Adding the Factory Strut Brace to your 2010 Camaro
 

This Install WILL Require Using A DRILL.

I will first start off with an overview of whats involved so those of you can decide if it is for you to do.
I am a collision repair tech of 23 years, so this is quite simple to me. And I understand it may be difficult for others.
Boy did they get us on this one!!! These Strut Towers are ROUND! lol

Ok here we go.

First I removed the hood strut while proping the hood up.

marked the spot welds on the factory hood strut bracket on the Strut tower, there are 3 of them
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...b/IMAG0261.jpg
I used a 5/16 drill first then a 3/8 bit to drill out the center of each spot weld. If you do it slowly you will see a ring showing you seperated the two metals, then stop (Do not drill thru both panels).
use a flat plade to pop the bracket off it will look like this.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...b/IMAG0262.jpg
Remove the hood strut pin using a 1/2" 6-Point Socket! from the hood strut bracket, the backside nut is welded so you can hold that side with a 13mm box end wrench or put in a vise.
Install your pin into the threaded hole on the new hood strut bracket and secure on the back side with the supplied nylon lock nut.

Now before you go any further notice the foward two spot welds see pic directly above., they will be grouped close together away from the single one towards the back?
they will have a raised boss around them.
That is your first drill location, Set the Right mount pad on those bosses and using a 5/16 drill bit locate the forward closet to the Front of the car. using the drill, Drill thru the mount pad JUST TO MARK IT, ***Paying close attention to the drill angle!!! *** remove the pad and drill thru both layers. Now is the time to take a break! and reflect that you just drilled your first hole.lol!
clean both towers off and apply masking tape like this.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...b/IMAG0269.jpg
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...b/IMAG0270.jpg
Put a jack under the car safely rasing it to allow reach to the underside of your strut towers, both wheels should be removed and jack stands put in place for ease of install.

Now its time to set the brace in place. You will need an extra set of hands now.
lay the brace accross locate both right and left mount pads and start on the passenger side
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...irstinstal.jpg
install one of the 4 8mm x 70mm stainless bolts and washer and insert in that first hole drilled. reach under and secure with nylon nut and washer supplied. tighten bolt just to hold pad snug.
move to driverside and install pad align brace evenly accross and mark the holes with a scribe.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...b/IMAG0271.jpg
Insert drill and mark it using the 5/16 drill bit *** paying close attention to drill angle!! move brace off to the side and drill thru both layers.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...b/IMAG0272.jpg
set brace back in place and insert 8mm bolt only allowing the brace to stay in place. Now install outer cylinder spacers on both side mark and drill holes thru both layers using a 3/8 drill bit.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...b/IMAG0274.jpg
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...b/IMAG0275.jpg
Insert 10mm bolt provided after you drill the left and right outer holes. now move back to the remaining bolt holes and drill thru using the 5/16 drill bit.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...einstalled.jpg
Remove all the bolts,hardware and pads, Remove tape clean off any burs, touch up paint around all the drilled holes. Re-install brace and hardware in the same order as before and secure with nylon nuts and washers from below only this time install the hood strut relo bracket on the passenger side.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...ceoverview.jpg
Sit back and enjoy what you have accomplished!!:happyanim:

that looks great i would like to do this to my 10 camaro

That looks like some thing i can do, send info on cost for your kit, i want one.

Great ride up, Thanks for taking the time. Everything takes time. Most people who read this wont realize it probably took you as much time to do the write up as it did the install, LOL. So just want to give you props for sharing.:thumbsup::thumbsup:

I already posted in your other thread, but wanted to post here as well just to make sure you saw.

Hope you can ship the required parts to Canada.

Is there a gap between the spacers and the bar or does it just look that way in the pics?

how does ur ride feel after installing this? im trying to get rid of the feeling of the car leaning in turns

:popcorn:

There is a gap, it is due to the macined surface of the bar itself.

IDK, i have yet to really drive it, I have been working on installing the ZL1 stuff.

Me tooo!

Wonder if it would be possible to weld the brackets to the bar and smooth it out to give the appearance of one piece?

The ends of the strut brace are cast aluminum, and the mounting points are machined flat. the new mounting pads would need a recess put into them, I just don't know how wide.., but due to the brace having a sloted side, I believe they made it to fit with variables in mind. that gap is very mine -ute. And it may be just my brace, due to the casting????

I got it installed today. This is a great rightup, it help a lot with the install. The only thing I would say is to put the intire brace in place with all of the bolts before you drill the first hole.

How much please pm

If you want to correct that you need to change the sway bars a strut bar isn't going to do anything for that.

Why would you guys waste your money on that kit just to have the GM strut brace? I mean if you have the newer towers fine get the new brace it looks good mounted on the new stamped towers but if you don't then get an after market brace they look just as good and better than that. I'm sorry but that just looks okie rigged to me and I doubt that it is as functional at elimaniting strut tower deflection as a brace that is mounted the proper way bolted directly to the the towers, with those long bolts and spacers. If you just want the looks of that brace and don't care about the big ass gap and having to cut the hood strut off or having it actually doing what its designed to do then buy it but if you want looks and function for your $ then go with another brace. It looks like it doesn't belong there and maybe thats because it doesn't....... JMO BMR on the earlier towers = good looks + total functionality and nice looking tower caps.

I disagree with you the OEM strut bar looks clean, your engine bay looks like a fracking candy cane.

BMR doesn't fit a supercharged car.....

OEM?
 

I have to say I like the OEM brace the best of any on 2012s and the convertible, but I wondered the same thing as this poster concerning the functionality of the brace with the adapters. It looks as if the high posts and long bolts would flex and at least some of the rigidity would be lost with the braces. Just my opinion...and I'm no engineer. I like the red brace on this poster's car, candy cane or not it looks like it would reduce tower flex.

CANDY
 

Candy canes :drool: I like candy canes !

Yea but there are others that do.

LOL Like I care what you think. Because obviously you didn't even comprehend what I was saying. I didn't say anything about the way the OEM brace looks, it does look good and if I had the newer towers I'd have it on my car. This thread is about the way it's being mounted to the old style towers not the look of the brace it self. It obviously looks adapted at the mounting points and thats what looks bad and wrong.Tower braces should be added on first for their function and second for looks. Doing this is adding it purely for looks because I can't see how it can retain its fuctionality using spacers and long bolts, that defeats the purpose of the brace. So if your dumb enough to piss away your money on this kit just to have a tower brace for looks then go right a head. Oh wait maybe you already did thats probably why you're so pissy about it and took offense and felt the need to talk smack about my engine bay.

And what do the looks of my engine bay have to do with this thread ? The next time you bash on some ones car make sure you fully understand the thread and what the poster is saying (Insert derogatory name here )

Thanks Paris,
Im glad someone understood what I was saying. When mounted the right way they don't just reduce tower deflection they totally stop it.

does anyone know what the part number is for this gm strut brace? i should be able to order it from the dealer right? but i need a part number.

The brace is p/n 22756880, but does not include bolts. The bolt p/n is 11589407, but I believe they are 8x1.25x35 bolts.

thanks

This thread has some pictures of the brackets installed on my car:
http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=224434

checked with GM they have a part number for the tower brace for the 2012 vert, but there is no part number listed for the 2012 coupe.
does anyone know if the vert part number will work on the coupe, or is there a difference in the towers between the vert and coupe.
thanks for any input.

It will work. The vert is the only one that comes with the brace from the factory. That's why it only shows a part number for the vert.

Man i love Candy Canes also, LMFAO!

Attachment 396486

Did you use some sort of adapter kit to install it? If so, where did you get it?

First no pics yet. I have the OEM Strut Tower Brace. What a pain in the A$$ to install this thing. I have a 2011 1SS/RS L99. Had to drill the 6 holes for the kit. I have done all the work on myCamaro myself until I got to this dam thing. This is one item do not






do alone. I had very good help with mine. The person helping me had to be a smart A$$. all in d
fun though.
He has a 2012 45th with the bolt holes already there. So he had to raise his hood and show me he could install it himself in about 15 min. WAAH LOL

Any chance we can get these pics uploaded again? I'm aware PhotoBucket is no longer working for the images.

I second the above post I'm about install mine!

Strut tower Brace Adapter Kit
 

I have an extra adapter kit that I am willing to sell for 125.00 shipping included. It was manufactured by TPIS. This kit is made for 2010 to early 2011 Camaro’s . There is a video on youtube that is available for installation instructions. I can be contacted at bjsmusic@msn.com if interested :wave: