Albert & Larry, your opinions when you have a second please.

I started reading what a great mod a strut tower brace from a Seville is for our cars. I can't find one anywhere, should I continue to look? I trust your opinions.

carguy8888 wrote:

I started reading what a great mod a strut tower brace from a Seville is for our cars. I can't find one anywhere, should I continue to look? I trust your opinions.

I'd ask Abaddon. And  I'd try one of the auto recyclers out west, and/or get one of the pickers from row52.com to find one.  I suspect some of the pick and pulls have but don't inventory those braces. On eBay, those braces do come up from time to time but not as much as they used to.  I think you may need the short brake master cylinder and reservoir too, not sure though.   It also is a bolt-in.   I'd also check if the Bonneville GXP brace is the same.

So should you continue to look?  Sure (if you want one)!

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/t109p570-write-up-installing-a-front-strut-tower-brace-stb

By the way, there was a mod to the *strut mounts* that is a bolt in, the net effect though is to make it easier to not screw up assembling a strut for installation.  The old design was OK but lets just say the improvement was useful.  The old and new configurations are interchangeable.  Abaddon wrote it up, if you search you should find the info.

carguy8888 wrote:

I think you may need the short brake master cylinder and reservoir too, not sure though.   It also is a bolt-in.

I have never heard of a short brake master cylinder and reservoir.  

I've got front and rear strut tower braces - modifying the STS brace is a bit of a pain and pushes up the hood some.  It'd be nice if it could lay flat on the front strut towers like it's supposed to.

What I thought I read was it's a pain for the earlier models 95 96 97 but easy for the later ones like I have. I never heard of row52.com but I'm going to check them out thank you.

You can always make your own.  You just need to bring it to a welder.  You can buy a metal rod, and metal plate for the end plates.  Some cutting and drilling, then have it welded together.  I made one for the back.  So did Jack.

Not a bad idea

carguy8888 wrote:

What I thought I read was it's a pain for the earlier models 95 96 97 but easy for the later ones like I have. I never heard of row52.com but I'm going to check them out thank you.

Brian, you are correct.
The Caddy STB fit my 98 like a glove and the 99 has the same underhood dimensions.
The earlier Riv's had different dimensions. Thus different bars.

The master cylinder does not need to be changed.

Back when I wanted one I was able to buy from GM for about $10.00 + shipping, IIRC.

Wish I removed mine before junking the car. But Oh Well. Sorry.

If you have a buddy or a buddy that knows a buddy that can weld, just see what it would cost to have 3/4" or 1/2" square or round tube welded to plates on each end, cut to fit and drilled to fit the strut tower and to have the tube as tight as it can be in the engine compartment. I don't remember if the OEM tube was bent to fit from the factory or not.
I'm thinking it was straight but I can't remember the details anymore.

Don't forget to replace the strut tower mount bolts with some that are longer, by the thickness of the mount plate used, to accommodate the the thickness of the new brace.

I would much rather buy one finish than weld it together, so I'm going to hunt for a little while longer.

Did you go to row52.com? I did. I made myself a profile then searched for 1999 Cadillac Sevile in 500 miles of my zip code -- which turned up cars from around the country. What I cound out is the submodel (STS) isn't generally indexed by the yards. STS turned up *bupkis.* Nothin'. But Seville turned up several STS models, each of which will have the bar if it is not already pulled. The same bar is in later models too, down to 2004. SO -- it would not be a waste of time for you to set up a profile on row52.com *then* do your search.

My next step is to put in a request for that part (strut tower brace) from the cars I see, or some such. Still working on it. A couple three years ago I sourced a rear STS sway bar that way, the picker pulled it then put it on eBay at a kinda high price, I had agreed with him on a reasonable offer and when I sent the offer in he took it, shipped me the bar, and I installed it. That way the picker is paid through paypal and if some screaming offer comes thru for the part (this does not really happen) the picker is not screwed over. Although I then do have to source another part.

Albert

Car-part.com is better. I will let you know how I make out.