Clutch cable Firewall brace

[dindin]

I got a quote for some cable firewall brace's to be made, if I order 20 its about 14 bucks,..the more I order the cheaper, not looking to make a dime if anyone is interested? Just pay shipping if we can get it up to 20 or more...I got the first one and will be posting a picture of it tomorrow.

Al

[BillB1210]

Is it for Monza or Vega? If Monza, I would be interested. Never had trouble, but for that price it would be handy to have in the "parts department"!

[cjbiagi]

That certainly sounds like a good price but exactly what does it look like? I made a brace that goes from the firewall and runs under the w/s washer bottle and attaches to the heavy part of the wheelwell. It transfers the force from the firewall to the wheelwell which is a lot stronger. The brace actually catches the lip of the clutch cable and transfers the force from it away from the firewall. I think a picture would be great, it sounds like a very good idea and anything that stops or reduces the firewall flex is worth doing. While you may not have had trouble a simple test is to have someone depress the clutch while you look or feel the firewall while they are doing it. You will probably see or feel it move.

[kgroombr]

Is it for Monza or Vega? If Monza, I would be interested. Never had trouble, but for that price it would be handy to have in the "parts department"!

Good question. Is there a difference? I have a Monza and a Vega both with manual trannys.

Ken

[dindin]

I got the measurements from a Cosworth Vega tech tip, not sure if monza firewall is the same or not , but i have a couple of pictures.

bracket 2.jpg

Untitled.jpg

bracket 3.jpg

[hammerdown7]

That is very similar to the brace that Cosworth owners have used for years. It works very well.

Dick

[zeke]

Looks like that would effect the angle that the booster sits on.

[hammerdown7]

Cosworths don't have power brakes and the master just uses the lower two mounting studs.

Dick

[zeke]

So the Monza version would have to be different then. Thanks Dick.

[cjbiagi]

Here is a pic of a prototype brace that I made. The final version has another small brace that runs from the bottom of the washer back to the main piece for additional strength that is not shown in this pic. The washer fits tight against the firewall and the cable lip presses on the washer. The other end attaches to the heavy section of the wheelwell. This effectively transfers the stress away from the firewall to the stronger part of the wheelwell.

[BillB1210]

Clyde,

Take final version to machine shop for cost estimate. Then take orders. Looks like a good fix!

Bill

[BillB1210]

Clyde,

Take final version to machine shop for cost estimate. Then take orders. Looks like a good fix!

Bill

[cjbiagi]

The final version is on my car Once installed and painted you don't even know it is there. Much of it is under the w/s washer bottle.
I just welded this together......it does work pretty well. I am not trying to discourage using the other one posted, it does sound like it works well and is simple and cheap. Unfortunately it appears to only work with manual brake cars.

[Monza Harry]

I was looking at the "Rust Donor" out back and the cable on my '80 leaves the interior just below the cowl bulkhead, it seemed to me that a simple piece from the inside of the clutch cable area to the factory bulkhead with a couple of substantial spot welds would be invisible to everybody but the stereo install guy. Wouldn't need to be more than 20/22 gauge no ribbing, as it would be in tension. This would come straight back from the firewall to the Bulkhead from just over the clutch cable hole. I took some pic's, I'll see if they turned out Ok or if I will have to retake with better lighting. Harry

[cjbiagi]

If I remember correctly the firewall is a double sheetmetal affair with a gap between the two pieces? If so, strengthening the inside piece won't do much to alleviate the firewall stress on the outer panel. When you depress the clutch the tension tries to push the firewall in toward the rear of the car. The brace I made takes that tension and transfers it to the wheelwell which is about the heaviest steel on the car. If it is a one piece piece of sheetmetal then it would work to brace the inside. At one point I thought about spraying some kind of foam between the two sheets to fill the gap and maybe strengthen the area but I decided that could be a mess and came up with the brace I made as a solution. It's very simple to make, it's just a matter of getting the washer welded at the correct angle to match the firewall and the angle of the brace.