Shock tower brace?

[MaineShark]

I was flipping through Eckler's, and noticed that they sell a brace for the front shock towers.

Anyone using this?

It's not a huge investment ($70), so might it be good insurance against damage to the 25-year-old shock towers, that are sure to have some metal fatigue? Or is it possible that it might simply cause something else to fail, instead, and possibly sooner? (I've heard of situations where stiffening one part ends up failing another, since there is no longer flex in the first)

Joe

 

[69autoXr]

I have a spreader bar on my autocross Corvette. It really helps stiffen up the front end, and hasn't caused any other failures since I've had it in place (about 3 years). If you only drive your car on the street, I don't really think you'd need it.

 

[MaineShark]

Thanks. I'm curious: where did yours bolt to? I can see several different configurations that a mounting plate could take.

Joe

 

[mapman]

Do you plan to road race the car? If not, the presence or absence of the brace probably wouldn't be noticed in normal driving.

Looks cool though!. Just be sure you don't have interference with the engine, etc.

 

[MaineShark]

I'm not really planning on racing, but I'm on a quest to "restore" the car. That is, to give it the performance and handling that it should have had, in my opinion

Looks cool though!. Just be sure you don't have interference with the engine, etc.

That is part of it, I must admit. Like the chrome air cleaner. It's not like it adds any function to the car, but it looks great.

I shouldn't have any interference, since I yanked my mechanical fan.

Joe

 

[69autoXr]

The kit comes with two plates that bolt to the upper control arm pivots, using the bolts that hold the camber shims. You then line up the tabs on the plates and mark their location and weld them in place. There is also a pre-welded kit available, and since you don't have an engine-driven fan this might be best for you.

 

[MaineShark]

Thanks. I probably would be going with the pre-welded kit, for that very reason.

Another thought: is there any effect on camber, when installing one of these? When you tighten it, does it move the shock tower enough to change the camber? Obviously, it won't move it much, but would it be a good idea to set a tiny bit of extra negative camber, which will get erased when the brace is tightened? Or is the change too small to matter?

Joe