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Update on upgrades to my w209 55k convertible... strut brace and carbon fiber front canard... let me know what you guys think... there's no rear strut brace for the convertible model so I have to make one, but will update later. I also have the lower crossmember brace for he coupe that I've modified to fit my convertible. But no pictures now, will upload later for you guys to see... enjoy
I have a strut brace for the rear W208 though not for sale.
Fair warning on cabs the frame and tower in the rear.
It is light and makes the cab work but installing rigid supports will require some integral engineering to keep the strut tower from bending and damage.
I would recommend a 3 point mounting brace that couples the frame and tower to prevent damage. I started building such a brace for W208.
I have a strut brace for the rear W208 though not for sale.
Fair warning on cabs the frame and tower in the rear.
It is light and makes the cab work but installing rigid supports will require some integral engineering to keep the strut tower from bending and damage.
I would recommend a 3 point mounting brace that couples the frame and tower to prevent damage. I started building such a brace for W208.
Cheers
Yeah, I see what you're talking about in the rear for my cabriolet. My brother has a R230 SL500 and his chassis is very stiff with no flex or creaking when on uneven surface. My w209 55 chassis Flex and creak on uneven surface like getting on my drive way with incline. I installed a lower crossmember brace didn't seem to help much. So I was thinking about rear strut brace and MAYBE find a way to add more rigidity to both sides of the body under the door sills to strengthen it a bit. Suspension set up is H&R 1.3 front and 1.4" rear drop with all brand new Bilstien struts / shocks. I love the handling now but not a big fan of chassis creaking and flexing when on uneven surface.... is your w208 a cabriolet also GatorMB?
I started with a Electrician conduit coupling 2.0 maybe.
This fits tight over the shock mount and clears my inner wheel well weld in.
From here it is a trigonomic value with 4130 tubing and welded flanges for bolting the system in. It is important not to disturb the strut or spring perch on cabs but relieve stressed members in that frame area.
W209 I am not sure, Have seen damaged W208.
The coupling when complete will have a t bar welded across the top for shock support.
The rest of the brackets are to protect the delicate inner frame from tweaking.
Remember Cabs are not race cars but that engine leads us to believe different.
I started with a Electrician conduit coupling 2.0 maybe.
This fits tight over the shock mount and clears my inner wheel well weld in.
From here it is a trigonomic value with 4130 tubing and welded flanges for bolting the system in. It is important not to disturb the strut or spring perch on cabs but relieve stressed members in that frame area.
W209 I am not sure, Have seen damaged W208.
The coupling when complete will have a t bar welded across the top for shock support.
The rest of the brackets are to protect the delicate inner frame from tweaking.
Remember Cabs are not race cars but that engine leads us to believe different.
Cheers, Gator
Lol... yup, that m113 and gearing make you wanna floor it every time.... I just want to straighten the chassis a tad bit... you're a genius... I'll see if I can fabricate something like that...
The W208 came with Cab Frame supports that tied the front crossmember to the outer frame of the car.
Another set tied the rear of the car in to act as a rolling torsion bar so to speak. Im sure W209 cab was beefed up a bit as well.
With both stressed after some age the bolts get loose or corroded. The bars Clunk, creak and sound horrid.
It is best to replace the bolts when this happens. I cleaned mine and applied a loctite blue or red maybe cant remember. never worried about it ever.
Some hard top folks racing these cars without a roll bar might do better with cab frame supports.
Nice car ! I had ultra racing front brace but unable to fit it because there are no studs. How did you manage to fit it on ? Did you have to drill holes and add bolts or studs in ?
And where can can I purchase the canard ? Thanks for the help ?
Originally Posted by Chris Huynh
Update on upgrades to my w209 55k convertible... strut brace and carbon fiber front canard... let me know what you guys think... there's no rear strut brace for the convertible model so I have to make one, but will update later. I also have the lower crossmember brace for he coupe that I've modified to fit my convertible. But no pictures now, will upload later for you guys to see... enjoy
Nice car ! I had ultra racing front brace but unable to fit it because there are no studs. How did you manage to fit it on ? Did you have to drill holes and add bolts or studs in ?
And where can can I purchase the canard ? Thanks for the help ?
Yes I have to drill the 2 dummy studs on the strut tower to fit. It's pretty sturdy...
I bought it on eBay from a seller in California. Pretty cheap, $105.00 shipped to GA... a lot of the canard lip will fit, it just the bumper curved that's make some canard don't fit or look nice.
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