Your car NEEDS braces! Best mod ever!

all good info. and i have thought of doing some braces. but if i were to they would have to be welded in. just my .02
 
berserker6 said:
all good info. and i have thought of doing some braces. but if i were to they would have to be welded in. just my .02
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Thats is the way to go. Problem is like with the underhood braces if you have to remove a battery or work on the engine. They interfere
 
Yeah, I'm all for welding them together, but not welding them to the car itself- not the ones I posted pics of anyway. Look at that last one- welding it to the car would make it a royal PITA to work on your sway bar or steering linkage.
 
Adam Connell said:
Ok, there are not many things I have ever done to a car that provided "night and day" style results, but I can honestly say that after installing all of the Kirbans braces on my car.

This summer I installed new poly body bushings. This made a huge difference, but honestly it was not the difference I was hoping for. The car still had a slight "boat" feeling to it and still flexed more than I would have liked. Also the ride got "stiff" in a bad way with just the bushings alone.

I am still waiting on my under hood braces to show up, but I have installed the rear seat brace, the triangular braces, and the front connecting brace.

Once I started installing braces, the ride improved dramatically! I had no idea how much the body on this car was moving and how much the frame was flexing! After the bushings, I hated how the car felt... it was "bone jarring" and this is coming from someone who works in the monster truck industry... trust me, It was unpleasant.

Everything changed when I started installing braces though. I started out with the rear seat brace. It REALLY tied the rear end of the car together, Also the ride quality started to improve, and the car started to feel more like what I wanted. My next brace was the triangular front frame braces. HOLY COW! What a difference in ride quality and steering performance!! My next brace that I finally installed yesterday was the front connecting brace that ties the front frame together... I cannot put into words how much this brace improved the front end of the car. This car feels "better" than my room mates 02 Mustang GT with quite a bit of road race style suspension work. It no longer feels like a 3800lb lumbering giant, it feels like I have always wanted my car to feel! Even on drag radials, I have no issues with tossing this car into a turn on my otherwise stock/untouched suspension 118K mile GN(I have replacement shocks).


Now, I know a lot of people bash poly body bushings, I too was unhappy until I installed the proper bracing... Here's why.

Basically my theory is that the body/frame was flexing so much that is was simply not allowing the suspension to work. The car would flex to a point and then bind, and then the suspension would go to work. When the car "binds" it creates that harsh feel. Now that everything is tied together and the chassis is more stable, the suspension is finally allowed to do the job it was supposed to do. The ride is awesome now! I no longer regret the poly bushings, and I am actually considering going to solid aluminum 1/2in drop bushings this summer!!

The difference is alarming, but I can tell you that this is how the cars should have come from the factory. If you dont have the braces, then go buy them NOW, it is urgent and should be your next mod... After installing the braces, I realized that everything I have done to this car to make it more "fun to drive" was worthless without these braces. Im usually not this dramatic, but seriously if you dont have them, then go get them/make them!
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put a set of 16" wheels or bigger on it. i run gta wheels on mine and what a diffrence in handling.i could just imagine what handling would be like if i had all the braces you. just thought i would share:)
 
I put the jounce bars on mine and noticed the steering was tighter. At the same time I also did the X bars behind the rear seats.
 
Which rear seat brace is the best? The GNX style brace or the tubed cross braces like Kirban sells. Is one better than the other or are they about the same in performance just a different look?
 
I had my rear seat X-braces slowly loosen up over the past few months, I just re tightened them and once again, night and day!

I am really considering making my own set of rear seat braces, or modifying these. Im just not a fan of the single bolt holes... To me it appears way too easy for a single hole to flex, I think adding a second bolt hole, and possibly a backing plate would really improve their effectiveness.

I have also installed the core to firewall braces since I originally started this post. I am very pleased with them as well!
 
Pittsburghkid said:
Which rear seat brace is the best? The GNX style brace or the tubed cross braces like Kirban sells. Is one better than the other or are they about the same in performance just a different look?
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The tube style looks like crap from the trunk. I don't like all the bolts. The GNX goes in from the backseat. When it is installed, you cant really tell from the trunk. I tig-welded my GNX brace in so I got no bolts showing. Once it was sprayed to look like the rest of the trunk metal, you only know its there when you drive it. It is a great add-on.

Coach
 
hello people; I think anything welded is going to be more rigid than bolts. But I don't think if you bolted in a brace then took it out and welded in the other
you would feel a differance. But that stamped brace is new to me. I have the kirban one as I don't think the other was available when I bought it.
IBBY
 
Adam Connell said:
I have also installed the core to firewall braces since I originally started this post. I am very pleased with them as well!
Click to expand...

Where'd you get the firewall to core braces? Did they come in g-body cars or are they an after market piece? Where can i find them? Did you ever find the Grand Prix trunk braces?
 
Yes those the ones I thought were being talked about. I checked ebay but could not find any. And would those fit on a Turbo Regal? :confused: Is there enough clearance for them?
 
turbot3.8 said:
Yes those the ones I thought were being talked about. I checked ebay but could not find any. And would those fit on a Turbo Regal? :confused: Is there enough clearance for them?
Click to expand...

They can by found on late 70's Malibu's and late 70's monte carlos. I find that most of last have a bent tube on the passenger side for some reason (clearance?) And the driver is staight tube. But when I install a set on my 81 Cutlass diesel with a/c the bent part on the passenger side cleared everything easy. So I went and got another set. And put a staight tubes on the passenger and driver side. Look much cleaner.
 
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