1st Gen STB Mounting

[AliasCT]

Quick build thread for mounting (non-AWeb) STBs into a 1st gen w-body (93 3.1L GP). Quick note. I am not AWeb and I'm quite aware that the build quality leaves something to be desired. I'll never track test this car. I just like tinkering and read a couple threads and thought "Hey. I could do something like that..."

 

I would have preferred using a Cutty Vert FSTB, but I could never find a Vert in any junk yard near me so an almost stock solution was out for me. What I decided to do was grab the 97+ bar from GMPartsdirect and mount it to my strut mount plates (someones recommendation, I want to say AWeb but I can't prove that...).

 

Since this makes the strut mount sit at an angle, I got a spare set of strut mount plates, cut out the section where the FSTB's mount sat, added some thick washers, and it fits underneath the strut mount plate that has the FSTB attached to it perfectly.

 

I actually bought a second bar hoping it would fit as an RSTB, but no dice. Based on advice from an old thread on this forum, I grabbed a stock FSTB off of a Pontiac Bonnieville (92-99). I don't know if it has to be an SSEi, as the car that I grabbed mine off of was not marked. The first bonnie that I opened up had the bar. I had to drill out the mounting holes a smidge and modify the bracket slightly to make it fit around the middle rear strut bolt, but so far it is fitting in great. The bar is a little short, so I will need to either weld on a couple of inches to the stock bar, or more likely I will grab some 1x1 square tubing and drill some holes in it.

 

 

The RSTB will sit on top of the rear strut tower. I used nuts (M10 1.5 pitch) and lock washers to secure the RSTB brackets to the strut bolts. The stock bonnie bar actually does bolt on, but is not really great. You can see from the pics that there are two bolts to hold the bar to the bracket, and the stock bar is only long enough to use one of those bolts, so... Not ideal. I'll be buying a bar and throwing that in soon.

[BXX]

The downside of the way you did the front, is that the upper plate needs to be completely flush to squeeze the strut mount and keep it firm.

 

Just find a Convertible front strut tower brace:thumbsup:

 

And as for the rear, I have a set on my now blown up CS. I can prolly pull it off, make cardboard templates for ya that you can cut a set out for yourself outta plate steel.

[intern8tion9l]

buy the zzp brackets for that particular fstb and you're golden

[white4d96]

I like the Don Rome brackets better because, well, the guy lives 10 minutes from me! lol

Now, these are really meant for 2nd and 3rd gen cars, but he makes them to order so I bet he would make something work for ya. Hell, I could bring my car to him for a guinea pig

 

http://drcustomparts.com/

 

Great guy, I know him from another forum I frequent. We had a group meet at his house so we could use his heated garage to swap bumpers on a couple cars.

[AliasCT]

I had heard there were brackets for using the 97+ bar, but I had also heard that using them interferred with the hood somehow. Of course, now that I think about it, I probably have that bar raised just as much as any bracket would raise it... Do they even make ZZP products anymore.? I couldn't ever find a place for the ZZP dogbones.

 

@BXX Yeah, its hard to get a good picture of that. I only added the washers so that the top mount could be torqued down. Hard to balance it sitting on the mount right and actually being flush with the strut tower...

 

I'm all for better rear mounts; I had heard that the bonnie bar was *close* and (since it only cost me $16 at a JY) could be done so I decided to attempt it. What I like about this mount is that it has two bolts that go through the bar and back into the mount itself.

 

A good design and plate steel = a good idea

[Andrew]

yeah pretty sure ZZP stopped making the brackets when they started building their own STB. They still make the dogbones however, in the suspension section.

[Penglii]

They still make the dogbones however, in the suspension section.

 

Those are 2nd Gen dogbones though... it's been quite a while since they made the 1st gen dogbones.