will cutting on the strut tower be a bad idea?

[Guest ON3GO]

Ran into a problem.

right now i havent done anything so i thought i should ask before i start doing something ill kick myself for.

 

As of right now my turbo wont fit, the way it located as of now it will hit my strut tower by alot.

i was gonna cut out a big hole in the strut tower, so i could mount the turbo, and run that one intercooler pipe off the turbo inside the wheel well, and then out towards the front some how.

 

theres no way i can just bash the fender well/ strut tower in with a hammer for a vanity inch.. i need like 3 or so inchs.

 

if i cant do the intercooler piping the way i said i can always re-clock the turbo so thats not a big deal, but this strut tower needs to be cut.

 

the hole will be about 3 inchs away from where the strut/camber plate is, it will be like 4x4 inchs if not maybe abit bigger.

 

any ideas? will this be to bad with flex in the body? if so but i still have to cut it can i brace it some how?

 

sorry no pics yet.

 

mike

[JMortensen]

Mike that sounds like a bad idea. Really bad idea. Only thing that comes to mind that would make that OK is a roll cage with attachments to the strut tower through the firewall. I don't know that even something like the PDK stut tower brace would be strong enough to hold that tower in place with that big a chunk missing. I'll be interested to see what others have to say though.

[Guest ON3GO]

best way i can discribe it is.... it would be a BIG hole saw cut in the middle of the strut tower.

 

the car will be getting a roll cage like you discribe but that wont be for awhile.

i dont have the cash Matt at Mazworx will charge and i really want him to do it.... or Johnc..

 

mike

[veritech-z]

what if you made a patch panel and welded it back in to close the hole up, like the way the chopper guys do when they cut off the sides of their gas tanks and weld them back in on opposite sides to create a dish? Would that restore enough rigidity to keep it from collapsing?

[Guest ON3GO]

the dish panel might hit the coilover then...

 

mike

[OlderThanMe]

You may want to try something else. Unless you are running a tubular front end I would not reccomend it. Maybe if you made a big hoo out of tubular steel like 4x4 guys use except mount it on the inside of the fender for support.

[Guest ON3GO]

i gotta do this, only way i can mount the turbo. unless i move the turbo even more forward where the coil is..

 

hmm..

 

mike

[Sparky]

...I would avoid doing this but I may have a possible solution..

 

first off though you mentioned you could move it forward but its close to the coil? why not just move the coil? its certainly less destructive than cutting into the chassis..

 

but anyway...If there really is NO and I mean NO other choice you could cut the strut tower and fab up two large triangular braces that are welded onto the strut tower and the back to the inner fender (im assuming this is a Z car?) (pictures would certainly help) place one above the cut, and one below it.

 

that the first thing that pops into me head, any chassis experts agree?

[Guest ON3GO]

i said by the coil because everybody knows where that spot is..

i dont even have my coil there but if i move it there its REAL close to my intercooler piping and my TPS and etc.. i dunno if that will work.

 

mike

[OlderThanMe]

the classiczcars one you could do. It looks like supports on the drivers side strut. I don't know about the other one...maybe a little extreme

You could put a downbar from the strut tower top.

[Nismo280zEd]

mike.. weld up an angled flange on the tubo inlet from the header to rock the turbo away from the strut tower... that should give ya enough clearance.

-Ed

[Guest ON3GO]

mike.. weld up an angled flange on the tubo inlet from the header to rock the turbo away from the strut tower... that should give ya enough clearance.

-Ed

will hit the intake manifold then...

there isnt any space to do something like that, already thought of that.

the way it sits right now ill prob have to cut my hood to fit the turbo...

i dunno how ill make all this work and still make it look nice.

 

mike

[buZy]

Ok this might be a dumb idea. If space is a problem could one mount the turbo inside the car in an insulated box of some sort and run the piping through the firewall? Just thinking outside the norm. Nevermind I am crazy for even thinking it might be possible.

Brian

[Nismo280zEd]

Mike, Is there any room to shorten the exahust manifold? Are you using the stock cast iron piece or a tubed one? Maybe you could shorten it like an inch and angle it forward, like toward the radiator, that might wedge it just enough infront of the strut tower? YOu have some pics maybe i could help more then?

-Ed

[Guest ON3GO]

yep i have a pic, its on the old owners engine though.

some of you guys will remember this manifold.

 

 

heres what im changing... as of right now it wont work.

 

wastegate pipe will be cut off and angled down to fit the tial wastegate i have.

turbo flange will be cut off and a 2.5inch or maybe 3in (not sure yet on that) pipe will be brought foward towards the radiator area.

it will then go slight up and will weld in my T4 flange.

the turbo will sit high up and either in the area where everybody has there coil or maybe a tad further back.

the downpipe will be heat wrapped and will be brought over the piping that the turbo is mounted on and then down where the old flange use to be.

i just hope theres enough space for a 4in downpipe..... i know a 3in will fit fine but 4in will be tricky.

 

im also building a custom intake manifold that will slightly angle up some, will give it even more room but i know a stock intake manifold will work with my idea, i just dont know if i can fit this big turbo without alot of cutting to the fender wells and etc.

 

mike

[dr_hunt]

Oh, go ahead and cut the strut tower, we need to see if it will work, then we'll know for sure. I vote cut it and then fab the cage.

[Guest ON3GO]

Oh, go ahead and cut the strut tower, we need to see if it will work, then we'll know for sure. I vote cut it and then fab the cage.

ill need to drive the car around, and i wont have the money for a cage like that for sometime... piff along time.

i dont want to make matters worse then they are if i just cut it and drive it till i can get the cage.

[Owen]

Looks like you'll have to make use of bits and pieces of all the suggestions here. I like Sparky's idea of triangulating. Maybe weld on some re-inforcing around the hole, like those donut stickers you use when your paper in your three ring binders tear out.

 

Still, I would look into shortening the ex mani and pushing the turbo forward or backward of the strut tower.

[olie05]

how about something like these gussets?

[Guest ON3GO]

that might help and work, just would have to be abit more low profile, the turbo might hit it and or the piping...

 

thanks olie