Comptech strut tower brace brackets poorly made -- mine are out of alignment
01-20-2002, 02:02 PM
#1
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Comptech strut tower brace brackets poorly made -- mine are out of alignment
There have been more than several posts about people having problems installing the Comptech strut tower brace. Mine has been on my car for about 9 months, and I recently removed it to have the brackets powder coated. Maybe the problem I discovered accounts for the installation problems others have had.
When I removed the brackets, I noticed that the two arms that are welded to the base were not properly aligned. One was shorter than the other and the mounting holes on each arm were not exactly opposite each other. Morever, the base was warped enough that it wobbled on a flat surface. The picture below shows that one arm is longer than the other, and the screwdriver through the holes indicated how far they are out of alignment, at least 1/16 - 5/64s of an inch, far too much for a performance part of this kind.
Either the brackets have bent under road stresses or they were not properly assembled when they were made. My guess is that whoever welded this thing together did a sloppy job. In any case, this suggests inadequate attention to quality control on the part of Comptech. If you buy this brace, I would suggest that you inspect it closely before you install it. Make Comptech replace it if you find these problems,
As a results of the misalignment, I had a bitch of a time reinstalling it on my car. I literally had to force the bracket arms into place to get the mounting screws in. As result , a job that should take 10 minutes took 90.
When I removed the brackets, I noticed that the two arms that are welded to the base were not properly aligned. One was shorter than the other and the mounting holes on each arm were not exactly opposite each other. Morever, the base was warped enough that it wobbled on a flat surface. The picture below shows that one arm is longer than the other, and the screwdriver through the holes indicated how far they are out of alignment, at least 1/16 - 5/64s of an inch, far too much for a performance part of this kind.
Either the brackets have bent under road stresses or they were not properly assembled when they were made. My guess is that whoever welded this thing together did a sloppy job. In any case, this suggests inadequate attention to quality control on the part of Comptech. If you buy this brace, I would suggest that you inspect it closely before you install it. Make Comptech replace it if you find these problems,
As a results of the misalignment, I had a bitch of a time reinstalling it on my car. I literally had to force the bracket arms into place to get the mounting screws in. As result , a job that should take 10 minutes took 90.
01-20-2002, 02:12 PM
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Wow, interesting indeed. I highly doubt it is road stresses that threw it out of whack. On a double wishbone car like the S2000, there is very little force transmitted to the top of the shock towers when compared with something that has a MacPherson strut type of setup.
01-22-2002, 04:55 PM
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Originally posted by Mike B at Comptech
Considering that we ship out the strut bar with both brackets already installed, I can't imagine that the alignment could be THAT far off. We put them together by hand.
Considering that we ship out the strut bar with both brackets already installed, I can't imagine that the alignment could be THAT far off. We put them together by hand.
BTW, I think we also agree that you provide generally high quality products. We just need to figure this out.
01-23-2002, 04:40 AM
#7
I went over mine with a micrometer when I got it and did not install for weeks, just played with it. It was perfectly aligned with nothing like you have. I personally feel the title of this thread is very inflamatory and inappropriate. Comptech replaced many of the brackets early on but not for this reason rather hood clearance. Nine months after installing it you say there is something wrong with it? After you take it off and send it out to the powder coaters you say it is Comptechs problem? Rick, it looks like someone dropped it and it landed hard on one part of the bracket. What you have done is like saying "I just removed my Rick's center console cover and now it doesn't fit the same! Rick, your products are poorly made." I would be inappropriate for saying that and I feel you are inappropriate for knocking a good product that you have already used.... 
