So before we begin, here is the final product:
Now, things you will need are:
Plate Steel ( I used 1/8" )
Steel tubing, square or round ( I used 1" round tube )
Thin cardboard/tagboard
Access to a grinder, welder and something to cut plate metal ( like a plasma cutter )
Optional: Paint, sandpaper
Step 1:
Using your cardboard, cut out a template to fit on your 2 inner strut tower bolts. The way i did it, was poke the 2 holes with an awl (the holes are 4.5" away from one another) then fit it on there, and shape it with a razor blade. It should look like this once its on there:
Note: play around with the shape until you like it
Step 2:
You will need to trace your template twice (the opposite tower is identical, but flipped) onto your plate metal, and cut it out. make sure you cut it outside the line a bit, so you have room to work with.
you will want to size it up, make sure it looks correct.
Step 3:
Next you need to drill your holes, since you had holes in your template, they should be marked on the metal already. I took my awl and gave the center for each hole a little tap, so that my bit would stay put.
You want to work progressively with your bits, start with a small bit and work you way up, remember small bits work best when they are spinning fast, larger ones work better a a slower rate.
you can see i used a large variety of sizes:
once your holes are drilled, they should be a bit bigger then the bolts (to allow you to set it on there when its welded, because the towers are slanted inward)
A tip to cleaning up metal shavings, is get a paper towel and wrap it around a magnet, hover over the shavings until they stick to the towel:
then simply go to the trash and trow away the paper.
Set your now drilled piece on there (remove the nuts first), remember it will not slide down yet, because the raised pat of the tower is in the way.
Do not try to force it. Do the same for the other side.
Step 4:
Next bit you will need your grinder, you can use a grinder like this one:
or if you don't have one handy, even a table grinder should work.
Grind the inner edge first until it fits around the raised part of the tower, then roughly clean up the outer edge.
do the same for the other side as well.
Step 5:
Next part is the tubing. First get your tube:
Measure the length between your mounts (mock them up on the car) and cut your tube a bit fat, you can use a hacksaw or a cutting blade for your grinder to do this. (i cut at 38.5")
if you are using round tubing, and want to pinch the edges, use a vice, it works very well:
It should end up looking like this:
Depending how far up the mount you will be welding the tube, you may need to bend the pipe, its easy to do, using 2 pieces of wood and have a friend help you. It should end up looking like this:
Now, lay it on the mounts to mock up how it will look:
Pretty simple!
Step 6:
The is the fun part, welding! So, first thing, since your tube is mocked up on there, you need to tack weld the tubing down while its still on the car:
(you may need a friend to hold the bar in place for your first side)
should look something like this:
now that you are all ready, go ahead and weld around the seams.
Don't forget to weld the underside as well (it gets the most flex):
It should look similar to this at this point:
Now, it is pretty much done, if you want to paint it...
Brush off any slag, grind out imperfections, sand well, paint as desired.
It looks good.
Bolt on to your car!
I also painted the nuts that bolt it on, but thats just me.
I hope you enjoyed the tutorial, and post pictures if you follow it!
[DIY] Making Your Own Front Strut Bar
1993 Toyota Corolla
Linear Mode
