ive had my kenny brown strut tower brace on for a while now and its grinding into my plenum. i think its prety much stopped and wont grind any further but will what it has already done hurt my engine???? check it out

 

another shot

 

IF it isn't grinding anymore, then I would think you have nothing to worry about, it already did what it was going to do. Just keep an eye on it, make sure it's not gonna do more grinding.

 

If you are worried it will go further - shave it underneath a fraction of an inch. It wouldn't affect stability and would provide the minmal clearance needed to make sure it no longer rubs.

 

Maybe your motor mounts are to blame and not the brace

 

it could be. i sure hope not but it could be. i think i might hit the brace with my dremel and shave it down a little. thanx guys.

 

I would sooner grind on your plenum than the brace. The middle of the brace is obviously the place you'd need to clearence, which is also where it will experence the greatest stress when subjected to a load (ie you haulin' azz around your favorite corner). Not good. Also, your plenum is already significantly ground, why do that to another part? Finally, aluminium would be a lot easier to get through than the steel that the brace is made out of. Just some food for thought...

 

well some day hopefully my plenum and runners etc will be polished up so ten ill tckle that but i thought i might pout another washer in between where the STB mounts to the fender wells. it should clear my hoods no prob but also give me that extra couple millimeters i need to clear my plenum.

 

My original comment was going to be: "Yeah, maybe they get taller when they go bad :P", but then I thought, maybe they were always that high, and therefore decided not to post it.... ehehehe

 

Or maybe they are junk and the motor is bouncing around.

This a 5spd car?

edit: looked at sig. it is.. must be the prob. on accel/decel the motor is moving around.


-- Joe

 

yea motor mounts couldnt hurt. but i dont think i have the tools and ability to change them yet. how tough of a job is it???

 

Motor mounts are more annoying and frustrating than difficult; unless you want to drop your LCAs out for easier access to the nuts, have a flare wrench (or, alternatively, an open-end), a vise grips, and a swivel extension. I think that the nuts are 17mm and the bolt heads are 15mm, but don't hold me to it - I haven't done motor mounts since November.

I used the vise grips to clamp the flare wrench and then snaked the flare wrench into the K-member and onto the nuts while I used a socket (or maybe a box end) on the bolt heads. I found it to be time-consuming, but not impossible. Swearing is optional

Hope this helps.

- 89_IROC

 

damn...........looks like i should have gotten them done when i got new ball joints installed

 

Think I`d try the washers under the brace

 

That is a good Idea, however you should have done it when you installed the STB. When I installed mine and found no clearance on top of the TPI I shimed the bases a 1/4" with aluminum plates.
Also washers may be to small for the base supports.

 

That mount replacement isn't hard, just frustrating. I used a swivel and some extentions to get into the actual member to get the nuts on the bolts/

 

See if you can get a prybar in between the 2 parts of the motor mount and pry to see if you can get them to seperate. If you can, they're bad

As long as you haven't rubbed through, you'll be fine. You really don't have to seal againsed any positive pressure, just whatever vacuum your motor creates.

It looks like the rubbing is predominantly on the drivers side also, which IIRC thats the way the motor torques under load. Might be a good idea to put some poly mounts in even if the factory ones are still "good".

 

stupid question, are you sure you have the right strut tower brace? do you have a pic?

 

Picture of STB mounted correctly using shims under mounting points for clearance over TPI.

 

well mine was mounted correctly......per exact instructions from kenny brown himself and yea, its the right noe but it just has to be my motor mounts im guessin. when the new one goes in ill be sure to pout some poly mounts in theur place!!!

 

Now if you install new motor mounts, is that gone to put the engine higher and add to your problem???? And Mfg's instructions are not always correct. And did any aftermarket part just bolt on these cars, never in my case.

 

lol good point..........ive never had any "EASY INSTALL" install so damn easy. well i hope it dient add to the problem, it shouldnt but if it does well take it when it gets there isnt it a good idea to change the mounts when you do a swap anyway?

 

Why change the motor mounts if they are good, didn't change mine on my engine swap.

 

Mine looks just like yours does now and it didnt start rubbing till i put the polly mounts in. So just an fyi the mounts will rase the engine in most cases.

 

well hopefully my mounts are good and i wont mess with them.....oh i know what it is, the beauties at GM made my plenum unlevel and this leveled it out for me!!!!!

 

honestly i wouldnt run anything kenny brown, considering how bad they have ripped people off in the past and the complaints of the parts that were sold.
DJP87Z28: what brand stb is that you have, it looks like a BMR or a Hotchkis, if your not having problems with yours then that is the way to go. can't really tell with the pic.
if you want a damn good stb, go with edelbrock, it triangulates the front end for support and is what is much needed for our cars!

 

mjustdie
That is the Hotchkis STB and its been on for six years now and its a very good upgrade. If you note under the mounting points I have aluminum shims to build up the height to clear the TPI, and it was no big thing. Just another part that bolts on with no adjustments on 3rd cars. You just love those Aftermarket parts that are supposed to just bolt on. Just venting