Quick Question, which I'm sure will pose no problem.

Got given a strut brace the other day. Guy who had it prepares and rallies Felicias, and before that Favorits and Estelles, (you may have seen my pics of his yard on the facebook site), so I think he knows what he's talking about. I laid it across the engine bay last night to see if it would fit past the filters and under the bonnet etc. I discovered that while the holes fit the strut bolts perfectly on both sides, it's too long (wide, whatever) to fit both sides at once. It's not much, maybe 1cm, but it's obviously annoying.

I could alter the holes a little, but I'd rather not, so my question is, once I've loosened the nuts at the top of each strut, is there any play in them? Will the bolts be able to move 5mm closer to each other? Is my car just a little squished from years of use?

 

Sorry if I'm not explaining myself coherently!

 

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Jonny

I could alter the holes a little, but I'd rather not, so my question is, once I've loosened the nuts at the top of each strut, is there any play in them?

No.

Will the bolts be able to move 5mm closer to each other?

No.

Is my car just a little squished from years of use?

No, unless it was involved in a major accident.

 

We don't need to guess. Start by measuring the distance between the holes of the strut. A and B.

 

Hi there,

I'm assuming you've got a Felicia brace to go in a Favorit? The studs on a Felicia certainly can't move. The holes are pretty neat. The bar, I , might not go on without nice even placement. Also, obviously, make sure you're putting it on the right way around.

Sorry if this isn't much help. Can't really say much more without seeing it.

Thanks Ricardo, much appreciated.

 

I will measure it, and try it the other way round. I can take picture too, but it might have to wait until morning!

 

Jon

Hi there,

I'm assuming you've got a Felicia brace to go in a Favorit? The studs on a Felicia certainly can't move. The holes are pretty neat. The bar, I , might not go on without nice even placement. Also, obviously, make sure you're putting it on the right way around.

Sorry if this isn't much help. Can't really say much more without seeing it.

 

Thanks Rich, I have no idea what I have. The guy knows my car, and gave me the brace. It looks like a felicia brace, but I thought they were probably similar enough.

http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t458/jonathansimmance/strut%20brace_zpsq9ath65i.jpg

 

There it is.

 

Jon

Edited 2 February, 201610 yr by JonnyHS

If the strut fits perfectly on either side and on the other side the holes are equally offset by 1 cm, then you have the wrong strut for your car. Ask Mr. knows-everything-about-your-car what has he given to you.

I have just measured it. You are (of course) spot on...

 

A-A and B-B is 105.5cm. That's to the inner most edge of the hole. It's just over 106cm to the centres of the holes.

 

I also measure the distance between strut bolts. 104.5 cm. Problem solved.

 

When I said "he knows my car" I meant he knows which model I have. It was my assumption that he knew what he was doing!

 

Would it be crazy to enlargen the holes by 5mm each in the right direction?

Would it be crazy to enlargen the holes by 5mm each in the right direction?

The whole idea of a strut brace is to provide extra stiffness between the strut towers. During cornering or passing over uneven terrain, the chassis flexes. This means that the distance between strut bolts will get larger and shorter with respect to the stationary position of the strut towers. That being said, enlarging the holes is not a good idea because the two nuts on each strut tower would not be able to hold the strut brace in place against side to side movement.

 

I think your strut brace is made of steel so I find more easy to cut 1 cm from the strut brace right in the middle then to weld it back. A good welding, some grinding and new matte black paint will make it look like new. Don't worry about losing the rigidity of the bar. Rectangular steel profile is stronger than those two puny M8 bolts that hold the brace on each side.

Sounds like it's too late for a strut brace lol.. it should fit straight on so you have had some movement somewhere unless the brace has been lengthened somehow. I would start by checking the front camber (I use a plumb line) and seeing if there is any difference between each side. Then probly a scissor jack and block of wood between the strut tops until it's right.

Lol...

Maybe it's just a little bit saggy!

Felicia16v I will check camber this evening. Ricardo if indeed I have to start cutting and welding it is probably more trouble than it's worth.

Appreciate your responses. Thanks all.

Is it expensive to check the geometry of the wheels in a garage that has the laser equipment?

 

On the other hand, let's be honest, strut bars on stock Favorit and Felicia are not doing anything measurable. As I've already said, there are lots of strut bar models, made of steel, aluminium, having al kind of odd shapes at each end, all kind of profile sections, YET the bar being fixed by two flimsy M8 bolts on each side... If the strut bar is weak, the mounting holes will deform and the bar will bend like a spring. If the strut bar is strong, the bolts will eventually snap. Both scenarios are bad. Strut bars sell well because they look good in the engine bay especially if they match the colour of the floor carpets or the LED bars under the car . The cosmetic effect is doubled by the peace of mind of the driver that suddenly 'feels' an improvement in direct proportion with the price they paid and the quantity of shiny logos on the bar. Yeah...

Lol...

Maybe it's just a little bit saggy!

Felicia16v I will check camber this evening. Ricardo if indeed I have to start cutting and welding it is probably more trouble than it's worth.

Appreciate your responses. Thanks all.

Well that's a pain. The cutting and welding wouldn't be too much work. I'm sure you're friend that supplied it would be able to do it in no time. Or get you one that will fit. The pic of your bar looks right but as Ricardo says, it should go straight on.

It's all possible. I had just hoped it would fit straight on. Nothing is ever simple.

Not to be defeated, I will get the camber checked out, and revisit my man up the road. I will post again when I make progress.

Thanks.

Ok. It's on. Fits fine. Was advised to lift the car, so when the nuts were off the strut top bolts there was enough movement to get it on.

 

Sorry if this was obvious, my first research online had suggested that the job should be done with the car on level ground, not jacked up...

 

I have, of course, messed up, and overtightened one of the nuts. Now I can't get the spanner over it properly to loosen it. Never learn anything the easy way, naturally.

 

Thanks again for all your input.

 

Jon

Does the car bend like a shoebox without a cover? I wonder what will happen to camber angle...

Guess we'll find out. Will be down the mechanics soon to check.

Yeah that's a bit suspect. Mine went straight on while the car was on the ground.

Hopefully your alignment check won't reveal anything untoward.