Strut tower brace

[Guido]

Do any exist that will fit a Mark without drilling holes?

[pro-five-oh]

Sorry Guido, but there is no strut tower brace that doesn't require drilling. This goes for Mustangs, too.

I got a Kenny Brown strut tower brace for about $130 and with my friend's air tools that sucker was drilled and bolted in after 2 hours. It works great (the car feels more like a BMW instead of a shaky Ford) and I would highly recommend it. I know that the BBK strut tower will fit on a Mark, and I am pretty sure the Kenny Brown will too.

I have a BBK brace and it is going onto my 1983 Continental as soon as possible.

[Guido]

Cool, so the brace and frame connectors should make a huge difference. I just HATE drilling holes.
Where do you drill, on the firewall and towers?

[pro-five-oh]

Yeah, I used to be weary of doing stuff to my car...until I saw the advantages of adding subframe connectors (weld) strut tower brace (drill) and a nice stereo (cut, drill, splice, pray)

Yes, you will need to drill 2 holes on each strut tower, and 2-3 holes on the firewall. You might have to drill a hole on the brace for the washer fluid hose. Luckily I didn't.

Some of these braces are for earlier Mustangs (less distance btw the strut towers and firewall) and newer Mustangs (vice versa). You can use a earlier brace on a newer Mustang by using more washers on the firewall...my Cougar used the newer one and I bet the Mark is the same.

Did that make any sense? http://www.lincolnsonline.com/ubb/confused.gif

I talked to a good guy over at Kenny Brown Performance and he got me the right one for my car. If you're interested I'll get his name to ya.

[Guido]

Thanks, I get what you're saying, but what years do you consider earlier? Pre 93?
First I'm going to see what I can find locally - to save in shipping. Any good shop should let me do a trial fit. If that don't work I heard you can get the same effect by welding the hood closed! http://www.lincolnsonline.com/ubb/smile.gif

[Lscman]

The shock towers were moved rearward for more caster during the first Mustang fox era (sometime around '91). I believe it was the same year they enlarged the front wheelwells and changed the plastic inner fenders. These changes are not apparent to the naked eye.

[mdcluth]

Hey LSCMAN! You're a road-racer, do you have tower supports on your LSC? Will they stiffen the ride on a stock LSC? Will it affect ride quality if you prefer the smooth air ride?
Will sub frame connectors do the same thing?

------------------
"Lincoln Moves Me"

[pro-five-oh]

That's a good idea Guido, welding the hood shut will make the hood BOTH a structual member AND improve aerodynamics! http://www.lincolnsonline.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif

I have Kenny Brown super-subs and a strut tower brace and they did stiffen up the ride. But it was in a good way: you could feel the body's rigidness and how it made the suspension work more, rather than flex more. I noticed a difference in less than 20yards of driving...it is that dramatic!!!

I think it was 1991 when Mustangs moved the strut towers...that was when they got the 16" Pony wheels and the bigger wheelwells.

Lscman, correct me if I am wrong but I heard that adding subframes for an autocross car will put you in a modified class...where you end up running against stripped down racers and such.

[Lscman]

You can't run stock class with non-stock chassis reinforcements of any kind. I'm not a strong proponent of strut tower braces. With the soft Mark VII control arm bushings that measure over 2" in diameter, I can't see how 1/8" of flex in the tower will matter. If the towers were flapping around, they'd be wearing the paint off the edge of my hood. This isn't happening. Adding weight up high in the air isn't neccessarily the hot handling setup either. Vendors love to promote & sell them about as much as customers like to buy them (Supply and Demand). I've seen seasoned racers install 6 pt cages and reinforcements everywhere. The cars "feel/sound tighter" but their lap times don't improve. The extra metal offsets any tiny advantage. There have been a few notable drivers that have competitively autocrossed the flexible Mustang convertible chassis without add'l stiffening. There's nothing worse than one of those. The Mark VII chassis is extremely rigid, compared to a hatchback Mustang. Stiffening a chassis with such low spring rates will have no effect. Chassis stiffening is only beneficial when subjected to extreme G forces when running shaved race rubber with spring rates over 800 lb/in or so.

[This message has been edited by Lscman (edited June 11, 2001).]