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How to Install a KLA Industries strut brace in a 924

 
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Brockoli  



Joined: 06 Feb 2007
Posts: 621
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

PostPosted: Sat Jun 06, 2015 6:51 am    Post subject: How to Install a KLA Industries strut brace in a 924 Reply with quote

I bought a KLA industries strut brace for an early 944 in hopes of making it fit on my car. I just finished the install last night. The bar will fit if you cut out the old welds and tilt the lugs towards the front bumper. Below are some pictures of the process....

Step 1: remove all of the weld on one side. Only partially remove the weld on the front side of the lug (the side the bracket is tilted towards the front of the car). This way you can tilt the bracket forward and it will stay in the same place as the stock lug. This shouldnt change the alignment of the lug.

Step 2: tilt the lug forwards about 1" form its original location. Test fit with the strut bar to make sure everything will clear the intake manifold

Step 3: reweld the lug in the new position

Step 4: slightly file the rubber rib on the intake boot that the bar interferes with. Only a bit of the rubber rib has to be removed.

Step 5: Paint the lugs and install


Once installed it should be about 3/8" away from the intake manifold and slightly touching the rubber intake boot (fixed my filing away rib). The bar is slightly in the way for filing the engine with oil. I will have to use a funnel from now on or just unbolt the bar. I slightly pre tensioned the bar.

First driving impressions:
I have driven this car with the same suspension setup for a long time so any differences should be easily noticed. To be honest the change is not as dramatic as I thought it would be. I have only driven the car on the street so I haven't really leaned on the suspension yet. The car feels a bit more responsive but its not a huge difference. I got going pretty fast around a traffic circle and it felt a little crisper. Still not pushing as hard as I do on the track. I felt WAY more of a difference after I installed the springs, bilstiens and sway bar. I will update the driving experience once I hit the track. Maybe it will be more noticeable there. Definitely spend your money on springs/struts/sways first. I have new control arm bushings and upper strut mounts. All stock. I do not want to go solid mounts or solid bushings since I find the car harsh on the pothole roads of Edmonton.



Grinding out the weld
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Tilted lug
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Test fit
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Finished welds (I am not a welder lol)
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Painted and installed
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'80 924 M471,Wideband O2, Full coilover susp,23/19 sways,Bilstiens,KLA Strut Brace,Roll Bar,Test Pipe,BBS RS, Willwood BBK

25% of a '87 944 Chumpcar http://straightpipe.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=2454

'79 924 Sebring Edition(Sitting)
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Cedric  



Joined: 27 Aug 2004
Posts: 2600
Location: Sweden

PostPosted: Sat Jun 06, 2015 5:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Looks nice at least why did you expect such a difference? The flex between the front towers is tiiiiny compared to the flex in bushings etc, and springspring compliance is huge in comparison. On a super stiff race car the need of body stiffness is greater, the closer the springs roll stiffness comes to the body torsional stiffness the more problems you will have while setting up your race car..
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1980 924 Turbo
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Brockoli  



Joined: 06 Feb 2007
Posts: 621
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

PostPosted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 12:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

When you jack the car up and have the front wheels hanging you cannot remove the strut bar. So with only the wheels, suspension and brakes hanging (maybe 100lbs) the strut towers deflect. The weight on a wheel while cornering is much more than this. I agree that rubber bushings will deflect more than solid ones and racecars are more rigid but the strut towers probably still deflect with rubber suspension components
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'80 924 M471,Wideband O2, Full coilover susp,23/19 sways,Bilstiens,KLA Strut Brace,Roll Bar,Test Pipe,BBS RS, Willwood BBK

25% of a '87 944 Chumpcar http://straightpipe.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=2454

'79 924 Sebring Edition(Sitting)
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Rasta Monsta  



Joined: 12 Jul 2006
Posts: 11723
Location: PacNW

PostPosted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 1:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Brockoli wrote:
When you jack the car up and have the front wheels hanging you cannot remove the strut bar


Holy worn out tub, Batman.
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  • WeiBe (1987 924S 2.5t) - 931 S3
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