Cusco GC8 STB fitment

[farfrumwork]

So, I finally took some pictures of my modified Cusco STB (bar was spec'd for a GC8 - sorry I don't have the PN, buit I'll keep looking around for that)

without further adu....

(well, maybe a bit more) here are several angles of the mounting plate that has been ground to disallow interference with the hood (THE problem with using this GC8 STB). I ground it with a die grinder - it took 10min/side with checking fitment every few minutes.








So my lazyness of not repainting the ground area has left a nice surface oxidation layer to help show all my fellow old-schoolers how to mod this to work - I will be painting it soon - it's just slightly ugly....

when done it looks somethin' like this



-Chad
(thanks to Josh for his tenacity - otherwise little posts like this just slip away from me and no knowledge/experience is spread)

[Legacy777]

Thanks Chad, that does help clear things up.

And I think you mean Josh....not Phil

[farfrumwork]

You're welcome.

And yes, Josh. I realized that soon after posting and fixed it (phil did nothing! )

[daniel son]

holy f! so simply impreza part + grindage? Don't want to go into something unprepared.
How does the car feel now?

[ericem]

Same question, does it feel like a rock, that doesn't make crack noises anymore

[farfrumwork]

the STB make a difference, and is well worth the effort. Fewer creaks, more "planted" front end, and it looks good to - haha. Although I'm sure most FSTB's would do the trick, I like the Cusco

these chassis need all the help they can get. I'm probably going with a lower "H-brace" sometime in the near future too, then I think it's the top hats and other various bushings that will be the main contributors to the remaining looseness.

-Chad

[ej22t kid]

Very interesting, so what are some of the effects you noticed after install? i hear allot of people say that a strut tower brace does not do enough unless it is triangulated. Do you think the improvement for the present, verses the little more effort for a triangulated bar, was worth it?

[Legacy777]

Chad,

Could you do me one more favor. How wide is the bar?

[farfrumwork]

The bar is 1 5/8" wide, and sits 1 3/4" from the leading edge of the firewall. (that's a nice fit!)


As for the effects of this particular (and most) STB's is quicker turn-in, less "worble" during cornering, and a stiffer feeling chassis (which can mean a thousand different things I guess). I am not sure what a tower-to-tower bar gives up compared to a triangulated bar (tower-firewall-tower)... I am not even sure who makes one for the GC8/legacy platform. But yes, for me it is worth it - these cars need some help in the rigidity dept.

[Legacy777]

Thanks Chad.

I've got a pretty tight fit....probably less than an inch.....so that may not work.....I think a tubular bar is about the only thing that will work