bracing question

[cdg1984]

I just got done reading the thread by Shotgun about f41 aftermarket bracing. Im still a little bit confused about the jounce bars. Do they go underneath the car, and bolt/weld to the frame? Reason im asking is because im going to be working on my front suspension and brakes soon, and i figured ill try to add some bracing while im down there. Is there any other bracing up front other than the firewall core support, the fender to radiator ones, and the ones that criss cross in front of the radiator? Excuse my ignorance, but this is foreign territory to me. Also if you have any other pics than the ones in the thread, it would be appreciated also. Thanks!!

 

[FE3X CLONE]

I just got done reading the thread by Shotgun about f41 aftermarket bracing. Im still a little bit confused about the jounce bars. Do they go underneath the car, and bolt/weld to the frame?

They bolt to the frame. You can see them in this picture of the underside of my car. They bolt to the engine crossmember and then bolt to the frame near the core support:

Is there any other bracing up front other than the firewall core support,

There's no brace at the firewall. Not sure what your describing here.

the fender to radiator ones, and the ones that criss cross in front of the radiator? Excuse my ignorance, but this is foreign territory to me. Also if you have any other pics than the ones in the thread, it would be appreciated also. Thanks!!

Essentially you have the Fender to core support braces, the "jounce" bars shown above, there's also the Grand prix front frame brace that bolts in the same location as where the jounce bars bolt to and runs underneith the radiator/core support.
Then you can add the rear seat bracing as well as a rear frame brace that bolts to the bumper shock mounts.


Here's a better picture of the front end pieces:

You can see the jounce bars and the aftermarket Grand Prix style brace bolted in. The other brace that I have bolted to the front frame horns is an only frame brace I made before I found a GP style brace.

Here's a picture of the rear frame brace I made years ago. Need to make another one as I drilled holes in this one for other stuff.

Here you can see the fender to core support braces:

These aren't necessarily what a stock G-body brace looks like as I made these myself but they are similar. In fact, they are pretty simple to make yourself if you have a bench vise and drill bit.

 

[cdg1984]

Wow thanks FE3X, that was very helpful, espically with the pictures (im more of a visual learner) Nevermind about the firewall, i was confused. With the jounce bars and GP bar, are there any issues bolting them in the same same spot? Does the radiator need to be removed or engine pulled to install either of them? P.S. your car looks REALLY nice.

 

[outsider_27]

There were firewall to core support braces, but only on Monte Carlos from 78-80. They can be installed along with the fender to core support braces. Find the thick fender to core support braces from the 78-80? cars, not the wire thin ones from the later models.

 

[shotgun]

What he said^

Here are the firewall braces viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10783&hilit=+brace

 

[FE3X CLONE]

Ahh, forgot about those.

To be honest, I think the firewall brace is a bit overkill. In fact I think the fender to core support braces are a bit overkill too but they are easy enough to fabricate.

I never really saw the point in bracing the fenders since they're technically not a structural part of the chassis. It does make the front sheetmetal tighter but I don't see it doing anything for the handling of the car. Not like adding the bracing to the frame does.

 

[FE3X CLONE]

With the jounce bars and GP bar, are there any issues bolting them in the same same spot?

No, you just may need longer bolts. Easy enough to pickup at your local Ace Hardware or other hardware store. I forget what size I used off hand but think they were either M10 or M12 flange head bolts and nuts.

Does the radiator need to be removed or engine pulled to install either of them?

Nope. The only issue I've heard about is if your using an original GM GP brace, then the bend tends to hit the jounce bars and its hard to get lined up. Apparently though it depends on what the bar was on. Some GP's had a different bend in them for some reason?
The aftermarket brace bolts in without any problems at all.

P.S. your car looks REALLY nice.

Thanks!

 

[cdg1984]

Thanks for all the replies guys!! 🙂

So they make aftermarket bracing? Thats really helpful since g's are slim to none in the yards around here. You dont know who sells it do you? Dont go searching around for me, just wondering if you knew off the top of your head.

 

[outsider_27]

http://www.kirbanperformance.com/produc ... ?cur_pos=0

You can get the jounce bars, rear seat braces, and GP bar here.

 

[cdg1984]

cool, thanks a lot man!