Just wondering if anyone has had any fitment (hood) issues using a UMI STB and Founders Caster Plate?

IIRC someone had an issue with the factory flat hood due to the mounting plate of the Founder being taller than the UMI and when combined with the UMI STB, raised the STB to contact with the hood.

I have a UMI STB and thinking of getting the Founders Caster Plate but do not want any issue with my Harwood hood.

Thanks

 

I experienced no issues with an Edelbrock STB and Founders and the hood. I would caution, however, that the STB and strut mount themselves may be problematic. You may be forced to mod one or the other to get them to work/fit together for alignment. I did.

JamesC

 

^Yep, I modded the mounts for my Edelbrock STB to clear he Founders Plates.

 

Thanks for the input guys, I might just go with the UMI caster plates to play it safe.

 

We run our caster/camber plates with our STB on our 89 Iroc and clearance is good. There is less clearance on the Firebird hood!

Hope that helps,
Ryan

 

Hi Ryan, I'll be placing an order soon.

 

If the UMI units fit ours will fit.

 

Too bad neither of you guys offer a 3 point brace. thats why I went with the edelbrock unit.

 

Please read my original post.

Will there be a clearance issue?

 

I have never seen a UMI strut tower brace so I can't tell you if it will clear your hood. I can tell you that if UMI mounts clear then our camber plates will clear. They are the same size since they copied the J&M pieces and J&M makes ours for us with our supplied alloy steel sintered bronze impregnated Teflon lined bearing.

 

Really!!!!

 

The caster base plate on the Founders is 1/16" taller than the UMI...wondering it that will make a difference with hood clearance?

BTW...I have the Founders PH rod (upper and lower), and lca's.

Test fit of the new UMI STB.

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Is that a photo shop? How is the bar going behind the tunnel plate on your firewall?

 

I would call Harwood and ask them how the hood clearance is in relation to factory.

 

No photoshop.

Put the stb on the towers and took a pic....you must be seeing things.

 

LOL, I must be crazy. Look at the center of the bar. 1/2 is going behind. LOL

 

I see what your talking about, the bar is cut out for engine clearance

 

ROTF!!!

 

^^another reason I went with edelbrock. Even it has it's issues, but that's just weak.
Not as bad as the one with the flat piece of steel for the center piece.

 

Has anyone with the UMI strut tower brace seen any difference? How about any of these braces? Real performance difference.

It may be tougher than it looks but I am sure I can bend that over my knee. I know I can flex it.

 

Same here! I notched the Edelbrock (now QA1) three point STBs mounts and then boxed them in to strengthen them. Works fine together now. No issue with my hood either.

 

Here is a side shot of the UMI STB...it is notched.

 

The STB is supposed to eliminate flex, so if the STB itself is flexing, you'd better find another model.

JamesC

 

That was what I was thinking. After seeing the other picture it may not be a weak as it looked in the first picture. Still not how I would have done it.

My question still stands. Do these bars add anything to the handling of the car?

Seems like for the strut towers to flex enough to really screw things up they would be pushing the fenders into the hood then bulging them out. Moving .010 or even .030 is not really going to screw you up. Hell your alignment is off more than that. I bet even my Koni struts flex more than that.

If the car is coming off a wheel stand in a drag race then I see these needed.

.

 

Not sure about that particular bar, but a three point strut tower brace (or probably even a regular two point bar that hasnt been sliced up the bottom) helps these cars out tremendously. In autoX especially where you have very high cornering forces our cars flex horribly. The only solution is to add structural bracing. The problem is not just that the suspension or car or frame move a little bit, it is that it acts as a spring. So you would go into a turn and without the bracing the body flexes absorbing part of the energy akin to a spring and then it starts to come out of the turn and the body rebounds back releasing energy. It results in jumpy eratic handling that is harder to control.

 

I got ya, The whole front is flexing/twisting some.

 

SFCs will help eliminate body flex more than the STB.

The STB should help the front feel more connected.

My wife tends to do some "spirited" driving when the shoe sales are on.