a perch attatched to the top of them, then the perch is bolted to the frame and that is where all the force is concentrated is at the perch which is why you want to bolt the brace direcly to the perch. In our rear suspension we have a regualr coil sring and a seperate shock that are placing forces in 2 locations in the rear of the car. Most of the force will be applied where the spring is as that is what holds up the rear of the car, some seconday forces will be applied where the shocks mount as they do your job in controlling the bounciness of the spring. The stiffer your shocks are the more force that will be applied to that area when the shok is loading and unloading.

The AE86 or Hachi Roku is the mid 80's Toyota Corolla GT-S in the united states. Its a solid axle rear wheel drive lightweight car that is powered by the 4AGE and very popular for drifiting and handling competitions.

Stefan

06-26-2003, 08:25 PM

Yes, thanks Wes. What I am saying is the AE86 rear suspension is more similar to solid-axcel celicas than IRS A6s. And the shocks are not interchangeable - I have it from reliable sources that they are much too short. Believe me, I'd like them to be interchangerable, because I found some TRD 5-way adjustable rear AE86 shocks for a good price secondhand that I copuldnt get 'cos they wouldn't fit.

3000cc MK2

06-26-2003, 11:08 PM

Isn't it the Cusco Rear Strut tower bar is mounted on the panels itself... I mean... you have to drill four holes to mount the bar near the rear shock tower... not directly but close to it... I have seen a yahoo member with it but I can't find the damn pic :mad:

82Spearco

06-27-2003, 12:17 AM

Chris Eng has the front and rear Cusco strut bars. He might have a pic of the rear.

MK2Racer

06-27-2003, 02:47 AM

I would be interested in the seat-latch bar, as I made my own tower-mount bar already. If you do go with the tower bar that mounts directly to the tower itself (requiring drilling), Ill prolly get one of those too and ditch mine.

Flyin' Hawaiian

06-27-2003, 03:38 AM

This is what I used, only because I had two of 'em for my truck!
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=43569
A little modification to the mount, a newly drilled hole to shorten it 1 inch, and you can now adjust it by twisting the bar for tension!
I noticed that if I don't tighten the bar down, the suspension really doesn't change. However, when I get that bar really tight (notated by the creaking of the body!), the car drives quite different at high speeds! I used this setup on the last track session and found that there was a huge decrease in sloppiness from the back of the car in really hard corners (for those of you who know Willow Springs, turn 9 at 70mph!).
I'll take some pics tomorrow of the install (which bolts to the rear seat clamps, not the shock bolts), if anyone wants a visual of it.

6/27 edit!

Here's some pics of my bar. It's not the nicest, but it really does work-Honest!!!
http://www.pbase.com/flyinhawaiian/rearbar
The only modification was to grind a bit of the chrome bracket down so it would not hit the white nylon endcap when bolting it down.
I'll take another pic later of the whole bar when I pull it out of the garage...

trdmkii

06-29-2003, 12:01 AM

so if the bar attaches to the seat latch area that means we can't have the back seats in the latched postion right? I don't have a amp or subs in the back and keeping the seat up makes the interior better, i mean i wouldn't mind if i couldn't use the rear seats i just would like to know ahead of time?

but for my 2 cents using the latch area woudl probably provide a much safer support area.

Flyin' Hawaiian

06-29-2003, 01:10 AM

The bar should bolt behind the bracket (towards the rear of the car), not in front of it, so you should be able to lock your seat upright just fine.
Mine does...

supra_toy

07-02-2003, 06:11 AM

Sweet pix I want one! It would be nice to get one soon so I could integrate it into my sterio install

will

82Spearco

07-02-2003, 04:29 PM

Muchbzy

07-03-2003, 01:13 AM

I am ready to buy a seat latch bracket version today....let us know when you are ready. Hopefully it will be designed to fit as closely to the back of the seat as possible, to minimize obstacles and space taken up in the boot.

I'm with Chad. I would take one today that fastens to the seat brackets. Amp and bass tube on the seat and in the way so I think that one would work best. :?

TOYMAN321

07-13-2003, 03:42 PM

SilverMk2

07-13-2003, 04:37 PM

I dont know if anyone is running harnesses in their car but has anyone thought of using the bar that runs between the seat brackets as a mounting point for harnesses? Dont know if it'll work but just an idea

That's a horribly wrong way to do it. Nothing personal though. The belts are supposed to be roughly horizontal over the shoulder. Mounting them to the floor like that will push your shoulders downward in a crash. You can either compress you spine in an accident, if you don't have a 5th point you can push the lap belt like a razor blade through your gut, or you can squeeze yourself out from under the lap belt. This is why they put a big red X over floor installations for harnesses.

TOYMAN321

07-14-2003, 09:30 PM

I wasnt sure... Im not looking at my car right now but arent the points where the seats click in in the upright position horozontal... or almost to the sholders on the front seats... Im not lookin at my car right now so Im not sure.... just an idea becuase I've seen people use the bolt points for the rear seatbelts as mounting points for their harnesses in the Subaru's that we rally with... very wrong I know so Im looking for a easyer alternitive for my mkii until I can cage it.

SilverMk2

07-15-2003, 12:54 AM

Ok misunderstanding. I'm thinking you're talking about using the front seat bracket :doh: . People have been asking that a lot lately on Supraforums. The only thing I wouldn't like about using the brace across the seat latches is that they were never really intended to be used as a seat bolt anchors in the 1st place. I believe on the MkII that there is a 3rd point seat belt point in the rear on the C-pillar behind the interior panel that you can use. Outside of the US they had regular 3 point belts in the rear as well (we got screwed).

rick85p

07-21-2003, 12:02 AM

I'm interested and would like to get in on a group buy. Please email me off line at www.ricktess@earthlink.net. 8)

Rick 85 P-Type

The_Merovingian

12-15-2003, 11:26 AM

Any pics of it installed???

SupraWes

12-15-2003, 11:59 AM

I started to make them a few weeks ago and broke my bench vise in the process so they will have to wait untill I can buy another one. I have some pictures and may post them the week between christmas and new years since I have that whole week off.

The_Merovingian

12-15-2003, 12:18 PM

can't wait to see them.

TRD 83 SUPRA XX

12-15-2003, 01:08 PM

:ttiwwp:

trd22regts

12-15-2003, 10:51 PM

If you do start making them I'll tell the peeps in the celica forum, since a GT-S Liftback is basically the same in the back.

cf_koch

12-16-2003, 09:56 AM

These sound great and I would defenately be interested once pictures are posted and a final price is determined. :D

Supra_devil

12-20-2003, 01:52 PM

wouldn't an aluminum brace flex and move more than something harder and more firm? and if everyone is so concerned about the shock stud why not have a brace from one side to the other that mounts to 4 points instead of 2. bring the level of the brace up to about the tops of the rear sets and you can still fit a sub back there too. more complicated but it fixes everyones concerns.

StanS

01-01-2004, 05:53 PM

First, I made one using latch bracket holes that lets seats latch.
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/mk2/files/Rear%20Strut%20Bar/

I found a small improvement in handling. peeps who installed the Lewitz bar RAVED about the improvement. afaik nobody's tried to compare both. So, what's best, latch connecting types, shock connecting, or both?

82Spearco

02-26-2004, 10:58 AM

Wes, you still gonna make these? Let us know. If not, I will have someone locally weld me up something. I plan to put on 2 bars, one across the seat latch, then slide in the custom sub box I built, then a second bar across the rear strut tops. Should give better handling and keep the sub box from moving around.

SupraWes

02-27-2004, 06:36 PM

I'm stuck right now I made about 4 of the bars that use the seat latches. But then my vise broke. Also I ended up using steel for them and am painting them and clearcoating them. I can sell the ones I have ready, if there are some of you that want them. The choices are Silver and Black and they come with new grade 8 hardware, and some TSCPerformance Stickers. $20 plus shipping.

trd22regts

02-27-2004, 07:38 PM

I'm interested if I can see pics

Mark'sMKII

02-27-2004, 07:40 PM

I"ll take one, a black one. Sounds like a great deal to me. PM me with payment details and I"ll have money on the way.
Thanks, Mark M.

cf_koch

02-28-2004, 09:23 AM

I am interested :D . PM me with payment and shipping details.

AZNinaSUPRA

02-29-2004, 06:32 PM

need pics.

Moorman

02-29-2004, 09:56 PM

I'm in for a black one. You have a paypal account?

sd85supra

03-01-2004, 01:33 AM

send payment info and pics to sd85supra@yahoo.com, I want one of these

jr85mk2

03-01-2004, 02:13 AM

I'm interested in one.

82Spearco

03-01-2004, 11:43 AM

AZNinaSUPRA

03-01-2004, 04:18 PM

does anyone know of any downsides or reasons NOT to get in on this deal? will it be supported sufficiently? so far, to me, is seems like a no brainer to jump on in this GB.

trd22regts

03-01-2004, 04:24 PM

I'm guessing the 4 bars you had are probably sold by now, when will you be making more???

SupraWes

03-01-2004, 05:11 PM

Im going to harbor freight in the morning to get a replacement for the tool I broke. I have placed a new thread in the For Sale section with pictures, Install instructions, and payment info. Could a MOD please close this thread. Thanks

82Spearco

07-26-2004, 11:40 AM

I justed wanted to post a quick observation on the rear TSC bar that I keep forgetting. The outside bolt is a little too long. If you screw it all the way down, then check underneath at the top of the wheel well, the tip of the bolt pokes through. I am going to just cover it up with some undercoating, but I wanted to let you know for future reference/sales. Otherwise, I couldn't be happier with your product. Thanks Wes.