Engine Bay Cross Brace Support Bar Attach Point Broken - Weld?? SOLVED

[StudioWizard]

jock156

Seems like it should be done while car is on the ground, not in the air, no? If in the air when re-attached, it could snap when put back on the ground.

Whoops! I misread your post.... haha Never mind!

 

[BumpyZ4]

btw, do you think these performance mods, the ones that are a triangle and attach to the 3 screws on the strut tower, are a good way to go vs upgrading the OEM mounts? Or are the improved OEM mounts best? The triangle set is around $275-350 USD.

The triangle ones, like from Ultra racing, are better overall. But they do get in the way of working on your engine without removing them and may be an issue with your insurance company depending on where you live.

 

[Beedub]

strut braces are cheap insurance to help this not happen......

 

[StudioWizard]

OK, I never thought of the insurance implications. I found a body shop that says they can remove the bad mounts and weld on the new ones (the upgraded ones), then clean up and repaint that surface area.

Somebody on this thread mentioned that it's possible the welding could damage the dome area and that maybe the springs or other equipment should be removed before welding to avoid damage. Does anyone have any info on this? The body shop didn't seem to think it would be necessary at all.

 

[j3nks79]

4 plug welds wouldn’t get hot enough to do any damage.

 

[StudioWizard]

OK, thank you!

 

[StudioWizard]

Today I had the new improved cross brace brackets welded onto the suspension domes. They removed both the broken one and the "good" one which was already starting to crack. After they welded on the two new ones, they cleaned up and repainted the area and screwed in the braces. I'll post some pictures when I get the car back - it's in a different shop having a long list of engine repairs done. Should have it back in a couple of days, then I'll shoot some pix.

The total cost for everything was about $67 for the improved OEM brackets and $160 for the welding job. It's well worth it. I noticed an immediate difference. Now I need to decide if I want to add a third brace that spans across the two domes. We'll see....

 

[TOMGREEN413]

 

[StudioWizard]

Here are the new brackets welded in. Notice how much more substantial they look! The body shop also repainted the suspension domes. I'm super happy with the results and the car feels more stable for sure.

 

[j3nks79]

Looks like they have made a really nice job of that

 

[StudioWizard]

Yeah, I 'm super happy about it. The car drives MUCH better with these being fixed.

 

[patriot66]

Top job. Much better