New strut bar

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SirNik83
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Posts: 237
Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2005 5:48 pm
My tercel:: 1983 SR5 4WD, Custom Paint Job, MR2 Wheels, Pistol Grip Shifter
Location: Sacramento CA or Kelseyville CA

New strut bar

Post by SirNik83 »

Its been a while since I posted, but I got a new phone with a great camera so I took pics of my work today and wanted to share.
I've had a modified MR2 strut bar on my car for years. I also have a weber and the small air cleaner so it all fits nice under the hood. Some time back I modified the stock air cleaner to fit on the weber. But it didn't fit on the car with the strut bar in place. I thought about modifying the MR2 bar again, but then decided it was best to make a new one from scratch. I found a rusty old piece of 3/16 plate in my dads junk pile so thats where I started. I traced the MR2 mounting holes, but mirror imaged where the bar would connect to them so the bar would move back away from the carb.
These are the plates I came up with:
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I slotted the mounting holes with a rat tail file. All of this was built with basic hand tools, angle grinders, cordless drill and a welder.
This shows how the new plate will place the bar farther back
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I bent the plates in the vice to get the angels similar to the old MR2 bar.
I then notched the tube with a hand file so it would sit in on the plates and not roll.
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Here is the bar just sitting on the plates
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Tack welded into place in the car.
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I made up some pie wedges of tube and welded them to the ends of the main tube as my main contact points to the plates.
Here you can see it compared to the MR2 bar.
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Welded the bar solid to the plates
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Then added gussets
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And here is the final fitting in the car.
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Here is the final product compared to the MR2 bar.
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And here is my reaction to a job well done :mrgreen:
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My first car was a Tercel, and I'm still driving a Tercel, some people say I need an Intervention.
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ARCHINSTL
Goldie Forever
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My tercel:: Goldie is a 1986 SR5 attualmente con Weber/also owned the first T4WD in STL in late '82
Location: Kirkwood, a 'burb of St. Louis

Re: New strut bar

Post by ARCHINSTL »

+ + + !
T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"
"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
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garyfish
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My tercel:: 1985 Tercel SR5, stock; 1987 T4WD DLX wagon, manual tranny
Location: North Coastal California

Re: New strut bar

Post by garyfish »

Kudos!!

And a very nice photo log of the project!

I too have been unhappy w/ my modified MR2 strut bar. Would you entertain the thought of producing a couple of the new improved strut bars and selling to Forum members? (hint, hint) 8)
1985 Tercel SR5 4WD wagon, 300K
1987 Tercel DLX 4WD wagon, 6-speed manual, 274K -- got this one running Jan. 2015 (had been sitting for 2 years); this has been my daily driver since 2016
SirNik83
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Posts: 237
Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2005 5:48 pm
My tercel:: 1983 SR5 4WD, Custom Paint Job, MR2 Wheels, Pistol Grip Shifter
Location: Sacramento CA or Kelseyville CA

Re: New strut bar

Post by SirNik83 »

I wouldn't be apposed to making another one, or a couple more if I had the time. I wouldn't be able to get to making another one for a couple weeks. My carb is pieces. I'm waiting on parts before she goes back together. This one took me 3hrs to make. Now that I've made one I'm sure doing it again would go a bit faster. I'll talk to my guy I get steel from and get the cost for more materials. I actually had a lot of fun making this thing. If there is anyone else interested let me know. If I could make a couple more I'd be willing to spend the day making them. I'll post back after talking to my steel guy about material cost.

grayfish, looks like you're close enough to me if I make you one we could meet up. No shipping lol
My first car was a Tercel, and I'm still driving a Tercel, some people say I need an Intervention.
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garyfish
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My tercel:: 1985 Tercel SR5, stock; 1987 T4WD DLX wagon, manual tranny
Location: North Coastal California

Re: New strut bar

Post by garyfish »

SirNik, thanks for the reply.

PM being sent your way.
1985 Tercel SR5 4WD wagon, 300K
1987 Tercel DLX 4WD wagon, 6-speed manual, 274K -- got this one running Jan. 2015 (had been sitting for 2 years); this has been my daily driver since 2016
The Professor
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My tercel:: 1987 Tercel SR5 4WD wagon
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Re: New strut bar

Post by The Professor »

Does your blue strut bar clear the factory air cleaner? Willing to sell me that modified MR2 bar?
1975 Subaru SuperStar wagon
1984 Subaru Turbo-Traction wagon & hardtop
1987 Subaru RX 3-door
1987 Subaru RX Type-RA 3-door
1987 Toyota Tercel SR5 wagon
1999 Subaru Forester S
2002 Subaru WRX sedan
2019 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited
SirNik83
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Posts: 237
Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2005 5:48 pm
My tercel:: 1983 SR5 4WD, Custom Paint Job, MR2 Wheels, Pistol Grip Shifter
Location: Sacramento CA or Kelseyville CA

Re: New strut bar

Post by SirNik83 »

Blue bar is the MR2 bar, just a couple inches shorter. It diesn't clear the stock air cleaner. The air clearer is back a to far by about 1"
My first car was a Tercel, and I'm still driving a Tercel, some people say I need an Intervention.
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ARCHINSTL
Goldie Forever
Posts: 6369
Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2005 1:52 pm
My tercel:: Goldie is a 1986 SR5 attualmente con Weber/also owned the first T4WD in STL in late '82
Location: Kirkwood, a 'burb of St. Louis

Re: New strut bar

Post by ARCHINSTL »

SirNik83 - I have a Weber with the small air cleaner. If no one else has prior dibs, I would be interested in the MR2 bar, depending on the freight from Sacramento/Kelseyville to St. Louis.
Thanks,
Tom M.
T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"
"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
SirNik83
Top Notch Member
Posts: 237
Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2005 5:48 pm
My tercel:: 1983 SR5 4WD, Custom Paint Job, MR2 Wheels, Pistol Grip Shifter
Location: Sacramento CA or Kelseyville CA

Re: New strut bar

Post by SirNik83 »

Here is my final set up with the strut bar installed and the "stock" ait cleaner installed.
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I took a few pictures of the air cleaner. I cut out pretty much all the steel inside the filter and welded in a new piece with the cut out for the weber. Its kind of a patch work of pieces, not my best welding, but the steel the air cleaner is made of is not fun to weld to.
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Here is another picture of the bar and air cleaner plenty of space.
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I thought some of you might find this interesting. These are air cleaner mounts for my Mercedes 300SD. They are 6x1.0 thread on ether end of a rubber cylinder. bolted right up to the tercel's valve cover and air cleaner.
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My first car was a Tercel, and I'm still driving a Tercel, some people say I need an Intervention.
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garyfish
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My tercel:: 1985 Tercel SR5, stock; 1987 T4WD DLX wagon, manual tranny
Location: North Coastal California

Re: New strut bar

Post by garyfish »

VERY nice work Nik... eye-catching as well as fully functional !!



BTW, what brand and/or model of radiator is that? I don't recognize it.
1985 Tercel SR5 4WD wagon, 300K
1987 Tercel DLX 4WD wagon, 6-speed manual, 274K -- got this one running Jan. 2015 (had been sitting for 2 years); this has been my daily driver since 2016
SirNik83
Top Notch Member
Posts: 237
Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2005 5:48 pm
My tercel:: 1983 SR5 4WD, Custom Paint Job, MR2 Wheels, Pistol Grip Shifter
Location: Sacramento CA or Kelseyville CA

Re: New strut bar

Post by SirNik83 »

Its a Mitsimoto for a 240SX

https://www.mishimoto.com/nissan-240sx- ... 94-ka.html

I had to relocate the bottom mount holes and make custom mounts for the top.
The bottom i made out of some 2" flat bar. I made it the size of the radiator so there is additional protection for the radiator.
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My first car was a Tercel, and I'm still driving a Tercel, some people say I need an Intervention.
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: New strut bar

Post by Petros »

nice radiator, costly, but looks rad.

I am more practical, so it seems a waste on a small eight valve head engine. I never had any cooling issues with the factory sized double row radiator, but of course, it is rather boring and unimaginative.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
SirNik83
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Posts: 237
Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2005 5:48 pm
My tercel:: 1983 SR5 4WD, Custom Paint Job, MR2 Wheels, Pistol Grip Shifter
Location: Sacramento CA or Kelseyville CA

Re: New strut bar

Post by SirNik83 »

I took the car to the desert 2 years in a row, took it off road. Both years I ended up popping the head gasket. After doing head gaskets like it was regular maintenance I decided if I wanted to abuse the car I should beef up the cooling system. Originally I went to the wrecking yard and measured radiators and where there hoses connected and hose sizes. I came home with the radiator for the 240SX. Fit perfect. But there was only 1 240SX the wreckers in my area, and the radiator I got for it was no good. But knowing it fit I then started looking at buying a new radiator for a 240SX. Then I started doing the "well if your gonna spend over 100 you could spend 200 for an aluminum one." I totally got sucked down the rabbit hole. Finally I talked to a friend who helps his friend race a 240SX. He suggested the Mitsimoto. At that point I felt the Tercel earned something nice after me beating up on it. :D

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My first car was a Tercel, and I'm still driving a Tercel, some people say I need an Intervention.
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: New strut bar

Post by Petros »

nice picture of your Tercel4wd, Panamint Valley?

have you done the head gasket mod I outline over in my Head Gasket procedure? should help even out the cooling in the head.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
SirNik83
Top Notch Member
Posts: 237
Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2005 5:48 pm
My tercel:: 1983 SR5 4WD, Custom Paint Job, MR2 Wheels, Pistol Grip Shifter
Location: Sacramento CA or Kelseyville CA

Re: New strut bar

Post by SirNik83 »

Yes! used your write up when doing my head gasket. I have it bookmarked on my garage computer 8)

The picture is from Black Rock Desert. I took it on an off road trip with my friends, I ran that car up and down High Rock Canyon and then down the east side of BLD to Black Rock Hot Springs. Then we drove across the playa and home. I'm not sure when I killed the radiator, but half way through the trip my coolant level slowly started going down. On the way home over the Sierra is when I blew the radiator and the head gasket :(
My first car was a Tercel, and I'm still driving a Tercel, some people say I need an Intervention.
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