DIY Custom Strong Strut rear 'bar...need dimensions

[Moose]

I need the dimensions of a 318 ti Strong Strut rear bar. Were' going to be (attempting) fabbing up one of these this week at my freinds custom muffler shop.

He has a ton of cold rolled' steel, exotic aluminum, stainless, alloy stock etc + the buff hydraulic machines, drills and jigs to pull off a legit version for a fraction of the price. He's got mad skills when it comes to working/welding with metal. I've seen the Strong Strut rear bar pics on their website but just need the exact measurements.

I think we could probably make 8 of these (including hardware) for the same price as the original minus the powdercoating and hopefully they won't looked hacked and homemade

[Moose]

Anyone?

[mohaughn]

I don't think anybody on here has one... It shouldn't be to hard to measure it out though if you can get the car up on a lift...

[aceyx]

I don't get why you're trying to make it if it's going to cost the same.

[thesk8nmidget]

I don't get why you're trying to make it if it's going to cost the same.

he said cost will be an 1/8th of the strong one

[aceyx]

Ah, okay. That reads a little weird.

[L84THSKY]

Here's a picture

http://www.strong-strut.com/Butt-Strut.htm

Anyone?

[Moose]

^yeah we have that pic...no dimensions listed on the website of course. It would be nice to have them but we'll probably just figure it out as we go. It's a 1/2" thick piece of cold rolled metal with a couple bends, some holes and washers:wink:. Shouldn't be too hard.

I've read good things over on Z3 sites about them and how it tightens up the rear....the one thing I've noticed is that the rear on the 'ti is damn loose. The struts don't seem to be doing there job to the fullest ie body flex.

I was originally thinking I neededd an upper bar. Now I'm thinking it needs an X brace that triangulates the rear. I had something like that on my STi and really stiffened the helll outta' the rear on that car. Of course they cost about as much as a left nut too lol. Not sure I want to go that far a I would lose alot of trunk space. Maybe a quick release set up for track and single guys hehe

[Marv17]

hmm. never seen or read about that kind of strut before. how much better is that than the rear strut bar that goes in the trunk?
to me it resembles a x-brace.

[zboot]

hmm. never seen or read about that kind of strut before. how much better is that than the rear strut bar that goes in the trunk?
to me it resembles a x-brace.

It doesn't impede my valuable cargo room.

[Bluebimma]

Go check out the ful body brace offered for the z3 guys. Its from the front to the rear and i guess does a great job but it also lowers your ground clearance somewhere around an inch.

[zboot]

If you guys are getting them down to ~$40/each I'd be willing to buy one. Keep this thread updated on your progress.

[thesk8nmidget]

seems like this with the added strength of the inside one would be quite the addition!

[aceyx]

hmm. never seen or read about that kind of strut before. how much better is that than the rear strut bar that goes in the trunk?
to me it resembles a x-brace.
Rear strut tower bars don't really do much in the ti, mostly due to the type of suspension and the proximity of the rear part of the frame to the towers.

Basically a semi trailing-arm setup doesn't introduce a lot of lateral flex to the towers; it comes from the wheel to the hub, goes through the arm and then to the subframe (a known weak point in higher power setups).

The x-brace differs in that it ties the control arms to the frame. The Butt-Strut ties the suspension to itself. In conjunction with the rear sway, it creates a solid trapezoid.

[mohaughn]

Yup. A rear strut brace is pretty pointless. They do, very, very little.

The only time they would be helpful would be if you converted the rear suspension to a true coilover suspension. There are some E30 race cars out there that have a true rear coilover, and in those cars the cage usually re-enforces the strut towers and ties it all into the frame, and sub frame...

You can do the strong-strut reinforcement inside of the car much easier, but it ruins the interior...

[30yrMbr]

One of the causes of the loose rear suspension, and attendant oversteer is the trailing arm bushing becoming soft and too compliant. You should look to replace the trailing arm bushing with some new/better design. I put the K-Mac adjustable bushings into my Z3 Coupe, which has the same suspension design as the Ti. Made a huge improvement in the handling, dialed out the alignment movement due to the compliance in the bushings. Plus you can adjust the camber and toe at the rear, which you cannot do on the E30 trailing arm suspension design.

The strong strut will help, but not totally fix the alignment changes due to the trailing arm movement from the soft bushings.

Time to get them checked out and replaced if need be

[newagecustoms]

someone please pm me if these are going to be available, I am going to start slowly building my suspension for track and this sounds like something to get.

[Moose]

Not sure a rear strut brace would do that much. On the other hand it couldn't hurt. I would def' cut back on the cargo space. The weak points you need to dial in on the the ti' are rear trailing arms/ bushings and lower mounts.

I've seen quick release rear strut bars on WRX wagons...sorta' like quick release hubs on a bike. On my STi I had a Cusco rear strut bar with 2 extra bars going at 45 degrees to the trunk floor. Stiff as hell and of course limited my cargo area. That car was pushing 335/345 at the wheels and needed all the support I could add short of seam welding the chassis

However everyone I've talked to and every review I've read love the lower Strong Strut bar for our cars (and Z3's). These f'rs are BEEFY! Right now at 148k and the rear end of my ti' feels soft, flabby and Oprahlike' (eeeeew:eek:). The front tracks but ass end just wobbles

I will also be upgrading my rear sway bar (bigger than the 19 mm H & R that's on there), brakes, wheel bearings, trailing arm bushings, and sub frame bushings, On top of all that my recently arrived Diffsonline 3.15 LSD will be going in too:biggrin:. Total ass end mod fest woot.

Job rating: 3 pizzas, 1 Case of Sierra Ale, 1/4 oz



I won't be making more than one....maybe 2. My freinds shop is pretty busy and it's costing me a ton of beer and pizza to get this done. Cold rolled steel is fairly pricey. If you go to a metal yard pick up a scrap and have it bent at a shop...then fab up the hardware yourself. Cheep:biggrin: Alot better than the 300 bucks Strong Strut wants:confused:

[SDKmann]

1 Case of Sierra Ale

Win.

Thats quite a list of parts you have there to go on, I wish I had those kinds of things waiting for my car!! So why did you go with a diffsoline unit instead of just going with a used LSD?

[Moose]

Win.

Thats quite a list of parts you have there to go on, I wish I had those kinds of things waiting for my car!! So why did you go with a diffsoline unit instead of just going with a used LSD?

I wish. Of course my dream would be a custom Quaife

..actually it is a used dif. I asked Dan a month ago to watch out for a tight low mileage 3.15 LSD/E30 axels for my car. I paid ahead of time. I came home today and bam:cool: there was 2 boxes waiting for me. One with the sweet looking diff and one with the nearly new axels and new hardware. I checked it over and everything looks to be in great shape.

I now have all the parts for the 'Ass End Mod Fest'.

I'll be selling my 19mm H&R rear bar soon if you anyone who wants it

[SDKmann]

I'll be selling my 19mm H&R rear bar soon if you anyone who wants it

How much?

[Moose]

75

[BimmerBum]

Not to crash the party... but anyone consider the dangers of a butt-strut?

It is a great idea but it hangs WAY too low. Catch a manhole cover or go over an apex curb and it will make one hell of a mess.

[thesk8nmidget]

that is a good point!
it may be a good idea to make like a triangle so if it was to hit at all it could help slide it over the bar instead of catch and rip

[BimmerBum]

that is a good point!
it may be a good idea to make like a triangle so if it was to hit at all it could help slide it over the bar instead of catch and rip

The exhaust makes things difficult as it passes under the sub frome cross member. The butt-strut drops down far enough so that the pipe passes between the butt-strut and the sub frame.

[thesk8nmidget]

oh wow. thats no good. my exhaust will rub a little on a certain driveway by my house. i need to fix that thanks for reminding me :)

were slow at work today.

[newagecustoms]

Not sure a rear strut brace would do that much. On the other hand it couldn't hurt. I would def' cut back on the cargo space. The weak points you need to dial in on the the ti' are rear trailing arms/ bushings and lower mounts.

I've seen quick release rear strut bars on WRX wagons...sorta' like quick release hubs on a bike. On my STi I had a Cusco rear strut bar with 2 extra bars going at 45 degrees to the trunk floor. Stiff as hell and of course limited my cargo area. That car was pushing 335/345 at the wheels and needed all the support I could add short of seam welding the chassis

However everyone I've talked to and every review I've read love the lower Strong Strut bar for our cars (and Z3's). These f'rs are BEEFY! Right now at 148k and the rear end of my ti' feels soft, flabby and Oprahlike' (eeeeew:eek:). The front tracks but ass end just wobbles

I will also be upgrading my rear sway bar (bigger than the 19 mm H & R that's on there), brakes, wheel bearings, trailing arm bushings, and sub frame bushings, On top of all that my recently arrived Diffsonline 3.15 LSD will be going in too:biggrin:. Total ass end mod fest woot.

Job rating: 3 pizzas, 1 Case of Sierra Ale, 1/4 oz



I won't be making more than one....maybe 2. My freinds shop is pretty busy and it's costing me a ton of beer and pizza to get this done. Cold rolled steel is fairly pricey. If you go to a metal yard pick up a scrap and have it bent at a shop...then fab up the hardware yourself. Cheep:biggrin: Alot better than the 300 bucks Strong Strut wants:confused:

I understand, would you mind sending me the specs if the one you make comes out good? I have access to all of the equipment needed to make one at my shop, just never thought about it (and I don't have my lift installed yet so measuring tends to be a pain in the ass laying on the ground!)

[Moose]

^will do. I will also be posting pics and dimensions so anyone can whip one out. About the clearance issue...it might take away an inch. Teh exaust goes over it and since I have a stock ride height I should be cool

I might also be looking to pick up some beefier exaust hangers to keep the tail section from bonking the SB' bar. The stock hangers are wimpy and flimsy and really need to go. Doh! damn another part to buy for the ass end mod fest:tongue:

[SDKmann]

I cant wait for your ass end mod fest to start so I can start mine too! :biggrin:

Yeah but if you could write up something on rear strut bar in the Knowledge Base that would be awesome, Im sure more people will want to try this after you get yours done, including me.

[thesk8nmidget]

i need to pull my whole rear sub frame and do some rust prevention/bushing replacement. lots of worn out bushing and rubber pieces back there. it makes for a sloppy rear end.

what are you gonna run for rear sub fram bushing? stock or upgraded.

[aceyx]

I might also be looking to pick up some beefier exaust hangers to keep the tail section from bonking the SB' bar. The stock hangers are wimpy and flimsy and really need to go. Doh! damn another part to buy for the ass end mod fest:tongue:
Wrap them in cloth tape (medical) or zip ties. I'm on the originals, 178k miles.

[mohaughn]

^will do. I will also be posting pics and dimensions so anyone can whip one out. About the clearance issue...it might take away an inch. Teh exaust goes over it and since I have a stock ride height I should be cool

I might also be looking to pick up some beefier exaust hangers to keep the tail section from bonking the SB' bar. The stock hangers are wimpy and flimsy and really need to go. Doh! damn another part to buy for the ass end mod fest:tongue:


People here have recommended mini exhaust hangers, but they wouldn't fit on my car.. I ended up going to autozone and buying some generic black exhaust hangers that they had. Same design as the mini hangers, but with metal re-enforcements inside of them. I still had to cut my rear valance to make some clearance for it. The stock BMW hangers suck.

[Moose]

generic ftw...or homemade. There is a bulk rubber warehouse in Reno that sells all kinds of rubber. Thick, thin, sheets, shapes and in every kind of density. I once made some cool mudflaps for my Subaru with some conveyor belt scraps they gave me. The 1/4" sheets of rubber were steel belted and made some bulletproof 'flaps. Another time I made some strut tower gaskets for a set of coilovers with a thin sheet of super dense stuff

I'm hoping they have some 1/2" hard rubber we can fab into some hangers. I definitely don't want to cut into the body work:eek: so they have to be a copy of the stock ones for a good fit