[DeTomaso] stock rear chassis brace

[Charles Engles]

Dear Jack,


                Aye-aye.   The other Pantera has the functional cross brace and this one has been stuck with the stock brace.   I do intend to upgrade, but there have been distractions. 

                I promise not to re-engineer the rear camber with with bay brace.  I promise.  I promise.


                             Some much to do.   So little time,   Chuck Engles    ;-)




  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: JDeRyke at aol.com 
  To: cengles at cox.net ; detomaso at realbig.com 
  Sent: Monday, February 02, 2009 8:47 PM
  Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] stock rear chassis brace


  In a message dated 2/2/09 6:16:42 PM, cengles at cox.net writes:


    Is it correct that the proper tension adjustment for the stock rear chassis brace is to jack up the rear end and unload the rear suspension; then, loosen the two nuts-bolts connecting the brace to the car and retighten while the rear suspension is unloaded?


  Chuck, with a  stock rear bay-brace, it really doesn't matter how you do it because the bolts will not hold whatever 'adjustment' you try for in the slotted holes in stock fenderwell tabs. Even Grade-8+ bolts cannot be tightened enough in compression there to hold, and even if welded in position, 100% of the cornering forces then go into those sheet metal tabs- which crack. The reason most don't crack is because the bolts slide around in the slots and slack off forces when cornering. 
  An aftermarket square-tube steel adjustable bay-brace will transmit cornering force into the sides and end of the welded pocket, which is part of the upper shock absorber weldment. The bay-brace bolts and tabs only keep the bar from vibrating around- a much improved design. A prettier, heavier and more costly aluminum brace will also work if you take the brand new unit to a welder and have about 3" TIG-welded to each end, so it too jams into the load-bearing pockets. 
  With a proper bay-brace as above, your adjustment method will work. Two things to add: after adjusting, set the car down on its wheels, roll it back & forth a bit and bounce it around to take the friction out of the suspension & shocks and realign the wheels, before coming to any conclusions about how the car looks or if wheel alignment needs to be changed. 
  Second, if you're trying to remove excess rear camber with the bay-brace, don't try removing 37 years of our usual suspension collapse all in one brace-adjustment. Doing this will likely buckle the fenders or crack the paint somewhere. Instead, do the necessary brace-adjustments in several small steps over weeks, with normal driving in between, so the metal body/chassis has time to settle back into its as-stock configuration gradually. 
  Worked for me- J Deryke



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