Inexpensive Front Strut Brace DIY by cuttyman9

5 minute read

Inexpensive Front Strut Brace DIY 

Compliments of cuttyman9 @ http://5thgencelica.com

1-7-2015

Cheap front strut brace
So I found a cheap and easy front strut bar that isn't garbage like the stock one and used in conjunction it is pretty good.
So why add a strut bar? Well first off it looks pretty slick, secondly any tightening of the chassis bodes well for the handling, and third its super cheap so why not?

This will work on st/AT chassis's (celica GT, ST GTS and alltrac/GT4) from the 16X, 18X, and 20X generations (4th 5th and 6th gens)
The bolt hole orientation will be a bit different so they wont transfer over between cars without new holes.

So I'm sure you've seen or heard about this on one of the few places I post stuff and want in on it.

it starts off with an ebay strut brace, now this isn't for a celica so one must be somewhat handy with measuring and drilling holes accurately. If you're not of that nature but can turn wrenches I would recommend talking to subspec, he is looking to start an automotive business and can do this on the cheap I'm sure. (he just needs the incentive to start building parts for the 4th, 5th and 6th gen market which is where I come in by spreading the word)

If you're handy with the above mentioned tools, search a 95-99 dodge neon strut tower brace for the front, buy one with a full circle for the mounts.
this will set you back a hefty sum of 25 dollars and some change shipped.
Here's a link, should work for a while --> http://www.ebay.com/itm/230893935696?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_sacat%3D0%26_nkw%3D230893935696%26_rdc%3D1

So it should require some assembly which isn't hard, just slap the supplied bolts in and then set it on the car, the front most bolts should be close(with the cross tabs closest to the forward position) they will need the holes elongated about an 8th of an inch on each side toward the middle of the car. I found that a carbide bit in a drill works best but you could also just open the hole up if its easier.

Once that's done you will need to mark the other two spots and drill pilot holes and check that they line up. If you take a sharpie and put a dot on the center of the strut bolts then when you drill a pilot hole it should be right above the dots.

Then open up the holes to 1/2"
One will be close to the inner edge but should be fine.
Once the holes are drilled it should be ready to bolt down, I found that if you undo the nuts on the strut and jack up a side the stock strut brace can be moved.
I recommend cleaning under the bar and all the surfaces before bolting it down.
Put the aftermarket one on top of the small spacer between the tower and the stock brace, then the stock one over the aftermarket brace.

Tighten back down and tighten the adjusters that work side to side and the bolts that hold those to the bar and you're done.

Now this may not be a crazy race oriented bar but it still tightens up the front end a bit which is never a bad thing.
If you give this a shot post how it went for you, I'm working with an ST184 GT so anyone with a 16X or 20X chassis or the 4a/7a engine let us know how it went.

Also if you have any issues let me know, I may be able to provide ideas as to what to do to make it work.

Stay tuned, there's more to come.


Thanks for reading.



^ this is the pattern of the holes for a 5th gen. You can see where the bar attaches at the right



^ excuse the dirty bay, this is the bar installed. Only one spare hole shows.



^ I found that a slight tilt backwards clears my hood, its a carbon fiber version of a stock hood so it should work with other stock hoods, CS/RC, and All-trac hoods.

Here's a follow up, the bar makes the front feel a good bit more rigid. Its hard to sense the difference but in the turns it feels more composed.

I am running Megan Racing coilovers, 17 inch wheels with 215/45/17 tires with only that part as another suspension modification.
I would assume this would be less noticeable in something with softer suspension or with taller tires, but noticeable none the less.

I'm excited to see what the rear bar can provide.