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Low-Cost Front Strut Tower Brace

No guarantees are made on the results, and anything you do yourself is at your own risk.

1994 Q45 “Cheapo” Front Strut Tower Brace
By Jeff Williams

This is the type of bar I bought from eBay. The bidding starts @ $7.95

1. Remove the two bolts, which hold the struts to the uni-body. Do not remove the center bolt, on the strut shaft!

2. Place the “hats” over the bolts. You will have to drill a hole, to make the 2-bolt application fit the 3-bolt “hat”.

3. Position the hats, and tighten the nuts in place.

4. Screw-in the adjustments, on the ends of the bar, about 90% of the way.

5. Position the bar in place, and mark the “ears” for new holes.

6. Drill new holes in the “ears” for the hex nuts.

7. Saw, grind, and file the excess “ears” off.

8. Re-paint the “hats”

9. Jack the car up, just enough to take a little tension off of the suspension.

This will pre-tension the bar. You may want to play with this a little. Be careful, not to put too much tension on the bar, it will change the camber of the car.

I had a 4-wheel alignment done, after I installed the bar.)

10. Adjust the bar, so it fits between the “ears”, and insert the hex bolts.

11. Tighten the bolts, and re-check the strut brace “hat” bolts.

The bar should clear the plenum by about ½” to ¾”, and pass just in front of it. Others have said it needs more clearance, other wise it will rub on the plenum. This is a major NO! If it does not clear the plenum, you drilled the holes too low, in the “ears”. You will have to shim the hats’ mounting bolts.

I have put about 60,000 miles on my “cheapo” bar, and the “hats” have bent a little, but not enough to concern me. It is because there are only 2 bolts holding it on. Azhitman has build some stronger “hats”. BRM Racing is making a modified copy of this