Strut Tower Brace experience?

[chaseincats]

Has anyone installed the front and rear strut tower brace bars (not sway bars)?  I'm curious if this really changes much besides aesthetics. 

[heyitsrama]

There is supposed to be a lot of improvements in flex reduction, you just have to get one that triangulates to the firewall as well.

 

[chaseincats]

Gotcha - I'm mostly looking for the rear one on the condition that it keeps the cabin flex to a minimum so my damn interior panels stop clicking.  I tried putting tape and what not on the inside (definitely helped) but I was hoping/curious if a rear bar would put an end to that.

Any idea if it would?

[jfa.series1]

11 minutes ago, chaseincats said:

Gotcha - I'm mostly looking for the rear one on the condition that it keeps the cabin flex to a minimum so my damn interior panels stop clicking.  I tried putting tape and what not on the inside (definitely helped) but I was hoping/curious if a rear bar would put an end to that.

Any idea if it would?

I have them front and rear, mostly for aesthetics since I don't track.  The rear one did not stop the panel squeaks.  I think that's why Nissan installed thin foam on all the edges.

[chaseincats]

Gotcha, thanks - I'll put the bar on hold then

[dutchzcarguy]

For the 280zx drivers..  i had a 280zx 2+2 and they break a lot of windscreens.. due to flex.. (especially the T-bar chassis ones)  and i made a triangular one in the front that also meets the firewall (near the lock) and it helps a lot! 

[grannyknot]

16 hours ago, chaseincats said:

Gotcha - I'm mostly looking for the rear one on the condition that it keeps the cabin flex to a minimum so my damn interior panels stop clicking.  I tried putting tape and what not on the inside (definitely helped) but I was hoping/curious if a rear bar would put an end to that.

Any idea if it would?

I put in triangulated braces front and back and they do make a noticeable difference when pushing the car and the rear helps a bit for squeaks but what eliminated the squeaks for good was stitch welding all the seams in the car. That noise drove me crazy too, I didn't stitch weld the seams for that reason but it was a pleasant surprise when the car was all put back together.

[heyitsrama]

5 hours ago, grannyknot said:

I put in triangulated braces front and back and they do make a noticeable difference when pushing the car and the rear helps a bit for squeaks but what eliminated the squeaks for good was stitch welding all the seams in the car. That noise drove me crazy too, I didn't stitch weld the seams for that reason but it was a pleasant surprise when the car was all put back together.

Not to thread hijack, but @grannyknot do you have pictures of your setup? I was working on it last night, I just wanted to see how the bars form around the strut brace. What’s the diameter of the tube used? 
 

I think I made the brace a bit wide at the firewall compared to the TEP mount. 

[Powerglide1956]

Remove all the rear panels.    Clean them real well. Spray the back sides liberally with rubberized undercoating.  Hit the contact points on the metal structure the plastic adheres to. The squeaks will become inaudible. 

Edited April 14, 2020 by Powerglide1956

[grannyknot]

5 hours ago, heyitsrama said:

Not to thread hijack, but @grannyknot do you have pictures of your setup? I was working on it last night, I just wanted to see how the bars form around the strut brace. What’s the diameter of the tube used? 
 

 

Here you go,  I don't care for round tube so much so this rectangle tube worked for me.

 

[gnosez]

Here's the one we have used for several years on the race car. This winter we expanded our bracing but will include the tower-to-tower piece.

[Jeff G 78]

15 hours ago, grannyknot said:

 

Here you go,  I don't care for round tube so much so this rectangle tube worked for me.

Nice looking parts.  How did you tie the front brace into the cowl?