Write-Up: Installing a Front Strut Tower Brace (STB)

I received the STB today. Patrick at monster parts was great to deal with. If you can't find one at the junk yard, snag one before they are gone.
Let's see if this one needs modding to fit.

I've been looking for one of these all over and haven't had any luck. What is the part # or how can I get one from monster?

The Part # is in the first post of this thread I believe, but it is 25653157. I just ordered one from www.shopgmparts.com. It cost me 52.27 shipped. I already have one on the front. I intend to use Jack's thread to add this one to the rear. I was pretty impressed with the front. I also intend to add the front and rear Addco sway bars, if it ever stops snowing.

You guys also need to keep in mind that just because GM may sell out of a part doesn't mean they'll never refill their stock. These are probably selling surprisingly faster than anyone at GM expected (not exactly a wear item), so when they get a parts run made they don't get as many as we wanted them to make... eventually GM realizes they are out of stock everywhere and orders a new batch. It's certainly possible that one day they'll stop refilling their stock of a particular part, but items they keep selling they'll probably keep producing, at least for a few years...

when I was at the yard I noticed the 92 STS had a slightly different strut brace. What exact year are you guys pulling these from?

BlownRiv wrote:

when I was at the yard I noticed the 92 STS had a slightly different strut brace. What exact year are you guys pulling these from?

I think it was 97-01 STS if I am not mistaken.

Wow. Do you guys not read the posts before asking the most basic of questions ? I have gone back to edit my original post, i.e. the FIRST POST of this thread on page 1. I originally thought I did a good job BOLDING and increasing the font size of the part number for lazy people. I have now put it in RED, along with the STS model year range. Although I don't think many people here would read all 29+ pages of this monstrous thread, the intent was for the pertinent info to jump out at you in the original post. Now it will jump out at you and burn your retina.


Derek, maybe you're right, but when I called the dealership here I was informed it was discontinued, not out of stock. They have been known to be wrong overwhelmingly often though.

Jason wrote:

Wow. Do you guys not read the posts before asking the most basic of questions ? I have gone back to edit my original post, i.e. the FIRST POST of this thread on page 1. I originally thought I did a good job BOLDING and increasing the font size of the part number for lazy people. I have now put it in RED, along with the STS model year range. Although I don't think many people here would read all 29+ pages of this monstrous thread, the intent was for the pertinent info to jump out at you in the original post. Now it will jump out at you and burn your retina.


Derek, maybe you're right, but when I called the dealership here I was informed it was discontinued, not out of stock. They have been known to be wrong overwhelmingly often though.

Sorry Jason,
I know the part number by heart, and I was just able to get one a few weeks ago, although I had to pay 42.32 shipped for it. I was pretty close with the years that it was installed on the Seville STS, but I did not initially see that when I looked at the first post. Highlighting it in red helps a lot.

not really aimed at you, Larry.
cheers,

Honestly this topic of strut tower brace doesn't need to be 29-30 pages long!!!......... I got a part # a digit off and didn't need to sift through all those endless pages of BS. Sometimes a simple question deserves a simple answer. I could almost go out in the garage and fab one of these braces to compensate for the master cylinder height in the time it took me to read that entire post geez! I do like the part# in red though nice touch!

Jason, I agree, I have also been told it was discontinued, and out of stock, long ago. Yet dealerships seem to keep coming up with them somehow! So it's worth calling a few dealerships, as some will just give you the "out of stock" or "discontinued" line, others may have connections to a mystery GM supplier. Who knows why they keep turning up!

Chris I agree, it's a very simple part and could be homemade by any welder quite easily. A homemade one would also eliminate hood bulge or master cylinder spacing issues. (just use a flatter steel for your brace)

I was able to get one for the front on line @ monsterparts for $52 and change. I'm gonna install and then fab the rear myself out of 1"x1"x1/8" square stock and 1/4" plate steel to tie it together with the shock mounts. Then I will post the results.

deekster_caddy wrote:

Jason, I agree, I have also been told it was discontinued, and out of stock, long ago. Yet dealerships seem to keep coming up with them somehow! So it's worth calling a few dealerships, as some will just give you the "out of stock" or "discontinued" line, others may have connections to a mystery GM supplier. Who knows why they keep turning up!

It is discontinued and out-of-stock. But, the fine people over at MonsterParts should be able to locate "old" stock from any dealer across the country. That's why some of the braces people buy are more than others......you're paying for the extra shipping.

FYI....I still have access to GM parts. If you are looking for a STB, let me know and I can probably locate one for you just like MonsterParts does

Not sure why anyone would bother buying one from GM when you can get all the STS suspension parts these cars desire for a measly $50 at the yard. I will pull two STB's on the weekend and get them for no more then $20 for the set.

I think I got mine from GM parts direct for like $30 shipped to my door? That beats going out to the yard and taking it off the car yourself, imo. I realize the prices have gone up, but that's why some of us ordered new ones direct.

The yards near me don't even know what they have, its not like you can just call them and say I need this and that. You have to go wander and look, which can be fun, but in freezing weather I'd rather pay a few dollars more and have it shipped to my door rather than hoping and freezing while looking for a usable one.

I spent hours scouring the 2 large local yards, there was not an STS to be found that still had the brace in it, and they claimed they didn't have them in their parts stock. I got mine new for only $30 from GM also.

I installed the bar on Mel`s 98 Riv today. I'm not going to say anything and see if she notices. I went for a brief test drive and the difference is quite noticeable.
Since I was away for a while I hadn't read many of the central pages of this thread. I wasn't aware packaging was an issue for some of you guys, but the bar was extremely well packed by monsterparts online. It was fully boxed and heavily padded.
WRT parts availability this one was sourced from Vintage Parts, so I suspect they won't be available much longer.
The install went well. I stacked a few washers and everything lined up perfectly with no hood bulge. I spent more time looking for the stupid washer I dropped in the fender than actually installing the brace. I thought about dremelling off the embossed letters off the top of the MC to gain a mm, then thought how much better it would be to just put a kink in the bar at the MC. After reading through the thread I saw the method Aaron used and I like it. I'll probably pull the bar off both cars and use his technique.

I installed some new struts and mounts and whatnot and came across something that may be useful to 97-down people.

It's mentioned in this thread how the the studded strut mounts don't leave hardly any thread for you to add a strut brace and washers for clearing the master cylinder.
I replaced my struts and mounts with Monroe mounts and they give you some slightly longer studs so that might be a good thing to know for the sake of a STB.


Left: Monroe strut mount - Right: OEM strut mount


STB tightened down with Monroe top mount and supplied nuts - much better

so would a strut tower brace work from a SLS or is it different from the STS one? I am asking because they have one at the local junkyard

I'm pretty sure it needs to be an STS bar.

Dang i wonder why they would be different

Don't know enough about the Caddy's to say. There is a very long thread about the STS bar, and I don't recall any mention at all about the SLS being an option. Post a pic or dimensions of the SLS bar and we can tell you more.

I know I looked under the hoods of many Caddies at the local yard trying to find the right bar, and saw many that looked nothing like the STS bar.

According to my estimating data base, all Cadillac Sevilles use the same stb for 1994 thru 1997. This would include STS and SLS.