Rear strut tower dimensions

I dont really know where this thread best fits, so i figured id be safe and put it here. Maybe the Mods can move it to technical if it's worthy.

Kind of a random question, but does anyone know the dimensions of the rear strut tower where the shock mounts in? How far apart the two mounting holes for the strut are, the size of those holes, possibly even how tall those studs in the strut are, etc. My rear suspension is lower that my front due to the P.O.'s brilliant choice of different lowering springs in the rear than in the front /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif, and in order to be cost sffective and keep my fairly nice suspension in there, I am trying to build a spacer that I will put between the strut and where it mounts to the chassis. I may just end up pulling my setup apart and measuring it myself, but I figured I'd hop on here and see if anyone could make it easier on me.

Thanks

 

[belize1334]

I can measure it tonight when I get home. I've got an extra set lying around. IIRC they're m12 studs and they stick up probably an inch past the end of the nut so you could probably make your spacer as much as an inch thick. This might also make your struts happy since they're likely made for a DSM which has a shorter rear spring that the GVR4.

 

Sweet, thanks.

I was mainly planning on making the car look a little better, but i guess if i can extend the life of my struts while im at it i won't complain. I hate the "squatting" look me car has all the time. I have a rear strut bar so i might have to get a little creative with the mount if im uncomfortable with the teeth left in that nut, but ill deal with that if the time comes.

 

[belize1334]

Honestly, I don't think that rear strut bars are as important for the GVR4 as for DSMs. Their rear struts are in the cabin where ours are in the trunk and are connected by the seat-back which has a several degrees of support. If it were me I'd make it ride the way you want and if your rear bar no-longer works then sell it and put a few bones in your pocket.

The studs are just m10x1.25 and are 15/16" tall so you don't have as much room for the spacer as you thought. But, they appear to be pressed in so you could probably pop them out and replace them with taller studs.

They are separated by 4 3/8" center to center. The dome is centered between them and is 2 3/16" wide.

The load bearing (mating) surface is roughly oval shaped and measures 5 1/2" along the major axis and just under 4 1/2" along the minor axis. The edges are rounded and smooth.

 

Thanks for the dimensions.

I kinda figured those studs wouldn't be tall enough, but i have an idea to get around that. Here is a rough idea drawn up in CAD of what im thinking. The studs are going to come up into one of the sets of holes, and the nuts will drop down into those counterbores and mount the spacer to the strut. Then ill put new bolts through the other holes, and weld the heads into the bottom so they stick up like a stud would. Might be a little more machining, but then ill be able to get any height i want and not have to worry about anything.

 

[belize1334]

Could work. But at what point does the time investment start to be more expensive than just getting a different set of springs for the back of the car?

 

Yea, could prove to be quite a project. The only reason im really considering it is that i can most likely get the material for free, and i can definitely machine it all for free. It may take some time, but it not like its preventing my car from running. Ill probably just work on it as i have time, and when they are done toss them in.

I also am not 100% sure what the drop on the current springs is so i wouldn't really know what new springs to buy to get the ride height the way i want it. What springs are most people running? all i can seem to find is H&R sets.

 

[belize1334]

Well the nice thing about H&R is that there are two bound coils when installed so they basically come too long and then you can cut some spring out without changing the way they ride...

If you build a spacer that uses the original studs and then uses another set of studs for the top mounting then you'll have to raise the car by 1" minimum or the studs won't be flush below the face of the spacer. I'd seriously consider whether you want to raise the car by that much. On the other hand, if you just replace the studs that are on there with longer ones then you can have them pass clean through the spacer in which case you can raise the car by as much or little as you want.

 

The back of my car sits probably at least an inch below the front, but replacing the studs may be an easier way to go anyway. Ive been dealing with a blown tranny, and am hoping to get that finished up toady, so maybe ill take a look at the rear struts once the car is back on the ground and see if those studs are removable on mine. (I have KYB AGX struts).

 

[curtis]

Check the junkyard.
I think the strut tops from any second gen are about an inch shorter so you could just swap them out and be done. Something was posted about this by me years ago and don't know if its been cut and shaved from the database but I do remember them being different. Because i didn't like the car being lower in the rear. Maybe a diamante or just a fwd would be different as well. Another easier fix would be to measure the height on a level parking lot then decide what amount you want to change. Simply remove the spring mounts, they tap right off or a small tack weld may have to be cut /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif, and then chuck then up in a lathe cut the lower tube section off and weld in a tube to the desired height. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif This would push your lower mounts up and get the effect without buying new springs and cutting a tube is easier than machining an inch billet and less time consuming plus buy adding a spacer up there your putting a load on the studs.

 

Do you mean that the strut tops from a second gen are an inch taller? I want to raise the rear of my car, not lower it. If they are indeed taller that would be a good solution. They mount into the same holes in the chassis?

I looked at the studs in there and they do look removable, so maybe just a spacer with one hole straight through it is the best idea and then either through bolt the struts on or get some longer studs. That would load the studs in the same fashion they are from the factory and accomplish my goal.