Homemade Chassis Brace

welcome to priuschat. congrats, you make that sound so easy! what is a bandsaw?

 

But aluminum would have saved you 6 maybe 7 ounces!

 

this is a bandsaw.





nice job by the way.

Jason

 

thanks jason, i didn't know you could cut steel with those things.

 

Depends on the band saw.

Most wood cutting band saws are too fast and would likely burn up the blade.

I have 5 metal cutting band saws in my shop and one for wood. I'd NEVER use the wood one for steel.

 

Hi Aaron... Do you notice results? Is there really less sway?

 

Looks awesome!! Just out of curiosity how did you tighten your bolts to the frame? I am wanting to do this to my 06 Prius. Also do you have a brace going across the front strut towers? I know my Prius is terrible in the cross winds while going down the highway.

 

Over the past two years, I developed the "box beam" version of the center brace. for both the Gen III and the Gen II.

The aluminum "box beam" has the ultimate stiffness, without the added weight. It weighs within three ounces of the original, NOT the 2-1/2 pounds of the BT Tech Plate or the G7 plate. The "box beam" has the "flex" required as in the original to prevent stress damage to the sheet metal mounting points of the thin sheet metal steel rails.

 

get a corolla front sway bar from the junk yard. should be < $50, and will make a huge difference in cornering.

 

that particular corolla was never sold here in oz. makes it kind of hard / expensive to get sway bar upgrades for the G2 Prius in Australia.

i would like to do these upgrades also, but it's not that simple here...
i do have the three chassis braces (not yet installed) but i would like to install the sway bars too....

Jason.

 

perhaps you could get the part number and order it from the dealer... might be a rip-off though. dealers usually like to hose their customers.

 

If you liked what the metal under the car(chassis brace) did hunt up a front upper shock strut bar, night and day difference when you install one

The gen3 comes without a rear sway bar, another Hugh difference after installation, yes the op has a gen2

 

not a half bad idea. i wonder if i supply them with a part number if they would order it ?
given that its a part for a car that was never sold here... worth a shot i guess.

jason

 

Sorry to hijack the thread for a moment..

Jason, I don't think you'll find one locally. I tried. I ended up with the Whiteline BTF72Z. Works like a dream if paired with a 24mm rear sway bar. However, the adjustment holes are smaller so you have to have them widened by a really good machine shop that can drill holes through spring steel.

 

so this weekend I installed a very cool looking blue box-beam chassis brace on my car. sure looks good, fit was perfect. will it help? FIIK. it was easy and the bolts came right out with a cheap 12mm wrench. (I seem to have lost all my 12mm sockets) I was concerned cause my car >10 years old w/ almost 200k, and the local govt retards use our tax $ to spread about 6 times as much salt as is needed every time they think it might snow.
started all the stronger bolts and finger tightened em before cranking them all to about 25'# with a 13mm socket.

I hope to report back that it does in fact help. but it sure looks cool.