Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Suspension sho shop braces installation

i have a question for those that installed the sho shop strut brace. is the front bar supposed to move up and down. its not sturdy the back part touchin the fire wall moves up and down. please anyone with these bars let me know what i'm doing wrong.

i'm pretty sure that the bar is supposed to be a little more sturdy and not move at all. i dont get how these bars are supposed improve the handling.

OK, I am assuming you tightened it down on the center strut bolt. Now, did you tighten up the adjustable portion sufficiently? If it is like other braces (I don't have one, so I am guessing a little here), it is not a solid piece, it has nuts on a threaded shaft to preload and adjust the brace, or bolts that allow for the mounts to move around for installation. These should be used to make sure it is good and tight once it is on the car.

For further info on the install of the SHO Shop brace, you can call their tech support line, which is listed on their site: 714-894-8415.

I'd return that brace and get the OMP instead if you insist on having a front brace. Tim Kirk broke one of his struts with this bar because it ties the actual struts together instead of the towers like it should...not what you want at all!

so noone else had the same problem with these bars, i really dont want to get rid of them and get something else. but if they are supposed to move up and down at the ends where the bar bolts into the cups at each end which defeats the purpose of installing the braces in the first place, maybe i should get rid of them.
anyone that did install the sho shop strut braces on their vehicles, do you guys have the same problem?

I like the SHO shop bars, had them on my SVT for a couple of years....I've heard in the past someone had broken their struts with them, but I myself can't see the struts breaking unless they were way over torqued. I take mine to the track all the time. I have tried both OMP and SHO shop, and I prefer the SHO shop. Personal preference I guess, I like the way the car feels with the SHO shop better.
You hold the brace in the position you want it, the tighten the end nuts...that holds it in place. I put rubber bushings in the brackets to help with the loosness, not that it matters since the forces exerted are lateral.
With the design of the Contour, you won't find a lot of difference in handling with eitherof the Front bars, but big cool factor.

I had the ShoShop front strut brace on my car for about a year. Did 1 track event with it on and probably about 10,000 miles of normal driving. I was pulling into the parking lot at work one morning when I heard a loud bang. The bolt on the strut had snapped leaving the brace hanging and the strut floating... The brace has been hanging in my garage ever since.

I have a set of Ford shop manuals and I correctly torqued the nuts.

What should the bolts be torqued to?

I think it was 46 N-m = 34 lb-ft. I can check the manual tonight at home.

with your hood open and the car running..
have someone sit in it and turn the wheel back and forth..
watch how much the tops of the struts move around..
now tell me you like the idea of a strut bar being bolted to them.