zeph_KE70 Posted January 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 Are you going to have an adjustable or a preloaded strut brace? We ran an adjustable on the rally car, the pipe across the car was cut in half & had a left-hand & a right hand thread cut in the ends. We turned a nut on a shaft in the middle and it tried to push the struts apart & then we clamped it up. We could've threaded pipes on the towers and cut threads on the ends of the bar and turned the whole bar, same principle. A nice one for the Altezza has a slightly flexible square bar across the endgine that attaches to the towers with Allen screws. When you do the screws up they flex the bar and pre-load the towers outwards. Too be honest, don't know yet, most probably fixed. Since we're not using it for rally, or any serious racing. Just daily driver, with track days. :) What would you suggest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
altezzaclub Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 Try and build a bit of pre-stress into a fixed on, so you jam it in and as you bolt it up it pushes against the towers. Otherwise the bar does absolutely nothing as there is a mm or two of movement to put it under stress and the towers don't move more than that. Sadly, in the years I was doing all of this back in the 70s/80s I never used a camera at all. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeph_KE70 Posted January 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Try and build a bit of pre-stress into a fixed on, so you jam it in and as you bolt it up it pushes against the towers. Otherwise the bar does absolutely nothing as there is a mm or two of movement to put it under stress and the towers don't move more than that. Sadly, in the years I was doing all of this back in the 70s/80s I never used a camera at all. :( Ahh unlucky :( + what would i do, to make it have that couple mm of movement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
altezzaclub Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Ah- this will tax my sketching skills.... drawings later on. 1)make the passenger's side mount a solid block with a horizontal top. Make the drivers side a solid block with a few degrees angling upwards towards the pass side on the top face. Bolt the spring steel square bar to the drivers side, then force it down to the passengers side. This pre-tensions it, although not as efficiently as... 2)make the passengers side a clevis mount with a bolt that goes through your square bar. Make the drivers side a clevis mount with a sloping face of a few degrees and a closed top with a locking bolt though it. Its like a box on its side with a sloping 'bottom', and your bar has the opposite wedge slope on its face. Put the bar in the box, then drop the pass side in and bolt it up. Then screw the drivers side down forcing the two wadge faces to jam the towers apart. Still not as good as... 3)Make both mounts clevis mounts with bolts through and have eyes in your round tube bar. The pass side needs only to be able to rotate, so make a long neck on the eye-bolt down inside the tube. The drivers side must be threaded and a proper suspension rose-joint used. Bolt both ends in and rotate the bar so the rose-joint forces the towers apart. The only quick images on Google are these- So this is what I mean by a clevis mount, the free-rotating end of 3) and the adjustable end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeph_KE70 Posted January 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 Ahh gotta love the exact same colour :bash: Anyone know any tips to make it look the same, or anything? :hmm: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glenpos Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 hey mate, nice car, i was thinking of making my own strut brace for my ae71, good job, check out my rolla :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.L.Z.BUB Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 Paint the whole panel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeph_KE70 Posted January 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 hey mate, nice car, i was thinking of making my own strut brace for my ae71, good job, check out my rolla :D Cheers dude, + do it! so much fun, you get experience, and a brand new strut bar for 1/4 of the price of a brand new one. Seen 'em at shops for $299 and mines cost about $60 so far. :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glenpos Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 Cheers dude, + do it! so much fun, you get experience, and a brand new strut bar for 1/4 of the price of a brand new one. Seen 'em at shops for $299 and mines cost about $60 so far. :wink: yeah i think i will :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
altezzaclub Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 Put up a topic on 'how to build your own strut brace' with details and photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeph_KE70 Posted January 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 Put up a topic on 'how to build your own strut brace' with details and photos. Yeah thats a good idea :hmm: Ill make one when I'm finished mine, and hopefully it turns out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
67Rolla-Ken Posted January 12, 2012 Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 (edited) For that touch up it's best to mask the edges of the panel, not the are you're painting. Then try to blend it out as you spray. Edit: Or spray the whole panel as suggested. Edited January 12, 2012 by 67Rolla-Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeph_KE70 Posted January 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 Hell yeah guys! I'm wrapped at todays progress. Made a custom Rear strut bar! Check the pics. Edit: If anyone wants to make one, chuck me a Message and ill help you out :happy: Fabrication Yeah Close up Final Product Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.L.Z.BUB Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 Nice, what is it made out of? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeph_KE70 Posted January 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 Nice, what is it made out of? Ah, Think its around 3-4mm thick steel tubing from bunnings. Really easy to work with, and strong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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