stu64 Posted July 19, 2003 Report Posted July 19, 2003 I just bought and received the STB (#12456148) from GmPartsDirect for my 95 Grand Prix. I was just wondering about drilling new holes. Am I correct in taking off the black strut plates and drilling 2 news holes in each to line up with the STB and then place the 2-head bolt included with the STB flush against the top of the strut plate, screw the black plate back on tight with the 2-head bolt sticking up through the 2 new holes I drilled and then screw the included nuts on these 2-headed bolts? I just wondered if my assumptions are correct. I don't have to go through the wheel well do I? Thanks for any insight! Quote
Robby1870 Posted July 19, 2003 Report Posted July 19, 2003 Yeah, thats what I did. Heres a pic of mine and how I drilled them Man, was my motor dirty Robby Quote
stu64 Posted July 19, 2003 Author Report Posted July 19, 2003 Thanks for the pic and info. I just wanted to double check. Do you feel a big difference? Quote
Robby1870 Posted July 20, 2003 Report Posted July 20, 2003 Thanks for the pic and info. I just wanted to double check. Do you feel a big difference? Yeah, big difference, the car feels safe during hard cornering now. Plus, my rear STB helped a lot. Makes it very responsive on the highway Robby Quote
Gearhead43 Posted July 20, 2003 Report Posted July 20, 2003 One more thing... Since the flat head of the bolts is UNDER the covers, if you get 1 mm thick washers and place them under the remaining bolts , it will help even the cover so when you tighten the nuts, the covers will not warp. Quote
no1kicker Posted July 20, 2003 Report Posted July 20, 2003 This bar is pretty popular...I've seen guys on Ford Taurus message boards using them! Quote
slick Posted July 20, 2003 Report Posted July 20, 2003 How much does this cost from a dealership? Quote
Bolt_Crank Posted July 21, 2003 Report Posted July 21, 2003 do they make them for the rear? and as for the STB... how much work is it to change one? and what's a good one? I know ADDCO has one for like $120 US.... Quote
phantomFE3 Posted July 21, 2003 Report Posted July 21, 2003 why cant you just buy a friggin 1inch steel tubing and have it bent and flattened at the end? hell of alot cheaper and you could drill your own holes and probably alot stronger Quote
Bolt_Crank Posted July 21, 2003 Report Posted July 21, 2003 why cant you just buy a friggin 1inch steel tubing and have it bent and flattened at the end? hell of alot cheaper and you could drill your own holes and probably alot stronger that's what I've been wondering Quote
phantomFE3 Posted July 21, 2003 Report Posted July 21, 2003 lol if your buying them for 120 bucks, i can go to the welding shop in school and fab up a couple of them and sell them to you for 60, hell, ill even drill the holes in them and shit while im at it, any takers? Quote
phantomFE3 Posted July 21, 2003 Report Posted July 21, 2003 lol, alright, no but seriously, thats all it looks like in the picture, thats no more than a 20 minute job in a shop that has everything, all you would need is a torch to heat up the metal, a hacksaw to cut off the pipe and then a pipe bender, and if you wanted to drill the holes all you would need is a drill and a bit for that, but if wanted to do it right you could dynapac the bends on it and then use a drill press to drill the holes (i highly suggest using a drill press if your drilling in situations like this, its 100times easier) Quote
Bolt_Crank Posted July 21, 2003 Report Posted July 21, 2003 how convenient... I have access to a mechanics shop with all those tools as well as a 22 ton floor jack Quote
slick Posted July 21, 2003 Report Posted July 21, 2003 I have access to machines, as my dads works at a machine shop, and builds machines. It's just as easy to run to GM than to ask my dad for something though. Quote
GnatGoSplat Posted July 21, 2003 Report Posted July 21, 2003 lol, alright, no but seriously, thats all it looks like in the picture, thats no more than a 20 minute job in a shop that has everything, all you would need is a torch to heat up the metal, a hacksaw to cut off the pipe and then a pipe bender, and if you wanted to drill the holes all you would need is a drill and a bit for that, but if wanted to do it right you could dynapac the bends on it and then use a drill press to drill the holes (i highly suggest using a drill press if your drilling in situations like this, its 100times easier) Oh yeah, and all those tools are sooo cheap too that it will make up the cost for the $10 bar. Well, I do have a $8 micro-torch I got from Harbor Freight and an old Sears power drill. I doubt those would do any good to make an STB though. Quote
patgizz Posted July 21, 2003 Report Posted July 21, 2003 yeah, for $10 it isnt worth your TIME to try and make one. working, my time as a custom carpenter is worth around $100 an hour, other things it is less but nothing i do turns out making me less than about $30/hr. so if it takes me 6 minutes to make a bar it just became not worth it. Quote
GnatGoSplat Posted July 21, 2003 Report Posted July 21, 2003 Wow, I sure wish my employer thought my time was worth that much! Quote
phantomFE3 Posted July 21, 2003 Report Posted July 21, 2003 well, see in highschool you have these things called classes! wow! yeah in advanced welding all you do is weld on stuff and make stuff and just screw around for the whole quarter, in hour school we have a 4-period day so each one of our classes is an hour and a half long, i think that would be enough time to pump out 1 bar per day if you got into the swing of it Quote
Gearhead43 Posted July 21, 2003 Report Posted July 21, 2003 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Phantom FE3 (1 of 200) What the heck is that? Got pics? Quote
patgizz Posted July 21, 2003 Report Posted July 21, 2003 shawn, no employer would pay you that, i work for myself. Quote
slick Posted July 21, 2003 Report Posted July 21, 2003 Woo Hoo. I just went to the dealership and ordered mine. Should be in Wednesday. Quote
GnatGoSplat Posted July 21, 2003 Report Posted July 21, 2003 shawn, no employer would pay you that, i work for myself. I wish I had enough capital to start a business where I could work for myself! Or even an idea about what kind of business to get into! Quote
SmokesGTP Posted July 22, 2003 Report Posted July 22, 2003 Woo Hoo. I just went to the dealership and ordered mine. Should be in Wednesday. How much did your dealership charge? Quote
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