Jump to content
HybridZ

Where Can I get a Strut Bar Like This - Pics Inside


Recommended Posts

I saw this on eBay and just missed it by a mere $2.50 - shawwwks!! It looks really well made and very professional. I emailed the seller but he has not got back to me. Its for the '79-'83 ZX only.

 

Here are the pics:

i-1.JPG

 

i-2.JPG

 

i-3.JPG

 

i-4.JPG

 

If anyone can help - I would greatly appreciate it!

 

Thanks - Yasin[/img]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i think that with the two pivots you would just tie the two strut towers together but they would still be able to flex as a unit. without the pivots you would add a lot more rigidity to the system. they look nice but you need function before form.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

personally i don't think it's a good strut bar because it has2 flex points. the bar really shouldn't have any flex points, otherwise it defeats the purpose of one

 

I'm going to assume your talking about the bends, not the rod ends?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess if your gonna hafta deal with flex, maybe it's good to have the towers flex in unison,:?: but I thought the whole point of strut bars was to add rigidity.

 

In one of my books on building/hotrodding the author of the suspension/chassis section makes a point of saying strut bars should not have any pivot points at all. Otherwise, they do little more than add some weight to the car.

 

I'm no suspension/chassis guru. Just passing on what I have read.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The rod ends are to allow some adjustability for manufacturing tolerances and slight variations in chassis's. Assuming equal section's and materials, a straight rod is significantly stronger than a bent one. A bent one can be as strong as a straight one, but must be much heavier to give the same amount of stiffness. There is no reason to use a bent one unless you need the clearance.

 

John

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree on a straight rod being better and that having adjustable rod ends makes sense, especially on a 30 yr. old + car. What I would avoid is the pivot point at the ends. I would want to adjust inward or outward, but not have the pivot bolt for the rod end to rotate around.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The rod ends keep strut tower deflection from applying any moment (bending force) to the strut rod. That way' date=' the strut rod only see's either a tension or compression load.

 

John[/quote']

 

This is exactly right. The bar should only see tension and compression loads. Any other shear or torque loads would eventually cause the bar to fail. The rod ends accomplish this quite nicely. In fact, I would avoid using any bar that did not have such pivot points.

 

The bends in the middle of the bar are less than ideal - I'm guessing this bar was originally designed to clear an engine or something.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm no chassis guru but I agree, I see nothing wrong with rod ends. It would seem wrong to expect an STB to act as a cage, IMO its there to avoid the strut towers coming together under load, if you want to stiffen up the front further then start welding some bars in there, JMO.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm no chassis guru but I agree, I see nothing wrong with rod ends. It would seem wrong to expect an STB to act as a cage, IMO its there to avoid the strut towers coming together under load, if you want to stiffen up the front further then start welding some bars in there, JMO.

 

I disagree. With rod ends installed in the brace the strut towers will still 'twist' under load. Having the above type installed is better than nothing, but not perfectly ideal.

Tim

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I disagree. With rod ends installed in the brace the strut towers will still 'twist' under load. Having the above type installed is better than nothing' date=' but not perfectly ideal.

Tim[/quote']

 

How exactly could it twist? The ball joint in each rod end is free to rotate in all three axes, within the constraints of the rod end and the mount. With the rod end installed, the only force that can be applied to the bar is in compression or tension, unless the rod end is binding.

 

If the body is flexing so much that the rod end binds, you have much bigger problems than any strut bar can solve.

 

Really, it doesn't make any sense to expect the bar to exert force in any direction other than tension/compression - it has no real strength in the other dimensions. As Mudge said, if you need to stiffen on other axes, you need to put in a bar that is in tension/compression on that axis.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think Timz put it well, this type of rod keeps the strut towers seperated by the same amount. It only works in compression or tension. Take two pencils and put another pencil across the top and you'll see how this type of strut bar works, it keeps the strut tops from opening or closing in relation to each other (side to side), but does nothing for twisting (fore/aft). To prevent twisting you're headed into an additional set of bars running to the frame in frount of (or behind) the strut tower to prevent fore/aft movment plus a set of bars in a trianglular configuration to a hard mounting point to prevent twisting. Again, try the pencil test and you'll see what I mean. Also, keep in mind how the suspension works, in the rear most of the flexing you see will be helped by this type of bar, and trangulation would be even better. In the frount the best way is a triangular setup to the firewall.

 

- Joe

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I disagree. With rod ends installed in the brace the strut towers will still 'twist' under load. Having the above type installed is better than nothing, but not perfectly ideal.

 

I think thats the job of a cage through the firewall and tying into the crossmember, I dont believe a strut tower brace should even think of doing such a job. Stress points like that on such a small surface area just dont seem right, we are supposed to tie the entire front end down with 3 studs on a peice of rubber sandwiched between THIN sheet metal?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I disagree. With rod ends installed in the brace the strut towers will still 'twist' under load. Having the above type installed is better than nothing' date=' but not perfectly ideal.

Tim[/quote']

 

How exactly could it twist? The ball joint in each rod end is free to rotate in all three axes, within the constraints of the rod end and the mount. With the rod end installed, the only force that can be applied to the bar is in compression or tension, unless the rod end is binding.

 

 

To be fair I did just notice that I misread Tim240z's statement - I thought he was saying that the strut bar would twist. I see now that he was saying that the strut bar could not stop the strut towers from twisting because of the rod ends (I think?) My bad.

 

I still stand by the rest of what I said, though - the strut bar should not try to keep the towers from twisting - it couldn't do an effective job of this if it was solid, anyway. As I said, it has no strength in this direction.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

that bar can handle the force from the towers and will not flex, it served as it's purposed. even in extreme conditions, the force from the two towers are not that big. the two bending points on the bar are in very small angle, which makes not much difference. do a little trig calculation and you'll find out the percentage.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...