Setting An Upper Strut Brace

[dobboy 231 2 Cars]

Can somebody tell me how to go about setting an upper adjustable strut brace?

 

Fitting it is no prob, but what's the next step etc?

 

TIA

[hoodygoodwood 70 3 Cars]

I fitted my strut brace to the 3 strut top bolts each side and nipped up the 6 nuts/washers lightly , then adjusted the bolt/nut on the brace tube so it just pushed both sides out against those 6 bolts . I then tightened up the 6 nuts , then tightened up the locking washers on the brace bolt .

All this was done with the car on its wheels .

On some braces the 6 holes in the brace do not seem to line up very well with the bolts and need to be filed out a little .

[dobboy 231 2 Cars]

Thanks hoody, I thought there would maybe be more to it, perhaps tracking involved somewhere.

 

For the time being I've adjusted it to fit, and tightened up the six nuts, but never put any real pressure on the adjuster/struts before locking off. Basically sat on and locked off.

[Slo 283 1 Cars]

That's all you can do really. That's all I did with mine anyway. Can't see how tightening up the brace and forcing the strut tops apart would improve anything, if anything I would of thought it would put huge stress on it and the inner wings while driving.

[Henry Yorke 269 3 Cars]

The whole point of them is to stop the front struts flexing in towards each other under heavy load, therefore needs to be tight against the strut tops, but not pushing them outwards.

 

The over option is to put it on, tighten up the adjuster as much as possible and get some negative camber on the front :P If it goes crack, back it off one turn :P

[iPlod999 143 1 Cars]

I have one but the bonnet will not shut properly.

 

Annoying as it came off another and fitted fine.

[hoodygoodwood 70 3 Cars]

Some of the braces are a very tight fit under the bonnet , on my 309 there are marks on the brace where the bonnet frame touches it occasionally .I had to put a washer on each of the 3 bolts on the drivers side because there was no clearance for where the bonnet prop bracket is fitted to the turret top .I was thinking of welding in a set of the Spoox turret top strengthening plates on my project 309 but the extra height might stop me fitting a brace later .

I have seen photos of fitted braces where the owner has squashed the round tubing slightly flat in a vice where it runs near to the bonnet pressing to give some clearance .