Strut Tower-to-Tower Brace:
Because of the configuration of the B23/230 intake and turbo outlet
elbow on my motor, most tower-to-tower braces would not fit my car.
I needed a bar that would fit in front of the throttle spool but behind
the turbo outlet elbow. Most 'commercial' braces looked like they
would hit something on my motor. I didn't really feel like getting
a brace then having to ship it back if it didn't fit.
One day while junk yard diving I found a set of plates mounted to the
top of the struts of a 78' GT. The plates were the perfect base to
build the tower-to-tower brace because they had the correct center and
slotted holes. These 'support plates' are Volvo PN 1247816.
I had a machinist friend make the 'ears' for the rod end and weld them
to the tower plates. I located the ears relatively far forward on
the plates to allow full camber adjustment. I purchased the 1/2"
rod ends from McMaster supply catalog and threaded the 7/8" 6061-T6 aluminum
rod myself. To give the whole thing a professional look, I gave the
aluminum rod a brushed finish and had the tower plates powder coated gloss
black. The rod ends I bought are only black oxide coated and are starting
to tarnish a bit. I plan on ordering some stainless steel ends in
the near future.
Adding the tower-to-tower brace did not make a night and day difference
in the handling of my car. It did however make long sweeping corners,
like freeway on ramps, feel more tight.
I purchased the stock Volvo braces from my local Volvo dealer and had them powder coated when I had the tower-to-tower plates done. These braces can be also purchased from Maximum Vehicle Performance.
Volvo PNs for the braces:
I purchased the stock Volvo braces and related hardware from Maximum
Vehicle Performance.