After reading a lot of posts about Strut Tower Braces Im leaning towards Hotchkis for my firebird. I read that a lot of people have had problems with the paint coming off of their Hotchkis braces...is this just on the painted ones or the chrome ones as well??? Is it true that no matter what type of Strut tower brace I buy I have no choice but to drill holes???? I'd really perfer not to drill holes because I can see myself screwing up. But if I HAVE to drill then I'll do it. Second...Does anybody have a Hotchkis Strut Tower Brace on their FIREBIRD???? I read one post were someone installed a Hotchkis Tower Brace on a FIREBIRD and the hood would not close properly. They had to bend the brace to make it fit....this person (sorry dont know their name) said that if they had a Camaro it would have fit without a problem due to the slightly different style hood. Any thoughts??? All comments are MORE than welcome...good or bad. Thanks..

 

I have a Hotchkis STB on my GTA and have had no trouble. It clears my TPI and does not interfere with the hood. The only modification I made was to remove the hood insulation since the STB did press against it causing the STB to be dirty all the time.

The mounting holes are easy to drill. Position the STB just where you want it, then use a Sharpie to mark the mounting holes. The instructions will tell you what size drill bit to use. When you install it, run the mounting bolts up from the bottom. This leaves the wheel wells clean with no sharp threads exposed to cut your hand on when removing the wheels or working on the brakes.

 

I have one and also had no trouble with it at all , it's very easy to install. Hell I didn't even need the instructions when I did mine. Like BretD, I also ran the mounting bolts up from the bottom. Oh and I've had mine for two years and there is no problems with the paint. Stop waiting and get one, one of the best mods I've done.