MYBLUZ

Just looking around at some threads and came across a few pics of a Wonder bar and I'm not sure of its purpose. Is it basiclly like a strut tower brace, so the front end is stiffer when the steering is turned, so the front doesnt push against itself?

KagA152

iTrader: (5)

exactly, its a stb for underneath. it connects the front of the sub frame. it also helps prevent stress cracks caused by the steering box

MYBLUZ

And some cars came from the factory that way? Which cars? My car is a 1LE Z28 and it doesnt have one. Anyway that was what I was assuming so, thanks for the info.

PyRo9862

All Irocs, and 91-92 Z28's

MYBLUZ

well I guess GM forgot mine.

PyRo9862

Thats strange, most people with 91-92 z28's have them. Maybie a previous owner removed it to put on another car.

MrDude_1

didnt come factory on any non IROCs is the general consensus.....


athough some people do say theirs came with it, the number is low enough that someone could have just put it on before them.

PyRo9862

Maybie a few of them got the wonderbars to get rid of the leftover stock?

KagA152

iTrader: (5)

as far as i know, only irocs got them. my car has the 36/24 sway bars, but i didnt have one stock but its a bird so who knows

Kontrax

ive had 2 irocs and they didnt come with one. ive owned 6 thirdgens and none ever came with one... so i went out and bought one

MYBLUZ

I bought my 91 Z from the original owner. He wouldnt have taken ANYTHING off the car, extremely ****. The question is are they even worth it? My car is in excellent shape, and there is no sloppyness in the front. As far as having one to prevent the unibody from cracking aroung the steering box, is it common on F-bodys to crack there? News to me if it is. Although my car was starting to crack on the top of the pass. door, on the top corner where the roof meets the window sill. The car is in the paint shop and has been fixed. But it makes me nervous to think it cracks there possibly

PyRo9862

For the $20 or so they cost it certainly isn't going to hurt anything. I didn't notice much of a differance when I put mine on, but someone people say they noticed a differance. Then again my shocks struts and springs are shot so nothing short of replacing those parts is going to help the handling much.

Kontrax

try adding the wonderbar and the strut tower brace and drive around for a year. then take them off, im sure you will say your front end is sloppy. you just used to not having them

RB83L69

Here's what one looks like.

When I added it to this car, it noticeably tightened it up. It didn't affect the steering per se, it more affected the general feel of "togetherness" in the front end of the car. When the car hits a bump especially while turning, it feels much more solid and rigid now.

I would really like to get a strut tower brace, but there are very few sources for one that will fit my car (HO); some one of htese days I'll maybe get motivated and do something about it.

Kontrax

fit your car? you carbed? edlebrock is the only company out that makes one to fit carbed or tbi cars. they go for 129 outta jegs. i bought one myself and never used it because i got a blower.

PyRo9862

Want to sell it?

MYBLUZ

Why couldnt I just weld in a piece of tubing? Why does it need to bolt up if I never plan on changing it. And I know what most of you are going to say, what if you need to remove it later. When I say weld it I dont mean weld the crap out of it, you wouldnt need that much weld to make it hold, something that you could get to with a cutoff wheel and get it out in a few min.??

PyRo9862

Why not just spend the $20 and get the wonderbar.

I don't see where you could weld it to without welding the swaybar as well.

Kontrax

well if you dont weld it in good its going to break from the stress when turning. plus, what happens if you need to pull the motor? cant just keep cutting and welding it back togeather, get sloppy after a while. just buy one, thay are in expensive and very effective.


will i sell it? sure i guess, i took it out of the box, laied it over my motor to see the fit, then put it back in to box and forgot about it. PM me and we'll talk.


EDIT: ohhh i thought you were talking about welding in the strt tower brace... you really cant weld it in since it sits up under the sway bar. and you really cant weld it to the frame since the steering box is in the way. i still think youd get stress cracks in the weld also.

MYBLUZ

Just $20 huh, I am more inclined than the next guy to just build everthing myself, because I'm a fabricator, well I used to be. If its 20 bucks I guess I'll buy one. As far as control arms, STB, panhards, and torgue arms go, I'll make my own. Its not that I'm cheap,nothing but the best for my Z, its that I like to build it myself if possible. Makes the mod more worthwhile to me if I can make it,and or install it myself.

PyRo9862

Well if you insist on making your own wonderbar you could make your own bolt on and probably make it stronger than the factory one.

RB83L69

The Edelbrock one doesn't fit the HO air cleaner, which will stay on my car, period.

A guy on these boards, seems like his userID was MRZ28HO, used to make them, that would fit. His userID would be a clue to why he made them that way. I don't know if he's still making them or not.

The factory wonderbar (what's in my pic) bolts on under the sway bar brackets. Piece of cake to install. I don't think I'd want anything stouter than it though; seems like the less weight I could hang out there right on the absolute nose of the car, the better off I'd be.

MikeS

A little ways up, somebody asked if cracking around the steering box is a common problem...

I can't say if it is common or not, but I have experienced a fairly severe case of it. That was in my previous 84. While the steering wheel was being turned, you could watch the steering box and frame area surrounding it flex and move. That's why the wonderbar was the first thing I added to my latest car. So, maybe not a common problem, but it does happen.

Pat Hall

iTrader: (31)

If your car gets cracks in the roof, you need to fab yourself up a set of subframe connectors for it. Those cracks are usually caused by a good, torquey motor twisting the unibody. My buddy has a 90 Iroc hardtop with the 350 and his has the same cracks in the roof on both sides.

Kontrax

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Pat Hall
If your car gets cracks in the roof, you need to fab yourself up a set of subframe connectors for it. Those cracks are usually caused by a good, torquey motor twisting the unibody. My buddy has a 90 Iroc hardtop with the 350 and his has the same cracks in the roof on both sides. [/QUOTE



i dont think ive ever seen a v8 fbody without the cracks on the roof

Pat Hall

iTrader: (31)

i dont think ive ever seen a v8 fbody without the cracks on the roof [/B][/QUOTE] Really? I guess my car would blow your mind then. It's a V8 and doesn't have any cracks in the roof at all. Of course it's also a T-top car.

PyRo9862

Strange, I have yet to see an Fbody with cracks in the roof

MYBLUZ

My car had on small crack starting, about a 1/4 long, and its not a T-top car. Here is a list of stuff I'm planning on fabing as soon as it gets out of the paint shop ( Dirty little F-ckers keyed the wing, and typical GM paint flake on the roof). SFC, Wonder Bar, STB( will have to design something to get around the HSR) Contol arms, torque arm, panhard bar. With exception of the torque arm, it will be cake. Now that I think about it, that saves my alot of $, more to spend on going fast.

Pat Hall

iTrader: (31)

Believe me, I wish I would've paid more attention in metal shop when I was in school. Fabbing all that stuff up yourself should save you quite a bit of cash!

Kontrax

prob would blow my mind. is it a 350? my gta was a 305 with a stick and the cracks were huge, my irocs were both 350s and had big cracks on them as well.

86WS6_T/A

my friends 86 bird had the stress cracks in the roof. And his was a 2.8... lol

91banditt2

iTrader: (1)

at is a incorrect statement MAC sells a STB that fits a TBI or Carbed F-Body.i paid alittel less than $90 for mine.

click here

price has gone up alittle since 2000

MNformula350

iTrader: (2)

I had a 87 hardtop Firebird 2.8 auto same thing.
none on my Formula or Iroc but those are both t-tops

Kontrax

well excuse me, just going by what super chevy mag said

fisherbody86

as far as the cracks in the roof issue goes, here is what I had on my thirdgens.

86 TA, 305 5 speed=when I bought it, no cracks.
kicked its a*s for 3 years, developed cracks

89 IROC, 350 auto=when i bought it, it had cracks
never drove it, had frame damage

92 Z28, 305 5 speed= when I bought it, no cracks
in the process of kicking its a*s right now
will report back when crack develop

My conclusion: you kick a third gen's a*s, the roof will develop cracks.

91banditt2

iTrader: (1)

wow that made sound like a real *******

sorry that wasn't pointed at you it's just hear alot of people complain about their limited choices for STB for TBI and carb.this STB from MAD will also fit a TPI car.

Air_Adam

My car has cracks in the paint on the roof... mainly directly behind the T-bar on the roof. My HO motor started it while the old owner had it I guess, and my 350 made it worse, lol.

Time for SFCs i guess.

Camaro_nut

So the crack on my T top roof ( P/S top corner) is from
the motor? I have an LHO motor(140hp). I don't think
that was from the massive torque of the motor, but I also
have a lot less roof than a hardtop IROC. I think Camaros/
Firebirds in general just flex a lot to cause cracks in the
roof area. So, yes it does make sense to correct the
factory problem by adding SFCs.

Camaro_nut

I got the same issue. I had put in SFCs. Seems no worse
now in that area. Glad I added them in before I drop in my
GMPP 350.

lonsal

iTrader: (2)

I've just put the TDS Steering Brace on sale for $42 (normally $50). Available only in gloss black powder-coat at this special price. Here is a link to the TDS Steering Brace GP.

Lon Salgren
Top-Down Solutions


__________________
90 RS Convertible
88 Iroc-Z Resto-Project car
Owner: Top-Down Solutions

web site: www.Top-DownSolutions.com

Frains90RS

Looks like the high popularity of the wonderbar has increased the optional finishes. I guess I can no longer say my black bar was a "special order."