GTSPEC Strut Bar not Seating properly? Wrong Brackets in package??

So GTSPEC got back to me last week and they test fit three strut bars on a few 2nd gen FX's and they all had the same issue but deemed it ok.

Either case, I ended up buying washers to lift the bracket away from that 'hump' and all is perfect now. For the stud that is closest to the hump i placed two washers on top of eachother bringing the bracket 1mm away from the hump. I placed a single washer on the other two studs. This slants the bracket upwards on the side with the hump giving it more lift.

This was the best setup that prevented me from losing too much thread for the nuts to grab onto and from having to grind the brackets at all.
 
Phantom said:
So GTSPEC got back to me last week and they test fit three strut bars on a few 2nd gen FX's and they all had the same issue but deemed it ok.

Either case, I ended up buying washers to lift the bracket away from that 'hump' and all is perfect now. For the stud that is closest to the hump i placed two washers on top of eachother bringing the bracket 1mm away from the hump. I placed a single washer on the other two studs. This slants the bracket upwards on the side with the hump giving it more lift.

This was the best setup that prevented me from losing too much thread for the nuts to grab onto and from having to grind the brackets at all.
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Did you get a full nut of thread on all three strut studs.
 
I sure did. The one with two washers had the thread even with the top of the nut, the other two had the studs sticking out slightly.

Sent from my SGH-I747
 
Good stuff, I had to grind a bit off the bracket to get a full nut of thread along with using the washers.
 
Thx! I couldn't live with having the bracket sit on that hump creating a bridge, that's just not safe IMHO. Metal expands and contracts, and nuts back out. Maybe adding some blue thread locker could be another solution... I might do that as well come to think of it.

Sent from my SGH-I747
 
Having worked in QC as a millwright, optimal conditions are actual 2-3 threads of penetration.

I would not be impressed having to put washers on top of the studs in order for the STB to fit properly. I would have to see the exact dimensions and how it all fits together to be sure, but I am almost positive that placing washer has in some way impacted the function of the STB.

EDIT: 1 thread is still good, we always like to see 2+ threads for inspection purposes. Just wanted to make that clear, so someone doesn't get the wrong idea.
 
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Meme, when you refer to seeing 1 or 2 threads, do you mean sticking above the nut? or at least 1 or 2 threads worth threaded on?

On a side note, the top of the strut towers aren't perfectly flat. They have slants and imperfections that would not make that thick bracket sit properly. You would probably over torque the nuts before the bracket would flex to seat correctly. I know on the 1st gen, the strut towers had a big flat bracket there from the factory so the towers were made to be flat. On the 2nd gen, they didn't have a reason to made the tops of the towers flat.

The washers I used fit snug onto the studs and they're wide enough if not a little more wider than the bracket's outer edges, that way there's more surface area holding it. The other flaw I found with the brackets is the holes are bigger than the studs themselves. Tightening the nuts won't keep that bracket from moving.

---------- Post added at 10:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:59 PM ----------
davidcarson48 said:
I lost you at "optimal conditions of penetration".
Click to expand...

:rotfl:
 
He means above the nut, threads penetrating through the nut and a couple of threads above the nut. I meant the same thing.
 
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