Question: Do Strut Bars improve car body rigidity.

[Smeedle]

What I mean is, If i install a set, (I'm not throwing my car into corners at speed or looking for a handling improvement) does it reduce the stresses on the body when going over bumps and what not?
I've been told my many people if you lower an older car you can watch it rust before your eyes due to the extra stresses on the body of the car. Will strut bars reduce this from happening??

Cheers
Mike

[dirtyleppa]

Im sorry but who ever told you that should be shot . Cars to flex and move, more so as they get older. Strut braces will definitely tighten things up and tie everything together. It will do that by increasing the amount of contact points around the body. A 3 point brace up front will be better than a 2 point brace but anything will be a good upgrade.

[Smeedle]

Thanks Dude

So if I'm working on A S13 Coilover conversion, what sort of struts would I be looking at??

My car is an 82 Bluebird sedan.

[Smeedle]

Is there anything that will work on the stock springs then also work on the S13 Coil Overs??
Or would that be two separate sets?

[Smeedle]

I'm a newbie when it comes to cars, I'm just teaching myself rust removal at the moment.

[dirtyleppa]

What exactly are u doing. If u are fitting s13 struts then an s13 strut brace should fit ok. I would usd a complete s13 strut if u can. U may need the bottom arms as well. Best thing to do would be measure all the s13 gear and compare to the bluebird stuff. Also do some research online as to what might be needed for the conversion.

As for the springs i dont think the stock ones wil work with s13 stuff.

If u want to get serious about the body flexing and stressing, a full cage and body seam weld would be the best thing, but not the cheapest.

If u want a car that handles and feels tighter, replace all the suspension bushes with nolathane ones. Fit new steering tierods etc. Lowered springs and new shocks or adjustable coil overs for the struts. And some bracing. Bear in mind, the morn u make the car tighter, the harsher the ride will be. But its a small trade off to have a car that handles realy well

[Smeedle]

The plan is just to lower the car, the question of the struts was to minimize stress on the body to reduce rust I'm not to fussed on handling (I'm not a racer, just a cruiser).
But your previous post makes me think if I even need struts, sounds like they are a good idea tho.

To lower the car, I think coilovers are the best choice (open to suggestions) the only thing I can find on lowering 82 Bluebirds is getting engineered mounts for the S13 Coilovers welding those on and bolting in the coilovers. I have diagrams and what not on what is needed to be made.

[dirtyleppa]

Welding the s13 coilover to the bluebird strut is a great option. But it will require cert.

Im sorry but what does body rigiditty have to do with the rust. If its flopping all over the place due to rust, either throw it away or fix it correctly. Adding braces to a rusty shell will be like using a bandaid on a gun shot. Doesnt realy work

[Smeedle]

There isn't any serious rust on the car, its all cosmetic surface stuff.

[85_Z31]

I found that adding a Front strut brace ( to a zero rust car ) made a bit of a difference but nothing notable.

However once i did a full coil over conversion the front strut brace did make more of a difference, but still so minimal that it never got put back on because it was a pain to work around.

if you were to hit your car with

*Front Strut Brace
*Front under Guard Brace ( door hinges to strut towers hidden by front guards )
*Front lower Chassis Brace

Then I bet you would notice a hell of a difference as that combo would tie together the entire front end of the car.