I took off the OMP strut brace on my 850 after 10yrs, and...

[matthew1]

... and the most notable observation was that the driver's door opens/closes differently when I park on uneven surfaces, especially where one wheel is more or less elevated than the others. The door contacts the frame (of course with the seal in-between) in different places... it feels different and sounds different.

This reinforces, no pun intended, that the P80 is a flexy platform, and finding ways to brace it make it a more predictable handling car, if not quieter and smoother-riding.

Thus the use of the rare C70 convertible subframe brace on other P80 models. All this is not news to the P80 community as much as it is me posting just to post.

[precopster]

And also the added bracing if the car is involved in an accident.

I would have repaired my recently written off '99V70 if the struts weren't closer together after the impact by around half an inch (the subframe was also bent so I called it quits)

Some of the extra movement in your body can be attributed to time related chassis flex. The car would have been slightly stiffer when new overall.

[jblackburn]

Mini-keg to work on a car? Hmmmmm...

[Ben850]

I did notice a substantial feel after intalling the OBX strut brace. It was meant to be additional support for the unibody repair that I had done. It is not a high end racing piece by any means, nor is the '93 n/a.

tow yard 1.jpg (73.75 KiB) Viewed 11471 times

disassembly and assessment 2.jpg (72.16 KiB) Viewed 11471 times

Regardless, I noticed a stability that was assuring.

I think it was diet pepsi inspired.
It's much better now.

[eld4au6]

^ glad you posted the images of your car before. My r has those same kinks where the inner fenders are tweaked a little.

I can see the price of strut bars rising... and it looks like I need one.

[jacobharding]

Where do you get one of those? I am speaking of the brace - not the keg.

[Ben850]

Here is mine which seems to be available again. They were out of stock everywhere when I was looking for it, so I ended up paying more than a new one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OBX-Front-Strut ... 7b&vxp=mtr

Ipd has one that people seem to like. You can see the price difference. It is more of the "Track" type, whereas mine is a functional showy type.

http://www.ipdusa.com/products/6520/114 ... -p80-black

Have Fun.

[vjaneczko]

Here is mine which seems to be available again. They were out of stock everywhere when I was looking for it, so I ended up paying more than a new one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OBX-Front-Strut ... 7b&vxp=mtr

I have this one and highly recommend it, especially for the price. One suggestion if you get it; make sure the hex bolt is facing towards the engine and the nut is facing the rear of the car. It'll make it much easier to tighten everything down.

[c70_lindsay]

Could you explain the C70 convertible subframe brace a little. Where does it go? How much difference does it make? Do I want one for my C70 coupe? (I am assuming it doesn't have one). I dread the day when I start getting door rattles and window leaks on the car. As soon as I saw the pillar-less windows on it I knew it would only be a matter of time before it started makin' a racket. Would bracing the frame mitigate these problems?

[matthew1]

Could you explain the C70 convertible subframe brace a little. Where does it go? How much difference does it make? Do I want one for my C70 coupe? (I am assuming it doesn't have one). I dread the day when I start getting door rattles and window leaks on the car. As soon as I saw the pillar-less windows on it I knew it would only be a matter of time before it started makin' a racket. Would bracing the frame mitigate these problems?

It goes on the belly of the uderside. Jack her up and take a look.



You probably already have one, and I have to express surprise you don't already have shakes and squeaks on the interior.

Convertibles always come from the factory with extra bracing, whether it's "built-in" or an external brace, like the one we're talking about. Part of why the convertible version of a car will weigh more than the coupe, typically.

Nearly off-topic, my roommates and I cut the roof off a 1974 Dodge Dart and it suffered no mid-car structural collapse, at least not for the next 12 months. Don't know how it fared after that.