Today's project....

SATURN5

Dr. Frankenstang
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Building a rear upper shock mount brace....

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clean install.
keeps the shock towers from moving. its just more bracing to keep the car from flexing.
 
Looks great. I have wanted to make one for a while, but never got around to doing it. Nice job.
 
And what does this item cost, Bob?

You're always cooking up something neat for these cars, I like it!
 
Nice work but those angle irons are gonna flex without angle braces...but what do i know im just a fabrication specialist
 
How is that suppose to keep the shock towers from flexing?
I suppose it would work like a panhard rod.





Ren
 
any little bit helps. i would have used 1/4 inch steel and made a round flange to bolt to the shock bolts and then welded a mitered pipe to the flange, but like i said any little bit helps. looks good.
 
Nice work but those angle irons are gonna flex without angle braces...but what do i know im just a fabrication specialist

Maybe if the square stock was located higher on the angle irons and wasn't welded as well, I could see that happening, but since he's got the square stock down low, and welded good (And I know Bob, its not gonna budge)

Its easier to push over a post at the top, instead of down where it is sank in the ground, right? :)
 
How is that suppose to keep the shock towers from flexing?
I suppose it would work like a panhard rod.





Ren

The same way any and all rear(or front monte carlo brace) shock tower braces work.Think of TOWER as what the word says "tall" flexable unit. Now if you tie 2 towers together they now push on each other. The towers are not twisting they push in only. Its not something that the car will fall apart if not there just a nice add on.
 
Maybe if the square stock was located higher on the angle irons and wasn't welded as well, I could see that happening, but since he's got the square stock down low, and welded good (And I know Bob, its not gonna budge)

Its easier to push over a post at the top, instead of down where it is sank in the ground, right? :)

Well, lowest point is best but not like the mark is gonna flex anyway...the shocks are dead vertical with no angles to them to push the quarter frame inwards like most cars
 
Well, lowest point is best but not like the mark is gonna flex anyway...the shocks are dead vertical with no angles to them to push the quarter frame inwards like most cars

And they're all (for the most part) overweight and slow cars anyway, lol
 
Nice work but those angle irons are gonna flex without angle braces...but what do i know im just a fabrication specialist


I thought about adding some gussets, and I might later just for grins. But really, the load is transferred across the bottom side of the bar. I don't believe that there is really a lot of load deflection going on anyway.

But what do you know, I do torque fixture (typically over 450Nm targets) fabrication as well as electronic design and repair. :)
 
I was studying those pics of the brace last night Bob, would it be a better design to flip it, and have the bar and angle iron directly between the towers, instead of above? Know what I mean?

Either way.... its got me wanting to make a trip to the hardware store and make one of these!
 
I thought about that, but I didn't have 2" angle iron handy and I didn't want to weld up a bunch of 2" flat stock to do it. Plus, the higher height allows stuff to slide under the bar.
 
really this thing is pretty pointless and jsut for looks. in order for the the shock towers to flex you would have to be having some major malfunction of the inner structure of the car. there really isnt much force coming up threw those shocks. plus most unibodies use a strut brace witch is in fact way more usefull than this as all the waight of the car is transferd threw the strut towers unlike the mark viii because it has the bag or spring in some cases right under the frame rail. so all the forces of the suspension are going up the the framerail not he shock tower.
 
really this thing is pretty pointless and jsut for looks. in order for the the shock towers to flex you would have to be having some major malfunction of the inner structure of the car. there really isnt much force coming up threw those shocks. plus most unibodies use a strut brace witch is in fact way more usefull than this as all the waight of the car is transferd threw the strut towers unlike the mark viii because it has the bag or spring in some cases right under the frame rail. so all the forces of the suspension are going up the the framerail not he shock tower.

A crooked inset licence plate holder is pointless too. Oh snap I went there. :eek::D (just kiddin)
 
really this thing is pretty pointless and jsut for looks. in order for the the shock towers to flex you would have to be having some major malfunction of the inner structure of the car. there really isnt much force coming up threw those shocks. plus most unibodies use a strut brace witch is in fact way more usefull than this as all the waight of the car is transferd threw the strut towers unlike the mark viii because it has the bag or spring in some cases right under the frame rail. so all the forces of the suspension are going up the the framerail not he shock tower.

As much as you are trying to make sense you dont have enough experience with these cars they flex a lot I have taken apart many mn12s that have broken the x brace behind the rear seat
 

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