front lower strut brace

Help has any1 ever fitted one of these im really havin problems with it. The holes dont match up on the ends of the wish bones and im sure i have the right ones. Its an omp one does any i else have 1??????
anybody pls help me !!!!!!

ive heard that you need to fit one side, then put the car on the ground, then jack up the other side and fit the other end of the brace, something to do with the chassis having a little flex in it so when you jack up one side only, its flex's the car a tiny bit- enough to fit your brace. hope that makes sense :?

Too long or too short?

well its about 5mm too short scott ive added u on msn u seam like a usefull guy to know ! any 1 got any more ideas ???
i had it on a ramp not jacked up

You need to take the load off the front wheels. This is pulling the wishbones apart. It should measure 683mm between the hole centres. I put the front end on stands, using the chassis rails under the body.

so u have fitted 1 ?
was it an omp 1?????

I fitted one and it was relatively easy, though my car was elevated with no load on the wheels at the time. However the one I fitted had eccentric bushes through which the bolt slotted. This accounted for any slight deviation in distance between the wishbones.

I have read in tuning books that the lower one is the one to fit on MK1's as it really knits together the front end and DOES make the handling much tighter. Top ones are said to be just for show.

I made my own, drilled it at 683mm and it fitted perfectly. I was surprised at this, but even when it was on ramps rather than stands, the measurement was right.

Yup, they make a HUGE difference…..
Make suure you get the camber/tracking checked/adjusted after fitting.

ibought an omp one, it was stated for ALL VW golf Mk1's all engines.
so i got it, to find it only fits gti's as the exhust comes from the rear of the engine and on the small engine vdubbs they are at the front, so if anyone wants it, ??for a price of course, brandnew!? let meknow

simon

This was why I made my own. Even then I forgot about the lump of the gearbox.

sim0n_parker said

ibought an omp one, it was stated for ALL VW golf Mk1's all engines.
so i got it, to find it only fits gti's as the exhust comes from the rear of the engine and on the small engine vdubbs they are at the front, so if anyone wants it, ??for a price of course, brandnew!? let meknow

simon

PM'd

Here is mine

Oooh that looks nice !

You can still get factory strut braces new from VW by the way (fitted to some late cabrios). ?150 mind you ………….

hi i read about the lower brace is this extra to the standard roll bar ?have you bought and fitted one? who stocks them ? i have a 1990 cbrio clipper we used to live in Herne BAY is that near you/? also where can i get the Pagid brakes you use cheers Ray

You can get the one OMP version on ebay cheaply. www.strutbracer.co.uk It's not an anti roll bar , they use torsion to control the front wishbones. The brace stops flex at the pivot point of the wishbone. theese helps the MK1 greatly as it doesn't hace a seperate subframe like the MK2 and other cars.

Not sure if the Clipper has roll bars fitted as standard, I'm sure someone on here knows :dontknow:

I haven't fitted mine yet, lack of time, i'll post to let you know how i get on.

Not sure if the Clipper has roll bars fitted as standard, I'm sure someone on here knows

I don't think they do, judging by the supertanker like handling on my lovely baby (cheap tyres probably not helping  :wink: ).
I've heard elsewhere that the bottom brace really makes a difference - I'm on an ebay search at the 'mo but if anyone has one for an F plate clipper…   8)

getin touch with strutbracer on ebay, he sells omp lower ones for about 25 quidish i think hope this helps

Yeah - saw those. I take it they are pretty easy to fit - noting the comments previously about having the car jacked rather than on ramps.
How critical is it to get the alignment done afterwards (it's just been done after getting the PAS sorted and I'd rather not have to pay to get it done again!  :cry: )

Rally design do either a OMP or Sparco (don't remember which) for under ?20 I believe.