Strut bar????

[guy_geo]

I heard bad stories about some Zs having stiff suspension and crack body and sheetmetal torn...

Is it true?

I know the car I want to buy was equipped before with a strut bar in front, but this one was removed by the previous onwer..

Would it be a good idea to put it back again?

How bad can be a stiff suspension on on a non rusted car like mine?

[kmack]

I've heard that a 1" sway bar up front can eventually lead to metal fatigue of the frame rails and cause cracking. Suggested fix was to weld on a plate underneath the bar mounts to help overcome the fatigue and strengthen the area.

[2ManyZs]

I've never had any problem with a strut bar on mine. Most strut bars use 2 of the mounting bolts for the strut for their mounting plate so you shouldn't run into any problems. The tops of the strut towers seldom rust and they are double plated, it's the bottom of the strut tower above the frame rail that usually rusts through so as long as that is OK you should be fine. Any uni-body car will crack if it is abused or is not in the best of shape to begin with. A strut bar will reduce the flexing of the upper strut towers, if it in questionable shape down lower near the frame rails it will soon become very obvious even without using a strut tower brace.

[guy_geo]

Ok, but if the frame rails are cracked, how can you diagnose tihs???

[jcdozier]

Perhaps someone else knows a high-tech and/or easy way to check for cracks, but I used the old-fashioned Mark-I eyeball on my 240-Z. Put it up on jack stands, crawled underneath and started cleaning/inspecting.

One of my sons and I did a "running-gear re-furbish" last summer. We pulled darned-near everything out from under the Z, cleaned everything up, replaced all the old rubber bushings with polyurethane, swapped out the 30-year-old springs (Suspension Techniques), replaced strut inserts (Tokiko), etc. and painted everything that didn't breathe. With everything out but the engine and transmission, I was able to inspect the underside pretty well.

I know there has to be a better way than the Mark-I eyball method. Thanks for asking the question - I'm looking forward to the answers from the pros.

[2ManyZs]

Pro's??? You did exactly what I would have done.

guy geo,

If your car hasn't been raced hard or wrecked it seems unlikely you would have to worry about any cracks. Rust, yes, but most Z's don't start having any problems unless they have been raced or been hit hard in an accident. It isn't so much cracks you are looking for but spot welds that have separated (although you may find cracks around a spot weld). Seams that have too much open space in them, due to weld separations from rust or misuse.

Get under the car, check all the seams for straightness, gaps and so on. Check around the t/c rod mount too, and around the sway bar mounting holes. I would be more concerned about rust deterioration than anything else, the frame rails trap moisture and rust away from the inside out. The moisture collects when it seeps between the weld joints and starts decaying the inner flange of the frame rail and it doesn't stop. Take a small hammer and tap along the frame rail sides and underneath. Does it sound "tinny" or does it sound like you are tapping on a thick piece of metal? The frame rails are quite a bit thicker than the inner fender panels, so if it sounds like you are tapping on the inner fender you may have rust inside. Of course to do a good visual check it always helps to have the paint stripped off if you choose that route.

[guy_geo]

Ok, good tips! If only the damn winter can finish....

[gschne]

Question to 2manyZs, What brand of strut bar do you have? I purchased a bar years ago from Motorsports but it doesn't fit. The tops of the strut tower bracket hits the hood when closing.

Anybody else have a recommendation for getting the proper fitting bar?

[2ManyZs]

I had the same problem with the strut bar I got from Motorsport. Mine is the one with the half moon mount that mounts to two studs on the strut. I just dimpled the hood a little for clearance since it was on my ITS car, I figured if I raced it long enough it would probably get more damage than that anyway. That is the only one I have on a car so I don't know if there are any others that fit any better. I also had a problem with it not having enough clearance over the valve cover and had to put a slight bend in it to clear the cover.

I believe Motorsport sells a different one now with a circular mount that mounts to all three of the strut studs, so if anyone has one of the newer style maybe they can let us know how it fits.

Anyone else have the newer style???