Bent Strut Tower and Camber Plate

[tigermack]

Originally Posted by norcalpb

that's in the rear and that car is from the 90s

Front of that car has bent strut towers, too.

[finch1750]

Originally Posted by solidONE

how about checking the strut tower? you've not shown how badly the strut tower is misshapen. It might not even be all that bad.

Press the undamaged flat camber top against the 'damaged' shock tower and check for gaps with some short of feeler or feeler gauge. If there isn't too big a gap, then you've been worried about nothing. Just replace that POS camber plate.

It isnt bad enough to be able to get a good pic of it. So I could just be overeacting. The nut not sitting flush was the only sign of it being damaged. Once torqued down it seems to fit basically flush.

Originally Posted by tigermack

Common with e36's. Might need reinforcement plates.

Interesting. Did people generally repair it first or just throw on the plates and call it good?

Originally Posted by norcalpb

Also Feal, just like BC, Stance, etc have their top hats made in Taiwan.

True. Guess it shouldn't surprise me that much

[solidONE]

Originally Posted by norcalpb

Also Feal, just like BC, Stance, etc have their top hats made in Taiwan.

A good part is a good part, regardless where it was made. You dont think USA or Germany make unreliable things? LMAO Even JDM companies put out shoddy parts (hemm takata.. ahemm).

[tigermack]

Originally Posted by finch1750

Interesting. Did people generally repair it first or just throw on the plates and call it good?

You put the plates on under and bolt it down. It should pull it flat. At least that's how it was with the e36, very thin sheet metal. I also ended up using a rubber mallet to help flatten it down.

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by solidONE

A good part is a good part, regardless where it was made. You dont think USA or Germany make unreliable things? LMAO Even JDM companies put out shoddy parts (hemm takata.. ahemm).

You'd call this a good part?

[go_a_way1]

My turbo is made in Taiwan, no complaints from me here. I feel this is more of an issue with the metals chose for the application, not where it was made lol.

[solidONE]

Originally Posted by strat61caster

You'd call this a good part?

nope. I'd call it a POS.. lmao

Although, we dont even know how exactly it got bent the way it did. Was it like this new out of the box? Was it damaged due to improper install? Or did it inexplicably change shape for no reason? lol

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by solidONE

nope. I'd call it a POS.. lmao

Although, we dont even know how exactly it got bent the way it did. Was it like this new out of the box? Was it damaged due to improper install? Or did it inexplicably change shape for no reason? lol

Deformed strut towers, top hats, camber plates, have been an issue for decades, actually since their very first inception, it's basic engineering and material science and sometimes manufacturers get it wrong, aftermarket companies get it wrong slightly more frequently.

Google "deformed strut tower" and you'll get hundreds of pictures of E36's like Tigermack mentions.

Only time and data collection will tell if this is a problem with the 86 chassis itself or certain aftermarket designs, or just a fluke.

[solidONE]

^ yuck

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by solidONE

^ yuck

Given the fact that this is the only one I've seen so far after 5 years of the 86 getting pounded on I'm optimistic that this will be a rare case of potentially severe use (OP's roads are pretty shitty, you don't have to drive a car hard or fast to wear it out prematurely) or a bad aftermarket part or a fluke.

[solidONE]

Definitely not a common thing on this chassis. So much for german engineering eh?