Git Er Dun

I tried looking around and couldn't find anything. Does anyone know if there is a front shock tower brace made for C5's? The car in particular is a 99 Fixed Roof Coupe.

Here's an example of what I am looking for if you are unsure of what
I am looking for (obviously it is not on a C5 Vette):



I am adding Moton 3 way adjustable race shocks with dual rate springs and a bunch of Pfadt suspension stuff. I am just looking for some way to try to stiffen up the chassis short of putting in a full cage and didn't know if anyone made a bar for C5's. It looks like it could be done but it would take some work.

niteriderc5

No one makes them, fit issues would be the main concern...Really don't think the carneeds it either in the same way an Fbody or Rustang would. C5 chassis really improved over the C4 in terms of stiffness/torsional rigidity

C5-vette

I think you should mod the sentra some more

Git Er Dun

^^^Hahaha Tony. It was a fun night tonight...Boost and it would be set...

Yeah I can see the fitment issues but I would think that it could only help stiffen the chassis up...it might not NEED it but it still would be nice to have to help prevent the chassis from flexing and weakening over time.

niteriderc5

This ain't grandpas regal...the C5 had the stiffest chassis in the world when it debuted in 97. The C6 didn't improve as significantly over the C5 as it did over the C4 in that regard. Keep that in mind.

I'm the type of dude that would choose coilovers first over a cam or head swap... The last thing I'd ever complain about in my first C5 coupe or my current FRC is chassis strength.

Git Er Dun

While I agree with you on my FRC being years ahead of my C4 in chassis strenght I believe some background on my intentions is needed:

The car is a 99 FRC. It is getting a FULLY built 442ci LS7 that should be right about 600rwhp N/A. The suspension is all top of the line stuff and was purchased from a guy that ran it on a World Challenge C5Z. I am building the car to compete and hopefully place very well overall in the Cannonball Run: One Lap of America.

With that in mind I want the stiffest chassis I can get.

One reason I don't want to have to do the full cage is cutting up the inside/firewall of the car. I want to keep all the A/C stuff and that is on the firewall (engine bay side) where the cage bar would come through on the passenger side.

Another reason I don't want a full cage is while it may be the safest route to go on the track the car will still have to drive from track to track on public streets for the duration of the One Lap...Not only is that not the safest thing (unless we wore helmets the entire time) but it is also not the most legal thing...and trust me that would just be another ticket the cop could add to the pile of stuff not exactly "street legal" with the car.

Another reason is the weight of a cage. For Cannonball it is an anything goes, run what you brought race...the only rule is you need to be on DOT street tires (no R-compound DOT's) and start and finish the entire race on the same set of tires...That's it. If you want to build a carbon fiber twin turbo Viper that puts down 1200rwhp and you intend to go 180+mph through a turn wearing the 3 point factory belt...go right ahead it's your car and your life.

So in closing that is why if I could have a bar fabricated or buy an already done bar I could probably get away with just having front and rear shock tower bars instead of a full cage...the car will have a roll bar, seats, and 6 point cam-lock harnesses...I just would prefer to not have a full cage.

Git Er Dun

Well a lot of views but no products...I am guessing no one knows of any made for C5's but figured I would bump it up just to see if someone that knows of one maybe missed this thread.

davidfarmer

the frame rails are tied together, or apart as it is, solidly by the subframe (or cradle). Some World Challenge teams bolt a solid bar across the top of the frame rails to firm it up even more, but I think it is unnecessary. You have an enclosed hydroformed frame with solid front support, then add in the subframe. You can't compare this to a stamped unibody car like F-body shown.

I could see benefit of stiffening up the actualy shock mounts, especially if converting to coil-overs, but I don't really see any reason to tie them together across the car.......the frame rails are already very solid

Git Er Dun

I was hoping people like you, Aaron, Randy, LG...ect might know something out there or have advice on what to do. Thanks for the comment.

6SPEEDZ

I have heard of pieces to stiffen the shock mount but not a shock tower brace. You can stiffen the chassis up with a aftermarket tunnel plate. I think you are overly concerned about stiffness for a car that has to compete on real DOT tires. The loading on the chassis should be far less without being able to use sticky rubber.

Git Er Dun

You have a good point for the Cannonball having to run on DOT tires. I still think that with the Pfadt stuff and the Moton race shocks it should still handle pretty good even on DOT tires. I will eventually put it on non-DOT slicks sometime (The CCW's I have for the car have 305 Pirrelli race slicks on the front and 12.5inch Goodyear slicks on the rear. I used them last fall at the track and they were REALLY fast). I just want to get used to it only on the street tires we will be using on the One Lap. I probably will have a 305 or 315 front and a 345 rear. Maybe a 335 rear but probably a 345.

Anyone have an idea on who makes a good piece to stiffen the shock mount if there are no shock tower braces?

Keep the comments coming guys. Thanks -Eric

vettehardt

Sorry I don't know aobut the parts you want. I just wanted to say it is great that you want to run the One Lap. I will hopefully see you at the start/end of the event at the Tire Rack. I only live 20min from there and try to make both weekends if possible. Do you need a co-driver?

Git Er Dun

^^Thanks for the offer but I am actually going to do it with my Dad. He's been racing his C4 since I was in 6th grade and I have been racing since 16. MANY MANY hours spent under cars together so it will be great to do the Cannonball together.

The car builder did the Cannonball in his C4 and got 3rd overall and then the 2nd year he did it in a 600-650hp C5Z and got 2nd overall...so he knows what it will take to finish and place well in the race.

Zenak

i have seen full on 800hp road race vette without ever ever seeing a strut tower brace.


Upgrade your tie rods VBP, VBP poly bushings, moog ball joints & LG coil overs & better sways like the Pfadts NEW version pfatty. I have pfadts coil overs. THey work well, but for the same $$ the LG have the remote adjusters and are RED :-) J/K on the red, but overall the LG sports the products a bit better over the long haul.

I like my pfadt stuff, my entire suspension is, but it seems they keep makeing a new version of my old version part and then dont support the old version with replacements anymore. My 2 cents, nothing personal to Pfadt.

This will cease all your body roll, roll in these ars is form the crappy leaf spring/rubber bushins and weak as hell ball joints/tie rods!

0Randy@DRM

I would leave it alone until you build it into a true race car. The front shock tower has about .060 of total flex going toward the inside and a bit up and 180 from that, running a full slick with a heavy coilover rate. That small amount of flex isn't going to be worth the weight to try and correct it. The shock mounts about 1/2 above the chassis on a stock car. Unibody cars the strut tower is a foot or foot and half off the main "frame" which can lead to some flex, hence the million products to fix it.

Motor plates are the only real way of making that area of the chassis stronger with reducing flex. Motorplates are a pain in the butt.

Randy
PS please only use about 50 percent of the gas pedal when you are around me.

Git Er Dun

Thanks for the comments guys.

Hahaha Randy sounds good...my car will still have a radio and A/C so it won't be super fast...

vettehardt

That is what my dad and I plan to do in the future. We would love to run it in his 90 ZR-1. We would be out there just for the fun of it and not to try to be overall winner. We don't have that kind of money. It will be hard enough for us to come up with the cash to run it once. My dad started autocrossing his 65 when I was 2 years old and I have been going to the races since. I started driving my 73 the weekend after getting my liscense at 16. The cannonball will be a great week for us. Hope you and your dad do well.

Bill Dearborn

Raftracer has participated in a few One Laps to win. PM him for ideas on the cage, etc. Nothing like the voice of experience giving you some pointers about the event you want to enter.

Bill