How to make a strut tower bar using a factory AW11 MR2 unit

[SynthDesign]

I know it could be done. I just need an hour with out disruption.
So to start, You'll need a dremel, a grinder, a wire wheel and a light duty welder ( I used my $120 sears MIG)
And a front strut tower bar out of an AW11 MR2, 1985 to 1989. The sunroof storage type will not work. See bottom picture if unsure of what to look for.

Use a dremel and cut off wheel to cut out the old 5 welds. You only need to cut about 3/4 of the way through, the last bit can be broken apart with a pry bar(won't damage the bar by cutting through). Once seperated, clean the bar and mount of any old welds.

cut welds.jpg

bar cut and clean.jpg

Cut 2 1/8 inches off the side you just removed the mount from. You can measure this yourself if you'd like. I measured four times between 3 different tercels before I cut it.

Mount the bar on the struts, remember to put washers underneath the bar so it doesn't bind on the tower tops. Tack weld it in place.

bar test.jpg

This was a test fit to make sure there's no hood clearance issues. Major space.

bar hood clearance.jpg

Remove and finish welding.

Paint

So far I'm not 100% sure it will clear the factory carb but the Weber has loads of room. Waiting for my roommate to get home with his rig to check that.Shouldn't be a problem because it looks like plenty of room.

bar in car w weber.jpg

carb clearance.jpg

To compare the AW11(bottom) to T4WD strut tower bar (Top)

aww11 to t4wd comp.jpg

And yes,... I may make a few extra if I can find any more strut tower bars.

[ARCHINSTL]

Clever ! ! ! And great write-up!
I have to ask, though (and your usage is not like mine!) - in normal, everyday, mixed suburbia/highway driving - will this (or a similar bar) make a noticeable difference? Does the T4WD front flex that much?
Tom M.

[SynthDesign]

So buzz kill. It's about an 1/4" off and hitting the factory carb hat. A little hammering might fix that.

As for the bar making a difference on the street??? YES!

I installed it on The General this weekend for some city driving. It's noticeably different. I know Petros mentioned how flexy the strut towers are but I had no idea. Below 20mph, it wasn't very noticeable. After my first 30+ MPH turn, I started to notice the differences. Weight transfer of the front wheels feels more stable and has more of a defined point before the tires loose traction. Before the tercel felt a little washy and loose under hard turn in and counter steer was slow and awkward. With the bar there is a definable transition point. I'm sure the 14" tires help too. I'm really looking forward to seeing how some 15's feel with a 50 series tires.

[Petros]

yes, it does. In normal driving you will not really notice, but the real value I think is in either 1) emergency maneuvers/braking, and 2) prolong the life of the chassis. The constant flexing causes the welds to fatigue and crack, allows moisture in, and larger more serious cracks will develop. By making it flex less, it means there will be less cracking, less rust, etc.

I have met Tecrel4wd owners that have drive half a million miles on theirs, and some day it might be common to get a million miles. Not likely that is going to happen with a cracking and flexing uni-body frame.

Also, crash safety is improved with a slightly stiffer forebody.

[ARCHINSTL]

OK - Thanks for the answers - guess I gotta think about this; it would be kinda cool to, among other things, better my 'times' on some favorite tight sweeper curves and interstate entry ramps . Guess I gotta call around to some JYs for '85-'89 AW11s.
...I wonder - do current young owners of those cars put on fancy anodized, adjustable versions, so some OEs may be available from them?

Mentioning the flex - what popped through my mind is just that - flexing leads to fatigue. And I'm presuming that is definitely not limited to our little guys. I wonder - do all/any manufacturers do research on how long a body shell will last, considering this sole criterion? In this day and age, given measurements of flex, it would seem easy to predict the life of a shell (excluding other factors like damage and rust and power, etc.).
Tom M.

[Petros]

when I had one of my early jobs as an engineer in the industry, and I worked with engineers from GM, Ford and Chrysler, I had a discussion about this issue. I said I thought the engineering departments were incompetent at the US car makers. My supervisor who had worked at Ford (and was one of the sharpest engineers I had ever met) said "they know exactly how the car will handle, ride, and how long it will last before they even build the first proto-type". And it made me hate the US car makers even more. Before I thought it was incompetence that caused that, now I knew they designed the cars that way on purpose!

Steel has a very predictable fatigue life, and most US cars start getting squeaky and rattly in about 100k miles (it used to be less). Wide quality control tolerances will make that vary from car to car quite a lot. Just not true with the Toyota and many other Japan made cars, I have that happening on my TErcel4wd after almost 300k hard miles on gravel roads.

[SynthDesign]

Little side note before everyone gets all amped to make one. I'm running a 10mm cross-member spacers and AE86 engine mounts. The other tercels that I tested it on had worn sagged engine mounts or were mod'ed.

I'm worried about fitment in other tercels. There's a possibility that the distributor or fuel lines could rub. Rubbin's a NO-NO. I've got a few other people to try it on and other ideas. It works for me.... Also love that it looks factory!