TeamCapri
Tech, Repairs, Upgrades => Capri XR-2 89-94 => Topic started by: Heavensheros on February 11, 2008, 06:23:00 PM
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ok so i have been unable to locate a cheap strut bar for my capri if anyone has one or knows were i can get one for cheap ( MCCM is to excpensive ) that would be great i found one on ebay for a mazda 323 and not sure if that will fit
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Hey Josh! Thats a good price,$69+shipping. It's also well constucted and is pretty in it's polished aluminum stucture. Gus.
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I have the exact same style that MCCM has for about $10 cheaper. He usually sells them for $79, so at $69 you are getting a deal and it's well worth the money.
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Gus,
The bar in MCCM's pictures is not the one they sell anymore, they charge the old price but send you a really cheap piece of shit now.
Its really poorly constructed, and its not polished like in the pic. The welds on the mounting brackets are crap, and the tabs needed to be bent in order to hold the bar. Aside from the welds there is no reinforcement on the tabs like a good strutbar has.
IMO DEFINATELY not worth what they charge.
Heres pics of mine:
(http://www.werbatfik.com/uplimg/Strutbar/HPIM1789.JPG)
(http://www.werbatfik.com/uplimg/Strutbar/HPIM1790.JPG)
(http://www.werbatfik.com/uplimg/Strutbar/HPIM1791.JPG)
(http://www.werbatfik.com/uplimg/Strutbar/HPIM1792.JPG)
(http://www.werbatfik.com/uplimg/Strutbar/HPIM1793.JPG)
(http://www.werbatfik.com/uplimg/Strutbar/HPIM1794.JPG)
(http://www.werbatfik.com/uplimg/Strutbar/HPIM1795.JPG)
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Hey Rocketman! I'm sorry to here this and I'm glad to here it because I was looking at buying two more later this year. Maybe some comment or complain't is in order. If he knows this is going around our forum he may get the message. The bracket material is especially thin, The welds could be better. Gus.
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I did send him an email after I recieved/installed my bar:
PJ,
I have a few concerns about the quality of the strutbar I received. I understand that in your listing, you have a stock photo representing the item - however I expected it to be a very similar item.
Of note:
The bar I received itself is a hollow flattened bar stock type. The bar in the picture is tube stock.
The mount points are three-piece welded mounts. Depicted in the picture are one-piece solid stamped mounts with a bent ridge all the way around the perimeter of the mount. This adds a considerable amount of rigidity to the mount. The mounts I have lack any reinforcement like that. The welds on the strutbar supports are very low quality.
The hardware is not up to par with what I would consider "quality" hardware. The tightening nuts on the bar section have a lot of play in them and do not fit well.
I could pick up a similarly constructed strut bar for considerably less. I have purchased from you in the past and I received quality items; I expected the same for this purchase, especially something you claim to be a "Custom" product.
Installed, the bar does fit and function like it should. I have pretty much always operated on the "Function over Form" idealogy, which it does function, but I question its long-term durability and poor original construction.
I have pictures of all the points I've covered above if you are interested in seeing them. I will not be leaving a negative feedback, and I will hold off leaving feedback for now. I fully support you guys, I'm just trying to figure out whats going on here.
With Respect,
Matthew
And this is what I got in return:
Matt-
Appreciate your comments they are well taken. The bar itself it a commercial product intended for another vehicle with the similar engine bay width. We have had to change vendors for the bar because every time we find a suitable example (like the solid tube stock in the picture) we exhaust the available supply and then need to find a new source.
As of this date, we are on our fourth supplier and have gone from round to oval back to round and now offering an oval bar. The end brackets are made on a custom fixture to our specs by a local shop and were always welded pieces either on the radius or the attached eyelets. The base plate can not be made much thicker because we are utilizing the existing stud length on the strut bearing plate. I don't know how you can make a 'low quality' statement/judgment without tensile strength lab tests that prove or disprove your assessment.
I am confident that the bar you installed will fit, work and provide the added bracing to accomplish the results expected. The quality, shape and end plate configuration will continue to vary. If we lose a source for the center bar itself, a strut bar kit that will fit the 1991-1994 Capri may no longer be available .
Given the low production of the Capri and the small bank of after market products that will adapt to the Capri, we are limited in what we can offer as performance enhancements. We are doing all we can to support this quirky little car, and at the same time trying to make a living for seven hardworking dedicated employees.
Of course if you aren't satisfied with our strut tower bar you can return it for a full refund.
Again, thank you for your time and interest in our products, we acknowledge your comments and concerns.
Very truly-
PJ @ MCCM/CAPRI
Take it as you will. I dont want to make a big deal about it, they're good guys, and I do support them, but I dont like what they did there. I was looking for something like they had in the pics, which I though would have been worth the money, and I did not get it.
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Corksport $67
(http://corksport.com/store/image/klo0/323-suspension_misc_86-89_323_Corksport_Front_Strut_Tower_Bar.jpg)
Cusco $150
(http://corksport.com/store/image/ab5s/323-suspension_misc_CUSCO_front_adjustable_strut_tower_bar_available_for_GTX_and_2WD.jpg)
These are all 323 bars but I assume that they are the same. The Cusco bar looks hella badass, no joints to flex=maximum bracing while the CS is cheap and is alot better than mccm. I wish we could get CS Protege style bars.
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The GTX struts are only 2 bolt, as pictured. Make sure you get a 4-bolt compatible mount if you get one of those.
Cory do you have any pics of the bar you carry now? I like the one you have on your car, but I remember contacting you and you couldnt get them. I hope its the polished tube style and not the stuff I posted up above :/
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Hey Corey!Is your bar identical? Anotherwards same manufacturer? Gus
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Cory i will concider buying one of your strut bars how much is it again i cant find it on 2nerfixx ? and did you mail out the boost controller ? thank you
- Josh
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Hey Guys! Reading Rocketman's response back was part credible as with the offer to return the money, but then the bashing of our cars starts to smell just a little of reich. I realize that to be in business, the goal is profit. I'm in business myself. But I feel he has lost the zeal for our cars. This comes about the quirky little cars. He needs to control his supplier more if he has these ordered in small lots of say 50-100. I myself have had to have some custom machinings done in job shops a few times myself. And these occasions the work was being performed 100miles or 400 miles away. What I saw of Rocketmans strut bar is ugly. The first time time of view I didn't notice the flat steel. If not the Aluminum like mine it should have been of Chrome-Moly tube. I don't have to be an engineer to know the flat plate doesn't get it. His response didn't get it with me about sending that strut off to test lab to check it's integrity. Gus.
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Hey guys! Some more comment. The brackets that nut to the stuts, where rockets weld the little legs, check the Corksport unit, those legs go across the to top of the stuct adapters, making the welds stronger and less apt to crack after acouple years. Gus.
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The GTX struts are only 2 bolt, as pictured. Make sure you get a 4-bolt compatible mount if you get one of those.
The GTX is the two bolt while the 2wd is four bolt, right?
EDIT: I just noticed that the Cusco bar is on a BPT BG, I wonder if the BF stuff is the same design?
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Too be honest, I get my bars from the same supplier and stopped really pushing them once I couldn't get the more sturdy better fitting round bar that I currently have. With that being said...
I never did have any complaints of the installs nor performance for the money. I think the mounts are sufficient because I have ran my car thousands of miles with mine (spirited driving ;) ) and have had no problems with cracking nor the integrity of them what's so ever. Of course if we could get a solid mount, I would be the first to jump on one! But we either build something better or use what is available to us right?
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@1991XR2:
As far as I can tell that 2nd pic is a BPT swapped BF. Corksport has a totally different section for BG stuff.
I've thought about casting some really solid mounts, we'll see what happens. I have so much other stuff to cast its crazy, and the weather has been told cold/ too icy to get ANYWHERE with anything.
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Hey Guys! Those plates can be made of thicker material in a job shop and also the stronger ears in a three bolt pattern. It all a matter of economics. As far as a casting, My feeling is the steel stamping would be much stronger if properly done. Gus.
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I need one strut bat for cheap if some one has one