Installation of BMR Strut Brace

[conipc]

Pretty much according to directions EXCEPT that the ABS connector must be reconnected to the ABS unit before the unit is reinstalled. Otherwise, the connector won't clear the mounting plate of the bar.
The bar is well constructed and fits correctly. Some mounting areas are hard to get to - real large hands will have a tough time on the right side.....

[wreckwriter]

I considered one of these but I'm afraid it will interfere with the ProCharger.

[G8GT721]

I considered one of these but I'm afraid it will interfere with the ProCharger.

Pete's Pedders G8 has the STB with the procharger, If you look at the brace, you can see on each side of the brace has a bolt so it can be removed to install the brace and anything else for that matter

http://i323.photobucket.com/albums/nn453/kroche721/84877e5a2346dd.jpg

[wreckwriter]

That's the Pedders brace, 10x more install hassle than the BMR brace.

[G8GT721]

i guess we'll have to wait for someone to try it to find out :)

[conipc]

The BMR has about an inch clearance above the stock engine cover, if that helps....

[wreckwriter]

The BMR has about an inch clearance above the stock engine cover, if that helps....

No, its more of the front clearance. I'll revisit it after I get the blower installed.

[Kermit]

That's the Pedders brace, 10x more install hassle than the BMR brace.

Wrechwriter,

What kind of hassles? I just ordered a pedders STB two days ago. I did not know of any issues.

[wreckwriter]

Wrechwriter,

What kind of hassles? I just ordered a pedders STB two days ago. I did not know of any issues.

Not really issues, just isn't a 10 minute job. You have to drop the struts and drill holes I believe. Its a hassle but the design looks excellent and I'm certain its a good brace.

[BlueJacket]

Pretty much according to directions EXCEPT that the ABS connector must be reconnected to the ABS unit before the unit is reinstalled. Otherwise, the connector won't clear the mounting plate of the bar.
The bar is well constructed and fits correctly. Some mounting areas are hard to get to - real large hands will have a tough time on the right side.....

Any pics?

[IXLR8]

I got a BMR brace for Christmas, cuz my wife loves me and I wanted it.

Yesterday I went to install it and found that it attaches to two thin spot welded pieces of metal on the shock towers. There is no way it can provide any support to the towers. It is not even attached to any piece of the suspension. If the shock tower moves it will just deform the sheetmetal... This is a dress-up part, not a functional piece, it should be advertised as such.

I have requested an RMA for mine.

Update: BMR contacted me and this was their response to my comments: They appear to have excellent customer service!!

Sorry to here about your displeasure with our product. We have had
nothing but great reviews on the product and its performance.

We chose the mounting of our strut tower brace to help with ease of
installation yet still provide additional support to the strut towers. The
online instruction sheet clearly depicts the mounting location of the STB
and the STB orientation on the vehicle.

The only loads a 2 point STB can help with are compression loads of the
towers so what better place to locate the brace than in between them. Now
granted you could go to the top of the tower but this would require
permanent modifications to the vehicle and would not allow for more robust
material to be used in constructing the brace.

If you would like to discuss the STB in more detail please feel free to ask
any questions you might have.

Lee Spicher

[G8Smitty]

I got a BMR brace for Christmas, cuz my wife loves me and I wanted it.

Yesterday I went to install it and found that it attaches to two thin spot welded pieces of metal on the shock towers. There is no way it can provide any support to the towers. It is not even attached to any piece of the suspension. If the shock tower moves it will just deform the sheetmetal... This is a dress-up part, not a functional piece, it should be advertised as such.

I have requested an RMA for mine.

That was my worry when I saw the pictures. Thanks for the post.

[conipc]

I can partially agree on the value of the BMR bar. However, flex in the body (which is the frame, after all) is the issue, not movement of the suspension per se. So, there is some value to this design. It is a compromise with ease of installation and function....

[Kermit]

Not really issues, just isn't a 10 minute job. You have to drop the struts and drill holes I believe. Its a hassle but the design looks excellent and I'm certain its a good brace.

Guess I will just wait until I get my Xa shock struts from pedders then before installing it. Thanks for the heads up.

[IXLR8]

I can partially agree on the value of the BMR bar. However, flex in the body (which is the frame, after all) is the issue, not movement of the suspension per se. So, there is some value to this design. It is a compromise with ease of installation and function....

The function is to prevent the shock towers from moving from their "rest" position. The bottom of the suspension is pretty well locked to the frame of the car, but the towers tend to move. When I say move, it would be under racing conditions with tires much stickier than the street tires we use. By linking the towers together the movement is mitigated by two attachment points, instead of one.

If you read about the Holden road racing stories, they claim that the shock towers move around enough to dent the hood. Now I know Aussies tend to exaggerate a bit, but there is some truth to it.

Will you ever subject your car to more stress than the BMR can handle? I doubt it. But the fact remains that they do not attach to any any suspension member, and as a result cannot provide the intended support.

The Pedders is a pain to install, but it is a true strut brace. It comes down to, do you want a dress-up part (BMR), or a racing part (Pedders).

I did review some other BMR parts on their website, and they all seem to be substantially made, and of excellent quality. The brace
I received was well made, and would make a great cosmetic addition.


Please see BMR's response to my inquiry above in #11

[-Ray-]

My Pedders brace was installed by my Pedders dealer. He did have a lift and lowered the struts for access to install the bolts. There were holes to drill. Spacers come with the kits that fit into the shock tower and help guide the drill bit.
My installer also cut off the tops of the bolts for a cleaner installation. he didn't have to re-align my car.
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t16/ElecBlueG6GT/G8/Grrrr8%20mods/Grrrr8hoses.jpg
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t16/ElecBlueG6GT/G8/Grrrr8%20mods/Grrrr8mod.jpg

[dms]

That's the Pedders brace, 10x more install hassle than the BMR brace.

It is, without a doubt, more difficult than the BMR, but in your case, the BMR will not fit yours due to the procharger. Plus even though it takes more time to install, the Pedders unit actually attaches to the stressed area of the strut tower, rather than the more easier way 1 to 1.5 feet away from the strut tower.

Just a thought. BMR is a very fine manufacturer I will add

mike
dms

[dms]

Guess I will just wait until I get my Xa shock struts from pedders then before installing it. Thanks for the heads up.

If you are doing your front coils or struts, installing the front Pedders strut tower is a 15 to 20 minute install at the most. The XA'S are serious units, especially when cranking up for play. A strut brace would be highly recommended


Installing our strut brace after the fact, took me approx 45 minutes. But it does attach to the actual strut tower, where the movement actually is
mike
dms

[wreckwriter]

It is, without a doubt, more difficult than the BMR, but in your case, the BMR will not fit yours due to the procharger. Plus even though it takes more time to install, the Pedders unit actually attaches to the stressed area of the strut tower, rather than the more easier way 1 to 1.5 feet away from the strut tower.

Just a thought. BME is a very fine manufacturer I will add

mike
dms

Yea, I thought it would not fit. Thanks for confirming.

[dms]

My Pedders brace was installed by my Pedders dealer. He did have a lift and lowered the struts for access to install the bolts. There were holes to drill. Spacers come with the kits that fit into the shock tower and help guide the drill bit.
My installer also cut off the tops of the bolts for a cleaner installation. he didn't have to re-align my car.
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t16/ElecBlueG6GT/G8/Grrrr8%20mods/Grrrr8hoses.jpg
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t16/ElecBlueG6GT/G8/Grrrr8%20mods/Grrrr8mod.jpg

The one that I did after the fact to see what was required, I installed the bolts from the top down, rather than the easier way of putting them up thru the bottom. this way there was no cutting and it looked really good. Just a heads up. Pete did not have to cut his, so I do not know why they did that

mike
dms

[dms]

Err... BMR... :) Honest miss key.

i fixed. thanks
mike
dms

[-Ray-]

The one that I did after the fact to see what was required, I installed the bolts from the top down, rather than the easier way of putting them up thru the bottom. this way there was no cutting and it looked really good. Just a heads up. Pete did not have to cut his, so I do not know why they did that

mike
dms

Change the install instructions then. It has the bolts coming up from the bottom. Erik Hess thought it would look cleaner if the tops of the bolts were cut off instead of sticking up. I agreed and he proceeded.

[DRCUSTOMPARTS]

I'm developing a strut brace for the G8 and you won't have to drill any holes or remove the struts. I made some special bolts to attach it using the existing holes in the strut towers, and I was able to tighten down a small piece of aluminum securely.

I'm picking up the material tomorrow and I should have the prototype finished this weekend. I don't have a final price yet but I'm shooting for $125 shipped. I'll post up some pics when I get er done.

You can check out my website www.drcustomparts.com to see the parts I make for the W-Body cars. I have well over 500 satisfied customers......

[dms]

I'm developing a strut brace for the G8 and you won't have to drill any holes or remove the struts. I made some special bolts to attach it using the existing holes in the strut towers, and I was able to tighten down a small piece of aluminum securely.

I'm picking up the material tomorrow and I should have the prototype finished this weekend. I don't have a final price yet but I'm shooting for $125 shipped. I'll post up some pics when I get er done.

You can check out my website www.drcustomparts.com to see the parts I make for the W-Body cars. I have well over 500 satisfied customers......

there are no thru holes on the G8. There are 2 holes only in the top layer of the sheet metal only. it would take some serous fastening to be able to wedge the bolt into the partial hole and be able to not rip or deform the sheet metal.

mike
dms

[DRCUSTOMPARTS]

When you've been making things in a machine shop for 30+ years anything is possible. And just so you know, it's MUCH THICKER than sheet metal. Like I always say, if there's a will there's a way!

[BMR Tech]

When you've been making things in a machine shop for 30+ years anything is possible. And just so you know, it's MUCH THICKER than sheet metal. Like I always say, if there's a will there's a way!


Are you a sponsor of the site?

[Chewy]

Are you a sponsor of the site?

Not yet. If he starts trying to sell his products Charlie will have him get setup as a vendor.

Unlike boards we allow people to come here and talk before becoming a vendor. If those posts were in a thread you created we would have moved them.

Chris

[DRCUSTOMPARTS]

I haven't sold anything here, I don't even have a product for the G8. I have been making & selling parts for the GM W-Body cars for quite a few years though.

[GRRRR8]

All is well! Nobody get bent or panic.

[DRCUSTOMPARTS]

Charlie if you want me to become a vendor just let me know. I don't want to get anyone upset if they feel I'm not playing by the rules.

[GRRRR8]

All is well. Peace, love, doves, incense, tape decks and all that shit.

[Chewy]

All is well. Peace, love, doves, incense, tape decks and all that shit.


8 tracks man...

[Featherburner]

All is well. Peace, love, doves, incense, tape decks and all that shit.

http://ammaryasir.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/haight-hippie.jpg

[Rob@WretchedMS]

you guys are all freaks

[GeorgeInNePa]

http://i418.photobucket.com/albums/pp263/Ironic-Mike/flute.jpg

[GRRRR8]

Yes we have some issues for sure!

[GeorgeInNePa]

Charlie, I didn't know you could dance so well!


:rofl:

[DRCUSTOMPARTS]

And on one leg too! lol

[-Ray-]

Charlie, I didn't know you could dance so well!


:rofl:

Yeah, but we all knew he could play the flute. :zing:

[DRCUSTOMPARTS]

Ray, that's not a flute.....

[-Ray-]

Ray, that's not a flute.....

Yeah, and that's not Charlie either. What's your point? LOL

[dms]

http://i418.photobucket.com/albums/pp263/Ironic-Mike/flute.jpg

How did you get Rob's picture?? LOL

mike
dms

[GRRRR8]

Charlie, I didn't know you could dance so well!


:rofl:

I am a man of many talents. :)