Tin Man rear seat brace ?

[ikle]

I purchaced the Tin Man rear seat brace kit and I am thinking about welding it in instead of using the supplied hardware. I would think it would be better to weld it, what do you guys think ? Thanks, Kyle.

 

[Slick87gn]

I purchaced the Tin Man rear seat brace kit and I am thinking about welding it in instead of using the supplied hardware. I would think it would be better to weld it, what do you guys think ? Thanks, Kyle.

I bolted mine in . Thats what the directions stated. Maybe there would be too much stress on it welded.

 

[larry33kc]

Where do get that?

 

[ikle]

Where do get that?

Kirban Performance

 

[ikle]

I bolted mine in . Thats what the directions stated. Maybe there would be too much stress on it welded.

I figure the more rigid we can make our cars the better handling characteristic we will have, just a thought.

 

[scgnx2]

I believe they welded the rear brace set up on the GNX, but it was not tubular if I recall correctly.
Don't see anything wrong with welding aside from being permanent.

 

[GNONYX]

There was a write up many years ago on whether to bolt or weld the rear seat brace. Many claimed to have welded, and many have claimed to bolt them in. I got mine years ago when Kenne Belle was doing TR, and I bolted them in since I don't have access to a welding machine.

 

[novaderrik]

weld it at as many points as you can.. bolt holes will get wallowed out and/or the metal can get stressed and crack over time.

 

[coach]

I purchaced the Tin Man rear seat brace kit and I am thinking about welding it in instead of using the supplied hardware. I would think it would be better to weld it, what do you guys think ? Thanks, Kyle.

Tig it. Dont screw around with bolts. I tig welded mine in with 1 inch long welds. I bet we welded it in about 24 places. After each weld, you could feel the brace getting more and more solid. When we were done, I place a jack behind the driver side front wheel and in a few pumps, 3 of the 4 wheels were off the ground. My car is a T-Top car too. It really impressed my buddy, who is the welder. When I first showed him the brace, he laughed and said,"That piece of sheet metal is going to stiffen up the ENTIRE car??? No way!!!" He changed his mind when we were done. Honestly, looking back at the design of the brace, you could easily take a piece of .04 sheet metal and cut it to cover the entire rear seat area. Weld it along the top and bottom from the interior side, then get in the trunk and weld it along the existing angled braces from the factory. It would probably be cheaper then buying the repo GNX piece, and work just as good. When I do another Regal, I will do it this way and not even bother with the brace.

Coach

 

[BOP4ever]

I purchased the x brace tube type but have never installed it...
Is this a lot better ?
Might sell what I have and get this instead.

 

[trbojo]

I purchased the x brace tube type but have never installed it...
Is this a lot better ?
Might sell what I have and get this instead.

looks to me like the gnx style brace is better, but became unavailable, so they made the tubalur x brace kit. but then they made a repro gnx brace.

 

[coach]

I purchased the x brace tube type but have never installed it...
Is this a lot better ?
Might sell what I have and get this instead.

Yes, it is much better. It is also twice the price and ( in my opinion) should be welded in place like it was done on the GNX's. I have a T-Top car, so I was doing anything I could to make my chassis as solid as I could. A hard top car might not be nearly as loose. Big hp affects your choice. If your stock to low 12's, moderate bracing should suffice. Any faster and I prefer to make the chassis as solid as it can be made. Why would anyone throw $$$ under the hood, if it only results in more tire spin or body flex??? That has never made any sense to me.
The GNX brace is the single biggest, cost efficient, improvement you can do to a T-Top car, thats for sure.

Coach

 

[X Ray]

I purchaced the Tin Man rear seat brace kit and I am thinking about welding it in instead of using the supplied hardware. I would think it would be better to weld it, what do you guys think ? Thanks, Kyle.

For the Tin Man I would bolt it in and also use structural adhesive.

 

[BOP4ever]

Anyone want to buy a new G-body x tube brace ?
Pm me.

 

[trbojo]

Yes, it is much better. It is also twice the price and ( in my opinion) should be welded in place like it was done on the GNX's. I have a T-Top car, so I was doing anything I could to make my chassis as solid as I could. A hard top car might not be nearly as loose. Big hp affects your choice. If your stock to low 12's, moderate bracing should suffice. Any faster and I prefer to make the chassis as solid as it can be made. Why would anyone throw $$$ under the hood, if it only results in more tire spin or body flex??? That has never made any sense to me.
The GNX brace is the single biggest, cost efficient, improvement you can do to a T-Top car, thats for sure.

Coach

does it work efficiently enough just bolting in? the structural adhesive sounds like a good idea too...i have t tops and definitely need to stiffen up a bit...

 

[coach]

does it work efficiently enough just bolting in? the structural adhesive sounds like a good idea too...i have t tops and definitely need to stiffen up a bit...

Rick aka X Ray, is the builder of the first 3 or 4 GNX's that were ever made for ACS. He IS the man. I will not tell you it wont work. I will say this though. My brace did not fit flat enough against my backseat area to use glue unless I had about 2 dozen clamps. I was not going to drill 13-14 holes in my car no matter what. We had a heck of a time clamping it tight enough to weld it. I think what Rick is probably refering to is drill the holes, and before you install the bolt, place your adhesive around the bolt location and then tighten. Anywhere else you can put some adhesive, go ahead.
You cant mig weld this in unless you remove your interior. Mig welding "pops" and "snaps" and sparks go everywhere when it hits a dirty area that wasnt cleaned properly. Tig welding is so much cleaner. We welded mine in and never an issue or spark. Use what you have at your disposal.

 

[trbojo]

Rick aka X Ray, is the builder of the first 3 or 4 GNX's that were ever made for ACS. He IS the man. I will not tell you it wont work. I will say this though. My brace did not fit flat enough against my backseat area to use glue unless I had about 2 dozen clamps. I was not going to drill 13-14 holes in my car no matter what. We had a heck of a time clamping it tight enough to weld it. I think what Rick is probably refering to is drill the holes, and before you install the bolt, place your adhesive around the bolt location and then tighten. Anywhere else you can put some adhesive, go ahead.
You cant mig weld this in unless you remove your interior. Mig welding "pops" and "snaps" and sparks go everywhere when it hits a dirty area that wasnt cleaned properly. Tig welding is so much cleaner. We welded mine in and never an issue or spark. Use what you have at your disposal.

thanks for the info...i have access to stuff they glue side panels of busses with

 

[GNONYX]

I don't know if the one Dennis Kirban is selling is the same type as Kenne Bell, but as I mention before at #7 thread I bolted the Kenne Bell rear seat brace as per his instruction, and the brace went flat up against the frame with no problem. It make sense if you race a lot then welding would be idea for all the rear torque it's receiving.
Kenne Belle rear seat brace kit also came with two rubber bushings, one per side. The bushing fits between the body and the frame at mount #5. Only the GNX came with these bushings
Having the brace and both bushings in place the rear don't torque to one side no more.

 

[grocerygetter]

how much for the gbody parts x braces...to whoever said that....?

 

[lightningdan]

Can some one post pics of comparison between the gnx brace and tubular brace?