I finally got my itch scratched by a great local fabricator...It took several attempts, and a ridiculous amount of time and materials (i.e. cost!!!) but I thought I would share.

I am also asking for posts from those interested....The cost for my prototype was pretty ridiiculous, but my fabricator suggested that if he could get around 20 orders at once, the price could become reasonable. I have my bar, so I am not worried about if this develops into a group buy or not...just want to contribute to the Z community.

It would still cost considerably more than Doug's....but here's why - the bar is machined out of 3" thick 7075 Aluminum - only titanium is stronger (not by much, and far less brittle i.e. far less chance of stress fractures. Despite the bend and the "gouch needed" on each side to clear the hood (rubs a bit just like Doug's did - perhaps less - I just cut a bike tube and glued some makeshift rubber stops over the rub marks - seems OK; I've had it on for three days so far with spirited driving) this makes it extremely rigid i.e. more rigid than the bar that inspired it.

Pics to follow...

 

Hello. How much are you going to be selling it for? Hmmm also are you from Toronto. If so have you gotten the Votech dynoed and where did you get it done?

 

The guys at Ultimate Racing in Toronto did my install - had a couple of glitches...keep getting a gas smell right at startup - don't know if that's because the larger injectors spit out a big wad fuel right at startup...also had a couple of oil leaks I am still trying to sort out.

Overall though, they did a solid job, and went the extra mile to make me happy with the install.

As far price on the bar? Again, I will scare you if I told you how much I paid for mine. Let's see if we can get some critical mass and I will take the number of though interested back to the fabricator....after all the second one will be somewhat easier now that we have my prototype...

 

Hmmm gas smell....... Well when I finished my install I started it up and had the same gas smell. It was the fuel pump. Vortech had threaded the piece on the outlet side of the pump and didn't have any tape or sealent. I ran my finger around it and saw that it was leaking. So then I took it off and put some sealent. Now its perfect.

 

The oil leaks....hmmmm from the blower?

 

No I had an oil cooler installed as well - that's where the leak occurred - have to check up on this.

P.S> I am in Ottawa

 

Luanda...I see you have the same dam bubble rap problem as I did . Vortech raps the parts so tight with that chit , that it sticks to all the parts and hard as hell to get it off . And the anidized parts ....for get it....they are stained

 

I'm very interested, but it would have to eliminate the heim joints. That's the last thing you ever want to put in a strut bar is heim joints.

 

luanda,

Where and how did you mount your air filter to the blower?

 

Luanda, part looks great man, I'm definately interested.
Keep me up to date!

 

Funny...that's what the fabricator said, and I thought Doug had used them for a reason, so I insisted to keep them. The bar actually "swivels" a bit viewing it from the side but is perfectly rigid side-to-side.

I definitely notice the difference in the stability of the car over harsh roads and in corners...like night and day. I think what makes the strut bar so noticeable is that I am running JIC FLTA2s, lowered about 1.78" and with the high spring rates the drive is much less jarring with the strut bar back on...without the strut bar my CD player was bouncing like crazy over rough roads.

So I see three or four interest parties. Again the feedback that I got is that 10-20 people would be needed to make this happen, so spread the word....

 

Hey booger, you know I didn't even notice it until your post!! I am not a bling-bling-under-the-hood type of guy...as long as it makes me go Zoom!

 

My Installer took a portion of their cold air kit for the Z and installed the filter with stainless piping going out the intake, turning toward passenger side, and mounting the filter kinda mid-centre outside the enging compartment kinda like below...

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bump, updates?

 

Just wondering, but would the stillen bar that is made to extend forward to clear the roots type SC work?

I have no idea what the answer is, it's just a thought.

 

I saw a thread where someone looked into the Stillen bar and said it still interferes with the Vortech pulleys - the Stillent fits too far out in the corners.

I know someone on this forum said they got the Crawford Bar to fit with washers as spacers under the mounting plates.... I would be too nervous having a bar millimeters away from my idler pulley...a little flex and they will rub....

 

Luanda, how much would this cost to get made through the same shop?

 

Luanda, Lets go man I want one of the things! Can you give me some more info on our costs/ designs. PM me if you like. Thanks!

 

kevin apex,

Here's the deal...I ended up paying over $800 US to get that piece....the joys of a custom one-off piece. I can also tell you that my fabricator probably ended up eating a bunch of hours shaping the corners to get the bar to fit. He said he would not touch another one-off order for less than $1000US. That's just ridiculously expensive.

Like I said above, we would need 10-20 orders and then maybe we could get that price down to something more reasonable i.e. roughly 50-60%%. I would have the fabricator take my piece off and he could program his machine based on my piece.

Based on the repsonse to this thread, I just don't see enough demand to warrant getting a group buy together.

My fabricator would eliminate the heim joints, saving on parts. Also, he saves big-time on ordering the aluminum in larger quantities which is important to get the cost down. Finally anyone who knows about CNC'ing is that all the work is getting the shape of your part finalized, and then programming the machine, then it's just a matter of running off the pieces one after the other.

My only advise is to spread the word and get others to post as definitely interested. Based on the thread so far, I see 2-3 people interested. We'd need at least ten before I can go back to him.

I have logged about 2K with the bar on. I have a few minor rub marks where the ends are bevelled, but these are less than what I had with the Crawford bar. I have tracked the car and with the firm JIC coilovers, they make a world of difference....the car is way tighter and the front tires dig into the corners.

 

Thanks for the information, I wish there was an eaiser, more cost affective way to gain this part back!
Are the contact points at the hood or on the sc pulley? You said where the ends are bevelled, so I would think this means hood contact right?
thanks