While I can't avoid them all & do hit potholes from time-to-time ( RI Roads are NOT the best ! ) I managed to hit one the other day without warning and needless to say,.... it caused some problems !




After removing the remaining chunks of aluminum that were left of the original 6 rivets that hold that "hat" in place I found some replacement hardware that I could use to get back on the road again. I decided to use 6 8mm fine tooth bolts (hood cable handle-to-body hardware) and 6 8mm nuts after cutting the washer off (hatch fin hardware) from the hardware bin.



Jacked up the car and 'lined up' the bearing, hat, and strut:



Then tightened-down in an crossing sequence so the hat would 'fit' to the bearing properly and now I don't ever expect that strut mount to be a problem ever again.



Found a little play in each of the front wheel bearings too so I torqued them 1 more 'notch' of the large nut while I was at it. I wish all Sunday afternoon Thirdgen projects were this easy ! Back in the saddle Baby !!

 

Nice repair, I was hoping I wouldn't see a puncture hole in the hood.

Perhaps an excuse for some aftermarket strut mounts?

 

Been there (but not with my thirdgen yet). Potholes in Colorado are atrocious. I hit one so hard in my Honda that it shifted the front subframe and cost me double the usual price for alignment. I later hit one so hard in my '73 Maverick (Mustang front suspension) that one of the strut rod bushings (which were not old) dissintegrated.
Yeah, they suck...

 

Dang, I've heard legends of strut towers blowing out but never seen one before.

@John in RI , I'll send you my original strut towers for free if you will try to fix my stock '89 Firebird radio. No sound comes out of speakers any more. Strut towers came off my car in 2000 and have been stored inside my garage ever since.

 

Yikes! Never seen that before.

I hate to ask, but with a stronger fix for the rivets, what's the next weakest link int he chain?

 

Took the GTA out for a little use & abuse yesterday and the front end held up and everything felt nice and tight. I'm real thankful that nothing worse came from this !!

Komet: I had briefly considered installing some aftermarket Strut Mounts as this is the perfect 'excuse',.... but I've got a few other more-important things I've got to focus on in the near term so any upgrade will have to remain on the wish-list for now.

TL: When I first hit the pothole my first thought was a blown--out control arm bushing or sumthin' like that. when I didn't find anything after a quick peek under the car I expected I'd find a blown strut,.... and was just about in shock when I saw the strut mount was the problem. I've blown tires and bent a rim on bad potholes before,..... but this 'takes-the-cake' !!

QwkTrip: I've got a couple spare pairs of original strut mounts; so while I appreciate the offer I just don't need them. The reason I didn't install a used replacement is simple,.... I recently re-aligned the front end after a complete rebuild ( can see the marks on the strut tower mount & hardware ) and since I'm out of work ( medical ) right now I'm not at the shop and would have to pay for another alignment rather than being able to do it myself. I could have gotten it 'close' by marking the busted strut mount; but this "fix" seems to have allowed me to keep the current (good) alignment & that $100 alignment fee in my pocket !

** I'm gonna' be at my bench doing some radio work later today. when I get back online later tonight I'll send you a message regarding your current radio. If you rear this before I send you a PM; Send me a quick PM and let me know if you have a cassette no EQ or a cassette / EQ style radio.

DynoDave43: Can't say there really is another weak point to the original strut mounts. I'd have to guess that the bearing itself ( sandwiched under that "hat") would probably be the weakest part of the whole assembly; AFTER the aluminum rivets !

 

It's a cassette player from '89 Firebird V6.
I've been meaning to send you my radio anyway. We can make arrangements to send it in and I'll get you paid.