The Merkur Encyclopedia

Rear Shock Tower Brace


I took a test drive with JUST the rear brace.

BIG difference. What I thought was the rear suspension working turns out to be the rear shock towers working (flexing)! I will now need to drop my rear shock settings down to medium.

It feels like there are three shocks at each rear corner now!!

Maybe you won't care about it on the street, but for hard driving I think it is a must.

What Neil and I both commented on was when you fit the bar you notice how much the shock towers move EASILY when adjusting the bar up. I'm guessing I saw 3/16" or maybe 1/4" movement? Yikes. You can't move them like this by hand of course, but with the leverage that the thread provides on the bar it is easy. But still, I was just turning the bar with my thumb and forefinger, and exerting minimal effort.


Any movement of the shock towers will reduce the effectiveness of the shocks.
This brace will stiffen the rear shock towers.
The angle iron is available for about $5.

This figure shows the angle installed on the shock tower.

 


Lister Comments:

1) I used 1 1/4" angle iron rather than 1 1/2" - works just fine, but be
careful not to position the holes too close to the apex of the 90 degree
angle or you won't have enough clearance for the nut. Just center the
holes in the angle iron.

2) The short end of a "typical L-shaped" Allen wrench worked well to hold
the shock in place when removing the bolt (it's a clearance issue, easily
understood once you get in there).

3) Reversing the direction of the bolt will make it possible to remove
the angle-iron brace without removing the bolt from the shock. This
might be an issue if you needed the full space that the hatch-back
provides and the brace is in the way.

 


NEWS FLASH (AP) --- The American Angle Iron Association (AAIA)has just announced a mysterious and nearly total depletion of all stock piles of 1/8" x 1 and 1/4" x 1 and 1/4" x 48" angle iron. The apparent buy-out of these stocks has taken place in the past week. AAIA officials express great puzzlement as to the reasons for the depleted supplies and are worried about the serious and negative consequences. The federal government has been alerted and an unidentified high-ranking official of the Department of Defense has suggested that the run on angle iron could be detrimental to the nation's defense. The FBI and the Office of the Independent Counsel (K. Starr) have been asked to investigage.

NEWS FLASH (AP) --- The National Association of State Highway Patrols has reported an increase of bizzare driving behavior by owners of a now defunct Mercury import known as the Merkur XR4Ti. The vehicle is a European built sports sedan known for its renegade cultish following. Highway patrolmen and women report observing these vehicles taking high speed turns under all sorts of conditions that, in most other cars, would be nearly impossible. The apparent sophistication of the vehicles' rear suspension system has made it impossible in the state of California for CHP Mustangs to track down and ticket the drivers. One CHP officer remarked, "Geez...it's as if that guy has those rear struts really strapped down. It's really embarassing, I'll tell ya. I know those XR nuts are putting in all kinds of VAMS and ECU chips and stuff, but what in Pete Wilson's name are they doing with that rear suspension???" The FBI and the Office of the Independent Counsel have been asked to investigate.

 

Coincidence? I think not.

Bruce in Santa Barbara (putting on Allan's rear strut brace this weekend. Tee hee)