Installation issue with Steeda front strut tower brace on my '01 Cobra

JPuehl

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I recently installed a Steeda 3-point front strut tower brace in my ’01 Cobra and ran into a fitment issue and I’m trying to determine the cause of the issue. I followed the instructions which say to make sure all the mounting points fit flush against the car, drill the holes and bolt in place. I had no problem doing this as everything aligned up and fit flush as indicated. I then tried to install the support plate behind the firewall and was not able to because there is a support brace for the windshield wiper arm attachment point for the passenger side wiper, in the way. To clear the brace, which is not mentioned in the installation instructions, I had to lower the attachment point about 1 ½” causing the mounting points on the strut tower to no longer align. The section of the brace mount that connects to the front of the tower now has a gap as about ¼”. I redrilled all the holes, bolted it into place but filled the gap on the front of the strut tower with 3 to 4 fender washers. I brought this is Steeda attention to which they replied that my car probably “settled” over the years, they use a jig to make the brace and that the stack of washers should work fine from a performance standpoint. I don’t like the stack of fender washers as a solution and will probably make a filler plate out of ¼” thick aluminum. I also disagree that my car “settled” to the point that both strut towers moved back the same amount of ¼” without affect any attaching panels or panel gaps, like fender to door for example.



What I’m trying to find out is if the brace for the passenger side windshield wiper is a “revision” to the chassis that Steeda should take into consideration? Does anyone with a ’01 Cobra have this same brace? If so, was there fitment issues like what I described? Does anyone know if prior years had or didn’t have this brace? I feel that since it wasn’t mentioned in their installation instructions, they were not aware of it. As a note I don’t want anything from Steeda other than if this is an issue with the bar it’s brought to their attention.
 

95opal

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How did you lower the rear mounting point. It sits flush on the firewall and right above the pinch weld. An 1.5" would be below the pinchweld.
 
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JPuehl

JPuehl

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Right now the bottom of the bracket on the back side of the fire sits on the top of the pinch weld, but originally when I had it oriented so the 90* brackets that attach to the strut tower sat flat on top and front side, the firewall bracket was about 1.5" higher. I lower the firewall bracket and that changed how the 2 brackets sit because now the entire brace is more level. The pivot point is right at the 90* bend in the tower brackets so as the back of the bar moved down the pivot point didn't move and the sections of the bracket pointing down tilted forward causing the gap.
 

95opal

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Right now the bottom of the bracket on the back side of the fire sits on the top of the pinch weld, but originally when I had it oriented so the 90* brackets that attach to the strut tower sat flat on top and front side, the firewall bracket was about 1.5" higher. I lower the firewall bracket and that changed how the 2 brackets sit because now the entire brace is more level. The pivot point is right at the 90* bend in the tower brackets so as the back of the bar moved down the pivot point didn't move and the sections of the bracket pointing down tilted forward causing the gap.

So your original placement was wrong. The way it is currently sitting is correct. Are you sure they sent you the correct brace? Has the car ever been hit? Ive had a couple of steeda braces on different cars and never had an issue. There quality and fitment on anything ive everr bought from them is top notch. Id say one of the best companies out there.
 
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JPuehl

JPuehl

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Yes, based on the final installation location the first attempt was incorrect. The car has never been in an accident. I was in contact with Rod from Steeda when I ordered the bar as it is a made-to-order part, so I know I ordered the correct brace. I followed the instructions on their website which makes no specific mention of how the rear part of the brace needs to line up on the firewall, only making sure that the "end brackets are flat against the strut tower and firewall", which they were in my first attempt. I'm not suggesting that the quality from Steeda is the issue only that perhaps the bar does fit all "03-04 Mach 1 & 99-01 Cobra" as the wiper brace is in the way and why I'm asking if this brace is on other 99-01 Cobra's.

1665701183398.png

Also if you look at the installtion instructions you'll see the bar is not placed/resting/aligned on the pinch weld but rather quit a bit higher like in my original attempt:
1665701739061.png

My bar is aligned right on top of the pinch weld:
1665701831066.jpeg
 
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JPuehl

JPuehl

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And here's a picture on the back side of the firewall showing the braces bracket and the wiper mount bracket. In the installation instructions the wiring harness is able to fit below the bar and attach to it's original brackets and with the placement of the bar in my bar it can't, which is not a big deal just doesn't match up with the instructions.
1665702595885.png
 

lwarrior1016

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That’s odd. The factory strut brace bolts down to the pinch weld. I can’t imagine why steeda would move that point up. Not saying you’re wrong, just saying it’s odd.
 

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