srry to call either of you out, but transporter you provided me with the link to your write up and you said misnblu gave you the idea. so that's y i'm asking either of you.
anyway i just installed the cadillac front strut bar as the rear trunk bar on our cars. i only have one question and i may be way off base but i'm just kinda curious.
wouldn't there be more of a benefit to this mod if it grabbed hold of the frame rails? kind of like tying the two strut towers together with a strut bar? right now it simply looks like it just basically tying together the thin sheet metal around the spare tire well. so just let me know if i'm a complete idiot. (it wouldn't be the first time lol)
The main purpose of it as far as I understand is it is supposed to just tighten up the rear..Now, I don't necessarily see how it does this effectively by bolting to the sheet metal on the sides of the spare tire well, But As far as theory goes, It should work. James or Tim will be able to clarify.
I say try bolting it to the frame rails (I don't think the caddy bar is long enough though), Maybe mount it under the car if there is enough room by the tire well (I don't think it will clear it)......Or build a different one with some added triangulated legs like the K-Brace to keep them from flexing parallel to one another.
I'm down for finding or making a piece to tie this together. Just gotta finish my harness bar and frame rail X-Brace. Harness bar should be done by the weekend. Woot
i think the caddy bar is too long to connect to both frame rails. when i mounted mine it just clears the rails on either side. all i'm wondering is if there's a benefit to connecting to the rails. if it would stiffen the rear up more than simply bolting to the sheet metal.
Ahh, I had never seen the bar in person or even remember what it looks like mounted, So I wasn't sure on how big it was.
From my line of thinking, The frame would be the best place for it.
Ok cool thnx...I have to agree if it were attached to the frame rails it would be more efficient.
If it were me, and I plan to do this, I would cut a section out of the bar to shorten it enough to fit in the frame rails and weld it back together with reinforcements.
That or I will make by own bar out of c-channel or rectangular box tubing.
"Oil Leak ? What oil Leak ? Oh, Thats Just The Sweat From All The HorsePower!!"
i'll have to pick up another bar and try mounting it to the rails to find out if there's any difference. although it's all based on feel and i could just be talking myself into it feeling better based on placebo effect. oh well they're five dollar junkyard bars.
i think i'm going to try this and i'll update soon.
btw good idea dsmskyline. i was going to go in search of a bar that fit the frame rails exactly lol.
The only reason for not mounting it to the frame rails is due to the thickness of the frame rails and having to have bolts that would have to go through the rail itself.
Mounting it to the very edge of the rail would still be beneficial for what the bars intention would serve or so as my theory would go with this.
I also got the idea of this from some of the UltraRacing braces along with Cusco and several others that are so popular with the WRX, Evo's, and Sylvias.
This brace, in theory should connect the rear frame rails together which should help with twisting of the rear frame rails from happening and from my feedback on not only my Cavy but also from doing this on a Civic, and Toyota with good results.
Welding the bar would be the best way to go about it but with the bar I used all grade 8 hardware to make sure that I could torque it down to where I could actually tow a trailer with the bar it's in there so good. Believe me, I could lift up the back of the car with the way it's mounted it's that good.
I can also attest that with the last drive of the 'blu that all the braces are working for a car that is magical to drive and stiff as a Cavalier will ever get.
It's a combination of bars and braces that make this happen and without it, would lessen the ride, and give less stability at speed which is where my Cavalier shines.
To me, it's a great mod for those wanting to brace a weak area that car manufacturers left weak. If it works for the higher end cars and the aftermarket see this as being a good thing, then why not the Cavalier too?
Sometimes you've got to do things on your own to get the end results we're looking for.
Hope this answers the question.
Misnblu.com
Newbie member since 1999
Thank you Dave and JBO! 
i wasn't questioning the usefulness of this mod, and i appreciate your feedback blu, you know i do. simply asking if it would be more beneficial to attach the bar directly to the rails.
Unfortunately I've gone over my allowed bandwidth on my photobucket account, so my how to is kind of useless at the moment. It will be back up on the 11th.
However, because the bolts are so close to the edge of the frame rail, the sheet metal there is very strong. It's not like you're bolting to a wide open and unsupported piece of metal. I'm sure I could pick up the back end of my car with the caddy bar, so I'm not to worried about it not being strong enough to do it's job.
I felt quite a difference in the rear end after doing this, at least as much of a difference as bolting a rear strut bar on. Turn in feels better and the car doesn't under steer as much. Welding would be optimum, but personally I think it's overkill, with the correctly sized bolts and holes, it won't move. Just make sure to use some high quality fender washers on the underside of the car.
To answer the original question, I don't really think you'd gain anything by bolting it to the frame, you'd have to use 8" or so long bolts, and that puts a huge moment on the connection. The shorter the bolt the better. Remember the sheet metal you are bolting to is welded to the frame, they are essentially the same piece, and when you are that close to the frame rail there is no room for the sheet metal to flex.
Paying someone to install parts and bragging about it being fast, is like watching someone bang your wife and being proud to raise their kids.
thank you for the answers guys
