SA413 Strut Tower Brace
How to build a brace for less than A$100

After some searching I had not been able to find a tower brace for the MK1 SA413. They are available for the later SF413 but the MK2/3 strut mount uses 3 bolts, whereas the MK1 only uses 2 bolts to locate the top of the suspension strut. A suitable bar would be the same shape as the MK2/3. It has to rise off the strut mount to clear the inlet manifold or use an elevated mount on the top plate with a straight bar between the two tower mounts. Looking at pictures of GTi's fitted with the strut bar, the all-out competition bars seem to use the elevated mount / straight bar setup while the more cosmetic setups use the low mount and bent end bars. For my purposes, either type would suit as it is a purely cosmetic installation (but it must still perform its intended function of supporting the top of the suspension tower). Using a MK2/3 bar is an option if new holes are drilled in the correct locations. However .......

Where I bought the bar:
Looking on E-bay, the Nissan Skyline R33 bar looked to be the correct setup - the bolt holes for the mount were in the correct location, (necessary as I was unsure if the mount could be drilled to relocate the mount holes) and the bar was of the bent style, low mount type. Prices ranged from very low to A$189. As I had no idea if this would work, I bid on a unit that had a steel base mount and alloy bar between the mounts. The bar I used is a fully adjustable Nissan Skyline R33 Strut Brace bought off Ebay from Flying-Performane for A$26 plus A$25 freight. It is an actuion so prices will vary and there are other types/styles from other sellers.

Fitting the bar:
The top plates need a little work before they fit. The inner hole in the strut bracket that goes over the top of the suspention tower is a little tight. I cleaned off the paint on the bracket and it dropped into position. The bolt holes line up perfectly and the existing top mount bolts and nuts will tension down.

Left mount in position. The central hole needs the paint removed to fit correctly.

Right Mount in position.

The most interesting thing about using this bar is the the Suzuki top strut mounts are actually further apart than the Nissan. The bracing bar is short by about 20mm. This was easily fixed by lenghting one of the screw-in adusters. The left side adjuster is Left Hand Thread so the right side is the easiest to make longer. In the photos, I have a temporary fix by just welding a little extra threaded bar to the existing adjuster. The better way would be to remove all the threaded section from the adjuster, measure the length of the new section and weld that to the existing adjuster head. A 100x14x1.5mm bolt will be long enough to cut to exact length. Allow for at least 15mm of thread into the alloy bar.

Threaded bar extended to make the Nissan bar fit the Suzuki

View of the completed bar - click on image for a more detailed view

Adjusting the bar:
The adjusters are left and right hand threads so will lenghten or shorten as the bar is rotated on the threaded adjusters. Start with the top of the bar facing the firewall. Adjust the threaded ends so bar is the correct length and the adjusters can be bolted to the strut brackets. Tighten the Allen headed bolts so the bar can move but there is no slack between the adjusters and the top mount. Turn the bar towards the front of the car to load up the mounts. When the bar is at the angle you want (it might be hard turning the bar so the flat surface faces up), lock the lock nuts on the adjusters and lock the Allen headed bolts on the top plate. If you adjust it correctly, there will be pre-load on the bar and strut tops. How much you load up the strut tops is up to you.

Problems and fixes:

• The standard Suzuki coil is very close or can touch the bar. I had already installed a Bosh GT40 transformer coil so it was not a problem. Dropping the standard coil as low as possible on the mounting bracket might clear the bar. Making the adjuster a little longer so the right hand side sits higher than the left will also give the necessary clearance for the coil.
• The standard windscreen washer bottle won't fit under the red top mount. Moving the bottle toward the front of the car fixes it. Use the existing bolt holes and a straight bracket to move the bottle. I had to replace the pump on my bottle so there is a new bottle pictured.
• The bar / adjuster may need a couple of washers to really clamp the adjuster up tight (see the first picture for the shims)

Last word:
It took longer to to sort out making the adjuster longer by 20mm than installing the mounting plates. This bar can also be adapted for the Swift MK1 and Barina MK1 SOHC cars. In the case of the Swift / Barina, the air cleaner will have to be replaced as the housing obstructs the clear line for the bar from left to right across the engine bay.

A shot across the Suzuki GTi MK1 engine bay with the bar installed and tightened showing the low mounts and bent bar ends. Neat, and clears everything. Total cost was A$55.

BACK
John Miller - RedlineGTi.com member

Written by a Weasel: This site is for my own entertainment - What you read is what you get. As always, articles are for information only - use of this information is entirely the responsibility of the reader. These articles should not be substituted for specific professional advice. Names and logos remain the property of thier respective owners.

Last updated: 01/02/2005

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