rollbar x braceing

Anyone run these bars to the upper rear shock mounts?

I did on an earlier cage in my car. Worked great.

Installed one on another early A-body.

Great if you do not have a bender. If you do a halo in the area of the package tray works nicer.

Leon

Now from my understanding is the x brace helps support the hoop incase of a rollover correct?If thats the case then it just seems stronger to mount it to the frame/upper shock mount than to the floor as i have seen on some cars......JMO

Mine are mounted between the main hoop and frame/shock mounts.
The stiffer the shock mounts are the better the chassis will respond to shock tuning changes.

I read the other day that in HP road use, the shocks actually undergo greater loading then the springs, when encountering rapid movements, which is something I hadn't given much concern about, and maybe I should.

my x braces run to the frame rail between the rear down tube and the ladder bar crossmember, the rear down tubes carry the coil-over shock mounts.

from trunk

Heres mine after I did my back half last winter, put the X bar in from the main hoop down to the frame right where the crossmember is and the down bars end up where the rear crossmember and shockmounts are,,hope they are seeable with my crappy camera at the time.

looking in to the trunk.

The most common and effective place to land the X-brace is just above the turn on the attaching area of the 4-link or ladder bar brackets and on the flat of the rail.The down bars to the trunk area can have an upright(vertical) tube from the shock mount cross bar or tube to the down bars for extra support.

Yes the shock mounts are the best place, I try to make every placement tie into as many load bearing points as possible all in triangulation(strongest structure) with as few bars as needed. A bent bar will flex, straight won't.

I personally never liked the "X" in the cage. Looks to NASCARish to me. We did mine a little different but with the same effect. My bars that go down thru the speaker tray go into the upper shock mount bar. Also was able to retain the back seat. Not that anyone will be sitting back there. I just hate the tin look of a race car interior.

Upper shock bar. And Anti roll bar.

Thaxs Gents:

As mentioned the strongest structure effectiveness is triangulation.With a back halved fullbody car with a high main hoop an x-brace will minimize any lateral flex.With funny car style cages in full tube chassis you have more bars and lower mainhoops and can eliminate the x-brace.With a basic stock floor pan car with stock front suspension you don't necessarly need the X-brace but it does help especially if you eliminate the back seat and trunk floor pans and replace with aluminium..

but it does help especially if you eliminate the back seat and trunk floor pans and replace with aluminium..

^^^ this is my plan i've already cut out the rear trunk pan and no-longer have a rear seat^^^

Thats how I do it... this is my P-body chassis

BG-

Like this? Look closely in the driver's side rear window..... Is that Santa Claus????

ML

Quote:

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BG-

Like this? Look closely in the driver's side rear window before you answer..... Is that Santa Claus????

ML

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I wouldnt do it like that... should have dropped the X
on the shock cross bar or on the rails at the shock bar...
the X is dropping out in the middle of a length