That brace from the US doesnt look like it would do a whole lot, except add another layer of metal to the already existing chassis rails.
Whittie, I have started to do some digging for current prices etc with stuart wilkins, but given the fact that my engine and gearbox are not standard, it may become a bit of an issue getting one that is such a snug fit to where the original gearbox etc fits in.
That being said, the point you raised about not being ripped off or bending the chassis should it come in contact with something on the road surface is a good one.
It could be somewhat difficult in my position to achieve this though, because my 3" straight through exhaust is the lowest point under the car, and so any chassis bracing would have to go underneatht hat,m lowering the lowest point by the width of the tube.
so:
- If the brace was made from a flat plate like the one from america, do you gain nany rigidity, or just another piece of metal?
- If the brace was made from tubing, and then flattened to give maximum ground clearance as it passes under the exhaust (think stepping on a garden hose) would it lose strength,
- If a brace was made in the shape of a perfect X, and mounted under the rear of the motor and the gearbox, but not extending the rest of the way down the chassis rails, would the car then suffer from a case of transfer of stress, where the twisting etc is simply transferred to the unbraced section?
Apart from that, I will wait to hear back from SW motorsport.
In answer to you question Rb30x, I have never seen a brace like what you are talking about either. One i intend to make for myself though is a modification on teh strut braced posted earlier. If you jump onto the google image search, and look for the front storage on an MR2, the original strut brace is the idea I had in mind. This is because there is about half of a bee's member's worth of clearance in my engine bay with the hood shut.
