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Minimizing Deflection

The GEN5 Camaro is one of the most popular late model Muscle Cars on the market today. Enthusiasts have been eager since its introduction to get more power and better handling. Thanks to the guys at PFADT Race Engineering there are many options on how to get your GEN5 Camaro to improve its handling and cut lap time.

One of the first items any GEN5 Camaro owner should consider is a Strut Tower Brace.  With the brace installed the deflection between the strut towers will be eliminated and an increase in steering response can be felt. The unique 4 point mounting system helps to reduce in and out movement, but also to prevent body twist.

The PFADT Strut Tower Brace comes complete with instructions, mounting hardware and the tool to install the rivnuts.

The first step is to set the bar in place. The instructions show the proper mounting location. The passenger side rear mount will go on top of the hood strut bracket. This provides a good place to start. Once in place, the holes need to be marked for drilling. Extra care should be taken as to not move the bar when marking the holes or the holes will not line up. It is extremely important to note that there is almost no tolerance for error on the mounting holes.

A center punch and pilot hole are recommended to start the drilling process. When drilling the rearward holes it is necessary to drill through the two layers of sheet metal. These two holes will be covered in the inside of the wheel well with the provided patches.

Pictured below is the hole drilled through the two layers of sheet metal in the Strut Tower Brace.

Below is a picture of the hole with the supplied hole patch installed.

Next, the rivnuts are installed to the drilled holes. They can be set in place with the small tap of a hammer. Once bottomed out they are secured using the supplied tool. Be sure to lubricate the installation tool to prevent damage to the threads.

Pictured here is what a properly installed rivnut looks like. This provides a secure mounting location for the PFADT Strut Tower Brace.

The paint in the engine compartment of the Camaro leaves a lot to be desired. It is minimal and inconsistent. After the trial fitting of the PFADT Strut Brace, I decided to paint both strut towers to fix all the nicks and scratches.

I opted to have the PFADT Strut Brace powder coated white to match our GEN5 Camaro. The installation was completed by placing the brace over the rivnuts and installing the four mounting bolts. The bolts are torqued to 20 N-m (15 ft-lbs).

This now completes the installation for the PFADT Strut Tower Brace.  Now go test drive! It is recommended to recheck bolt torque in 500 miles.