1995 3000GT: Cusco Rear Strut Tower Brace Installation

• Why Do I Want To Do This?

  • Bracing the strut towers increases chassis stiffness, which, in general yields better handling.




• How Long Will It Take Me To Do This?

  • To install the brace, you'll need about 30-45 minutes. If you want to cut out holes in the trim panels to reinstall them, plan on another 30-45 minutes.




• Anything I Should Do Prior To Attempting This Procedure?

  • Nope.




• What Mitsubishi Parts Will I Need?

  • Nope.




• What Other Parts Will I Need?

  • Cusco Rear Strut Brace




• Where Can I Get the Stuff To Do This?

  	Part	Company/Contact	Part Number
  	Cusco Rear Strut Brace	Dusty at MVP Motorsports	P/N





• What Tools May/Will I Need?

  • Phillips Screwdriver (#2)
  • 14mm Socket (Deep Socket preferable)
  • 10mm Socket Deep Socket (cars with glass sunroof only)
  • U-joint for Socket Wrench
  • 14mm open-ended wrench
  • Socket Wrench




• Erik's Review

The Procedure

	Remove Cargo Cover, Its Brackets, and Trim Panel
	You'll need your screwdriver here. Repeat for both sides.
	Remove Upper Shock Cover and Fold Rear Seats Down
	Repeat for both sides.
	Remove the Sunroof Brackets (only for cars with glass, removable sunroof)
	Remove the 2 nuts and then remove the bracket. Repeat for both sides.
	Remove the Two Upper Shock Mount Nuts
	You can either use a wrench or socket here - your call. Repeat for both sides.
	Insert Brace Bracket Over Upper Shock Mount Studs
	Repeat for both sides.
	Reinstall the Sunroof Brackets
	Do this before you tighten down the shock mount nuts because you need some wiggle room to align everything. Repeat for both sides.
	Reinstall the Two Upper Shock Mount Nuts
	You can either use a wrench or socket here - you'll probably use both along with yout universal-joint. Repeat for both sides. You may find it easier if you detach the brackets from the brackets by removing the bolt at each end of the brace.
	Turn the Bar to Adjust Its Tension
	The Cusco brace has a threaded bar, so once installed, you can turn the bar to make it longer or shorter. As best I understand it, one typically wants to adjust the bar as long as possible for drag racing (prevent inward sagging when the car squats) and as short as possible for open-tracking or autocross (prevents separation during cornering).
	Cut a Hole in the Trim Panel (optional)
	If you like, you can cut a hole in the trim panels to allow their reinstallation with the strut tower brace in place. I used a Dremel tool to carefully cut out a hole for the bar/bracket. To install the pannels, I removed the bar from the brackets and installed the trim panels before reattaching the bar. Repeat for both sides.
	Finished: Cars Without Glass Sunroof
	Finished: Cars With Glass Sunroof
	Finished: Cars With Glass Sunroof (Roof Stowed in Trunk)
	More Finished Shots