Ok, I made a 2 pt STB (will post pics tonight) and it did not make a noticible difference in hadling when I go around a hard courner at 60 mph What EXACTLY does an STB do.

 

What other mods have you done to the front suspension to stiffen it up? If you just added a STB brace to a totally stock car then I doubt you'd notice much of a difference.

All the STB does is to stiffen the inner fenderwells and keep them from flexing. The 3 point STB is a better design than the 2 point because it triangulates the shocks towers with the firewall.

 

I've put STB's on totally stock cars and notice an incredible difference. Everyone I know who has added one has noticed an equally incredible difference. I don't know what is up with yours.

 

Agreed. The front ends of these cars twist so bad. They are long and boxy and flex a great deal. My 3 pt STB got rid of all that flex and made an amazing difference in front end feel.

 

Mabye I dont have enough bolts I Have one in each side. Or mabye my design is bad I also used some pretty thin 1 in tubing (1/8) mabye that is letting it flex.

 

It seems to me that a single two point bar is still going to alow flex, but at least it will flex with an equal distance

Another vote for trianglation...

Ron

 

So do you guys think one bolt on each side is good enough?

 

here's a thought, maybe since you bent it like that then it became weaker and flexes. from the looks of it is looks like it will flex but it also looks like you did a good job on fabbing it up.

 

No. If you think about it when you corner those bolts will swivel in the holes and not stay put rendering the brace useless. My 3pt edelbrock unit has 6 bolts. 2 bolts per connection. That way the unit cannot rotate and swim around under hrad cornering. Its just like putting one nail in a board when nailing it to another. You can swivel it around. Add a second and the thing stays put.

 

OK, I will add another bolt on each side this weekend. How much do the tower's actually flex? Is it inches or just fragments of inches?

 

I wouldn't say inches but it does flex a lot in many directions.

 

Yes, my Jamex STB has 2 bolts. Add another bolt and you should be alright.

A couple of things that may help also. Put a lock nut on the bolts to prevent them from backing off. Also, preload the STB by jacking up the car from the k-member. Then tighten up the nuts and lower the car back down. That should have the stb preloaded, and makes a difference in the handling.

 

Yep, I put lock washers on. But if I preload the STB like you are saying, am I going to have to relocate my holes?

 

no... drill the 2nd holes, start the bolts, but have them all loose...


then you can try preloading it, then snug them down.

 

Ok mabye tonight Here are some pics.

And where is the K member (pics?) Sorry i am a newbie to suspension.

 

.

 

Take it to an autox course before and after.

 

Hey...yours looks almost identical to mine. Its a 2-pt bar and has 2 bolts per side. Made an incredible diffference. I used 1" 12 guage also. Works great.

 

would round or square tubing be better in this application?

I've seen some of both, and just wondering.

 

square is easier to bend athome without a expencive bender.


either will work just as well in this app, but overall, round resists deflecting in every angle... while square only does in some.

 

Do I have to jack the car up from the middle of the K member or what?

 

It's most likely twisting. A vote for trianglation here.

Edit/add: I don't know what tires/condition you have, maybe they just don't generate enough grip to notice a seat of the pants feel.

 

It makes a difference even with bald tires Trust me.

 

Hey guy I finally tighened all the bolts (but did not pre-load) and it actually made a difference. It seems to be alot easier to handle in corners.

Thanks guys