Home Made Shock Tower Brace

[Cranius Maximus]

Being cheap provides opportunities to make things for your toys. Seeing what Arrma was selling as a shock tower brace got my mind saying "Really???? A crappy little curved bar with two mount holes? I can make one." I said that I would do a step by step for it when I did it too. Full disclosure: I am a aircraft sheet metal mechanic by trade so this type of work is easy for me.

Tools needed:

• Calipers would make this easier but a ruler or tape measure will work.
• Drill, #30 or 1/8" drill bit and a 5/16" drill bit
• Dremel tool with cut off wheel and rotary file
• Something round around 1 1/2" in diameter for left and right radius
• Pencil or fine point sharpie

Verify your dimensions before committing to hole locations.
The material needed is available at Lowes/Home Depot or other home improvement stores.

 

[Cranius Maximus]

Left over metal that I found in our scrap bin at work

A quick layout of 2 1/8" + 1/4" on each side means that overall length will be 2 5/8" total but if you miss the 2 1/8" between shock mounts cutting is pointless

The centerline created by these two holes gives your reference for your next two holes which on my Granite was 3/16". These holes are for a structural pass through and they are 1" apart centered on the new part.

The two holes in the center will finish at 5/16" so if you missed the dimension, you can get it back by pulling the holes as you open them up. This is where you cut your part to length and cut out the radii. The lower leg should be no wider than 1" so it clears the chassis structure. The round object mentioned in the required tools comes into play here. The cutouts prove the clearance required to clear and believe it or not add strength to the part by adding a curve instead of an angle.

This part was fabricated for my coworker "dashdontbesilent" who just happens to be a somewhat entertaining Clemson Tiger fan. I didn't have a tiger paw but I did have some orange reflective tape and a crafty wife who cut some 1/4" vinyl lettering for me. Not bad even if I do say so myself....

 

[WoodiE]

Very nice @Cranius Maximus thanks for sharing!

 

[Cranius Maximus]

I found another interesting piece of aluminum extrusion in our scrap bin today. T-bone? I don't need no stinking T-bone....I will build an all aluminum bumper and will post pics and a possible step by step for those who are bold enough to be cheap. As a bonus, the added weight should keep the nose on the ground when I get better tires.