Front strut brace questions

[gruizer]

So I picked up a front strut brace at the rainy swap a couple of weeks ago. I mounted it and noticed a couple things.
 

1. it does feel stiffer, just pulling out the driveway I can feel the difference in body roll (or lack there of). Does being stiffer up front create any unintended consequences on the rest of the car?  Do other suspension parts wear faster?

 

2. I’m noticing that my hood has a good shake when the engine is running, I hope the hood is clearing the brace.  have you guys run into to a rubbing issue with the style of brace I’m running?

Edited May 18 by gruizer
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[Son of Marty]

Put some grease on the high point of the brace then shut and lock the hood down, open and see if the grease has transferred to the hood. Yes it makes the front of the car stiffer I've never noticed unusual wear of the suspension.

[popovm]

You can also use Playdoh or a loosely wadded up ball of foil. Set it on the high point of the strut brace and close the hood and latch it. It’ll compress and tell you how much of a gap you have. I did it for my Weber air cleaner to verify clearance. 

[gruizer]

Thank you both for your responses. You inspired me to grab some earplugs and put them at the high point of the bar. I was able to see that I’m just clearing the hood by about 1/2 an inch
 

thanks again!

[popovm]

19 minutes ago, gruizer said:

Thank you both for your responses. You inspired me to grab some earplugs and put them at the high point of the bar. I was able to see that I’m just clearing the hood by about 1/2 an inch
 

thanks again!

Earplugs are a great idea! I have a huge box of them. I’ll have to use those next time I need to do this. 

[visionaut]

So it’s not the bar hitting the hood…

 

From your photo it looks like your bar fits snug up against your air cleaner? If so, it’s possible the running engine movement causes the hood shake via the bar transmitting that motion back into the fender tops and/or cowl? (Loose hood retention tension could exacerbate it.)

[visionaut]

Thinking more - I’d suggest instead of the bar’s center high point that you put your earplugs outward on the bar directly under the two longitudinal hood supports. If the hood hits a rearward-mounted straight bar, it’ll likely touch there…

 

[jimk]

Strut bearing rubber looks quite high,  like they are due for replacing.  The car's weight stretches the mount over time. 

[TobyB]

1. you've got better feels than I do.

 

2.  prolly not.

 

t

 

[gruizer]

5 hours ago, jimk said:

Strut bearing rubber looks quite high,  like they are due for replacing.  The car's weight stretches the mount over time. 

Totally agree, coil overs are in my near future 

Edited May 19 by gruizer

[SydneyTii]

I’ve read and heard people say it does stiffen the front, mines sitting in the shed so no idea, I think it may save some of the cracking and buckling in the joint of the inner front nose panel to the inner fenders, but someone who’s had this issue may be able to comment, I’m going to fit mine when I get a chance just to get some real data, these cars are all a little bit different so ymmv😉

[NickVyse]

Rattling bonnet might be poor adjustment, missing wheels on the end of the bar, or both. Can you physically move it up and and down when locked shut?

 

I thought I could feel a difference when I installed a strut brace on my touring, but the mind is a powerful trickster when you want something to be better (and it's shiny/looks cool).

Edited May 19 by NickVyse

[ray_]

I don't have any answers for you, but I'm glad to see that your battery is belted in!

 

['76mintgrün'02]

12 hours ago, visionaut said:

From your photo it looks like your bar fits snug up against your air cleaner?

 

There is not enough clearance between the bar and filter top to allow for engine movement.  I wonder if the rectangular filter would fit better.  I just measured one and they're 4-1/2" x 6-3/4".  (They come in two heights.  You might as well order the taller one).

 

I tried to measure side to side movement when I removed the strut brace I'd installed, but I did not see any.  That's not to say it only flexes in that direction though.

 

(that line you see was me being clumsy during setup) 

 

 

Then I cut the bamboo and put a piece of spring between them to let them move.  

and two pencils to the arms and went for a little drive to check for movement.

 

 

The pencil tips stayed put, indicating zero side to side flex at the strut tops.

 

I removed my brace in favor of a stock air cleaner, which draws cool air in through the snorkel.  It also dampens the sound of the air being sucked into the carburetor, which was a bigger improvement than anticipated.

 

Here's a five page strut brace (and anti-sway bar) thread (where I shared my test results).

 

The ST bars made a big difference on my car (but then, my original bars were stuck to the rubber mounts and unable to pivot).

 

Tom