Has anyone calculated the compressive and tensile strength a strut tower brace should have on a 98 Civic EX? I am about to start on a new one and wanted to know how strong it needs to be. I plan on making it out of alum, or stainless. Just wanted to see if the alum. would be strong enough.

 

as long as its tubular (for strengh) and has quality welds (for longevity) it should be fine, i would just get an ebay one or neuseed, it would probably cost just as much to make a nice one

 

I get my steel and alum. for free. Plus I get school credit for making it. Thanks for the post though.

 

well if you get the aluminum free and you get credits, do it yourself. the more power to you. HA if its good enough, make ur own brand. but yea make one and try it out. if it feels that theres less body roll then it works. AND MAKE SURE THE WELDS ARE PERFECT.good luck and have fun.

 

I made one about 6 months ago and it seemed to work. But now that I have access to a TIG rig I am going to make another out of stainless i think. Just weld it and clear coat it. I have heard that it is a good idea to brace it to the firewall. Is this a good idea? It wont be too hard to do, but if it does nothing, then i dont want to waste the time that i could use to build one for the rear. let me know.

 

yes its a good idea to mount it to the firewall. tho i dont know exatcly where it'd bolt up or w/e...noticable difference doing that? i dunno prolly not...u really dont need some super stiff bar for a strut bar. as long as its tubular and fairly sturdy ur good to go. my ebay strut bar flex's just a tad when u try to bend it but when u compress it from the end links it dosnt budge..

 

isn't that called an H-bar? or does the H bar go in the back? i can't remember. but yea if you can tig then awesome. i learned a bit of how to do that a few years ago. its hard and takes steady hands. if you want, i would take it in to get powder coated. that way you can color match whatever you want.

 

not on topic but with the above post. If you were to get the strut bars off ebay could you get the engine enamel or whatever paint you use on the valve cover and paint the strut bars to match?

 

yes, its called powder coating. do a search in your area for powder coaters.