I was wondering if anyone here has specs on fabbing a strut tower brace (carb) and panhard bar. I have some 3/4" QA1 rod ends but would like some info before I start. I have a dealers (Toyota) shop to work in but have never tried to do this before. I have welding experience. What type of steel should I use? Can I use aluminum? I have a machine tool lathe at the shop but have never used one. Any help would be appreciated. Pics or schematics would be great.

 

Try searching on here. I don't think anyone has posted schematics or drawings, most guys just do it by eye sorta thing. There are a handful of good ones done by the members.

AL would work out ok, but I think 4130 or something might be better. Those rod ends might be a tad overkill, but your call.

I forget the name of the guy who did them recently, with rubber bushings on one end, rod end on the other end. It was LCA's, made with AL. I'd do that idea on the panhard.

 

I was thinking about aluminum for the strut brace, wouldn't a aluminum panhard bar twist unless it was solid? I have twisted two stock bars

 

Solid? No...? Do you mean solid as in "stiff", or solid as in "no hole in the center"? No panhard bars are ever solid that i've seen.

And no, they shouldn't be twisting at all? Use rod ends, or at least on one side, that should eliminate any chance of it twisting, and let it only do it's job of absorbing tensile and compressive stress.

Might as well fab up LCA's while you're there. Rod end on one side, poly on the other side (car body side). That's the best for a hard street application IMHO.

 

I saw a home-fabbed aluminum one somewhere, but apparently I didn't save the pic

My question is...Why are the STB made to pivot at the strut towers, except the old (no longer made) Kenny Brown unit? I'm thinking that style will be stronger, although it might stress the mounts more. Maybe a bigger foot print, and something that slips under the 3 bolts of the strut mount.

 

I'd guess you only want to limit the compressive and tensile loads, so the rod ends do that.
You don't want to limit the shear stress sorta thing, or else it'd just have a tendancy to rip the mounts apart, or maybe cause weird handling?

Maybe you're thinking of one of these threads stephan;
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/susp...uminum+panhard

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/fabr...uminum+panhard

The first one was posted in the suspension board, not the fabrication board. That's why I always had a weird time finding it... That's the guy I was talking about as well.

 

I did a quick look through both of those threads, and no pic of an aluminum STB. I'll look around...

 

I knew if I looked hard enough, I'd find it!

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/fabr...t-stuff-i.html