TEP rear tower brace - how is it fastened to the towers?

[ckeen74]

Hi all,

My car has a rear TEP brace installed by a previous owner. I had the mistaken impression you had to remove the brace to pull the battery , so I undid the one bolt that holds the ground wire. In the meantime, I figured out how to wiggle the battery out, and now I can't get that fastening bolt to tighten again.

My question is, how are these fastened to the tower? Is there just a nut on the other side next to the top of the shock? And if that is the case, how would you get up in there to fasten it back down? Are the shocks easy to pull?

Sorry if this is simple, I'm still a newbie to 02s - had mine since April and it's been so reliable I've just been enjoying driving it.

Thanks,

Chris

'72 tii

SF, CA

[Koblenz]

I don't really know. I assumed it was a bolt through. Someone will reply. Or call TEP. Good luck

[eurotrash]

Drill.

-make sure to treat the holes you make to prevent rust. I daubed a bit of paint on the bare metal edges, and then put clear silicone on the inside of the shock tower, around and under the nut and bolt.

[ckeen74]

Just to clarify, the brace is already installed - I know there's a bolt on the outside of the shock tower, just trying to figure out if there's a nut on the other side that will spin loosely until I get a wrench in there. And if that's the case, what's the easiest way to access that area?

Thanks.

[nbcbird]

If you find a bolt in the interior, then you should find a nut/washer on the other side. It is actually a lot easier to fasten than imagined--a closed-end wrench should reach it. When I installed mine I put the bolt thru the exterior side (with the nut on the trunk side). You could also use a star washer to keep one side from rotating while tightening. Be sure to treat this area to avoid rust. BTW I can fit my battery in by just removing the tie-down bar--select a battery that fits thru the rectangular opening.

[jimk]

Take a wheel off and look.

[Kidasters]

They bolt in.

If you un-did it, there is probably a nut on the ground somewhere.

When I installed mine, I couldn't drill holes in my shock towers though, so it's held in place by friction and tie-wraps.

Ken

[ckeen74]

Great, thanks for the tips - I'm going to jack up the car tonight and undo the top nuts on the shock to reach in there and re-tighten the nut. Cross your fingers that all goes well, however minor it's my first fix on this car.

Chris

[allbim]

Leave the brace out and improve the performance of your car. The brace does nothing but add weight.

The towers are shock towers, not strut towers. There is no side-load.

Figure out a different way to mount the battery.

[M3M3M3]

Take a wheel off and look.

this.

do not unbolt the shock, just take the dang wheel off and look.

[ckeen74]

Well that was easy. Not sure why folks are advising me to take the wheel off, I just jacked the car up and reached up into the shock tower, got a wrench on the nut and tighten the bolt up from inside the trunk.

Most of my experience is with Alfas and Lancias, where everything is elegantly complicated... so I was expecting something worse.

The merits of the brace are another question, but for now it's holding my battery and I'd rather focus on getting some more elemental things, like a working heater and new tie rod ends.