C3- Spreader Bar; C4 - Camber Brace

Hello,
I have a VPB spreader bar on my 68 and saw a post where someone recommended the camber brace for the C4. The spreader bar is pretty wimpy looking compared to the R-D Racing Camber Brace. It sounds like a great mod for the C4.

Does anyone have any insight as to why the camber brace is designed with 1/2" steel plates and 2x2 tubing instead of the 1" tube with heim joints and 1/8th bracing? It looks like the camber brace connects via 1 bolt on either side with the bar being located about 6" forward of the shock tower.

I emailed R-D to ask about ease of installation; necessity of relocation of the ps reservoir. It really looks like a tight fit. They didn't reply to my email.

Is there so much weakness in the C4 design that a 2x2 is required?


http://www.vbandp.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=374
see pg pg3.

VBPID: 42223
Name: Pre-Welded Spreader Bar Kit, 1963-82
Desc: Strong, powder coated bar links front shock towers together to reduce flexing and cracking at base. Helps make front end stronger and more rigid. Pre-welded mounting tabs for cars with electric cooling fans.
More Info
Price: $109.99

http://www.r-dracing.com/Camber-brace.htm
CAMBER-BRACE L-98 85-89 models $220.00
The CAMBER-BRACE was designed to solve the problem of the frame flexing when going into a turn. As with all of our products, it was built to improve the performance on the track, but the positive results have brought it to the streets.

It's like that because it's in front of the arm mounts and therefore, if the bracket was any thinner it would flex.

The neat thing about the C4 is that the control arms are shimmed outboard, this means that inboard you can use a rigid non adjustable bar.

Twin_Turbo said:

It's like that because it's in front of the arm mounts and therefore, if the bracket was any thinner it would flex.

The neat thing about the C4 is that the control arms are shimmed outboard, this means that inboard you can use a rigid non adjustable bar.

Click to expand...

OK - so it really needs to be a huge 2x2x 3/16 type tube welded up to a 1/2" bar!

Thanks !

I see they have various models, this is kinda thick IMO. I didn't click for the large pics at first but those are seriously thick sections of steel.




a little overkill indeed.

This seems to be made of some hefty steel plates also, dang!!




You could maybe build something like that yourself and use thinner sections and use gussets to your advantage.

That is really snaked through there. No wonder it so thick. Did I see that you need an electric water pump to use that brace?

Electric water pump? No. It looks like they have a bunch of these - some people were running electric water pumps and it is a different unit.

It looks like the early model is 2x2x 3/16 and 1/2 x 2 bar stock. It looks like the ZR1 uses 1/2 x 2 bar stock.

Yeah, just gusset the corners?

I can only wonder how much weight you could balance on the top of a 36" long piece of 2x2x 3/16 square tubing before it would bow! It seems like it would be pretty high - 5 tons???. Is that really necessary?

I think I'll take a close look and build a prototype out of thinner material and see I can install it.

Thanks a lot,
Tim