Possible front chassis brace... ideas..

[HyperTek]

Wassup guys! Well just doin some maintanence on my car and got the thinking, about if running a strut brace under the car where the tow hooks are, in order to support them since this area is pretty weak and prone to split like mine and numerous other s13s ive seen... well heres the idea, run fat ass washers/bolts on the end of the strut brace to clamp them down. Wouldnt be as nice as say Silk Road's tension rod brace, but Id figure it would help somewhat at only the cost of a strut bar. Heres what Im talking about. I might try it if I can find the right size bolts.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v72/streetphase/100_0319.jpg

[chlatboy]

Not bad, tell us how it drives once you find ur bolts!! :hsdance:

[projectRDM]

Not as much of a flex point as further back, but SilkRoad, Section, and STR all make adjustable bars so you'd have to think they're doing it for a reason.

[tokes¹]

interesting....yea let us know how it handles after you find those bolts

[HyperTek]

dam went to lowes and home depot and couldnt find the bolt.. its bigger then m16... im thinking m17 if those exist.. gotta find who might have em. Im only havin this problem cuz my strut bar is a hippo sleek jdm piece (simular to the old cuscos etc.)

maybe an ebay bar uses smaller diameter bolts...

[raen419]

um, isn't the nismo power brace similar to that, or is it just the angle i'm looking at it from?

[MakotoS13]

isn't the nismo power brace just a bar welded to two existing parts? i may just weld some tubing on my heap.

[Wei240]

power brace is one of the better braces for the fronts, and with other types of braces, it's more closer to the tension rod area,
from the pic above, i think it's further up front...

or, how about going to home depot/lowes and fab one of those tension braces?

[raen419]

the nismo brace is reinforced where the cross bar meets the tension rod support pieces (forget what they're called) in a sort of boxed configuration on both sides (man, my lack of vocabulary is killing me right now...).
i'm thinking im going to do my own too. esp since the power brace is like $180 most places, and it's definitely overpriced (as is most nismo stuff, eventhough it's good quality).

[Maeda]

isn't the nismo power brace just a bar welded to two existing parts? i may just weld some tubing on my heap.

Bingo! You are correct Makoto.

Just box in those things and weld a bar inbetween and you have a nismo power brace.

[Flybert]

Did somebody say homemade nismo powerbrace? Free DIY shit is the best. It's been working great for a year now.

http://www.team-legacy.org/PowerbraceSPL_2.jpg
http://www.team-legacy.org/PowerbraceSPL_1.jpg
http://www.team-legacy.org/PowerbraceSPL_3.jpg

[sticky240]

<---- needs to learn to weld or make friends with someone who already knows how

cool stuff Flybert

[MakotoS13]

i've actually been thinking of doin this for quite some time. the nismo price really isn't bad considering how much work it'd take to duplicate it (like 150-180?) but if you do it yourself that'd make it easier to get those neons you've always been after.

that reminds me, i need to get a welding machine.

[HyperTek]

Ill see what happens... soo far soo good.. it makes perfect sense. Some s13s split at this part, so its holding it (in my case pulling it together). And tow hooks are suppose to be strong enough to pull a car from, so bracing it will be ok.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v72/streetphase/100_0333.jpg

No real driving impressions til I do my brakes. Not really for a performance aspect, but just to make it more solid.

[smellslikecurry]

nice nice...i have an ebay strut bar jst sitting in my room...i have no use for it so i imight as well try this!!! zilvia needs more people like you...

[blitz180]

I see I'm not the only one who welded their own "nismo" power brace... had my grandpa weld it while i was doing the swap... just showed him picks and we had scrap laying around to do it with.

[North240]

Is that legal for SCCA auto-x events? Are you allowed to modify like that, looks good, i would love to give it a shot.

[kandyflip445]

It puts you in a higher class cause it ties the frame rails together.

[MakotoS13]

i'm going to cut a piece of 1/4 inch steel and weld it on the lower radiator support to prevent this "splitting" and cause it seems to be a good spot to jack up the car if it just had more support to keep it from bending.

[HyperTek]

hehe dam makoto your car looks hot now man!!

[tomenugen]

too bad the driver's still an ass

[Inland180]

http://www.team-legacy.org/PowerbraceSPL_3.jpg[/QUOTE]
Looks pretty good...all it needs is some paint and it would look realy clean.

[MakotoS13]

too bad the driver's still an ass

yeah but i'll be danged if he dont have a sexy as hell G ride.

[Inland180]

so what were the driving impressions of this home made masterpiece???????

[kandyflip445]

lol. I'd imagine the same as a Nismo Power Brace.

[Wei240]

yes, that is exactly what the nismo power brace is, a piece of metal welded on those 2 pieces

so turning is more responsive, less chassis flex...

[sLiDewAys]

i think this idea has alraedy been covered with the front lADDAR BAR which braces the front lower frame rails.

aghhh more chucks of metal that ppl say seem to make a difference, get some sway bars coil overs and a cage then call it a day.

brandon

[kandyflip445]

Some people don't want a cage ;) This keeps it on the outside of the car and doesn't hurt ground clearance either. I find it funny that these braces DO help. Even though the crossmember is like 2 feet behind the power brace and the ladder bar goes about 2 feet behind that. Go figure.

[JDMs13]

FLYBERT....I thought I was the only one who ever conjured up boxing the LCA's. You must have tapped in to my brain waves and stole my idea.

[HyperTek]

+1 Home Depot SPL
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v72/streetphase/100_0462.jpg
yah this chit works.. these have survived a curb.. nuff said

[kandyflip445]

^^^BRILLIANT!!!

[Flybert]

FLYBERT....I thought I was the only one who ever conjured up boxing the LCA's. You must have tapped in to my brain waves and stole my idea.

I haven't boxed in the LCA's just yet but I plan to. Those pics are of boxed in tension brackets. Hopefully I'll get some more pics of all the other one-off stuff I made for my car since then. Having a welder for a father kicks so much ass.

[holisticbeatz]

FLYBERT....I thought I was the only one who ever conjured up boxing the LCA's. You must have tapped in to my brain waves and stole my idea.

:jerkit:

I got this awesome idea. Check it out.. I make a bar that attaches both strut towers together across the engine bay. I'll call it, a strut bar.

:bash:

Its been done already by westboroughpimp:

S14 LCA Mod: http://www.zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=79637

[krustindumm]

Boxing the LCA's is good and bad. They don't flex, and they are more durable, but they are more durable too.

[d r i f t swift]

wait so they are more durable? and yet more durable also? or did i miss something?

[publicenemy137]

what you did is similar to the kazama front lower support bar. They aren't that expensive either, around $100. Going to put my front lower bar up once my SPL tension rods v2 come in

[nlzmo400r]

seems like itd sit too close to the ground for me

[infinitexsound]

another thing to add. and i found on the weld japan website....

http://www.weld-jp.com/mboh_jzx90%20(15).JPG


done to a JZX90.....

[krustindumm]

wait so they are more durable? and yet more durable also? or did i miss something?


it is easier to replace an LCA than a subframe.

[HyperTek]

regarding the subframe... id rather bust the subframe instead of busting/tweaking out my frame... already swapped 1 subframe..