Shock Tower Brace Installation

Installations instructions for MonsterFlow intakes, Big Brake Kits, shocks and more.
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Shock Tower Brace Installation

Post by Brian »

Shock Tower Brace Installation Instructions
For Cobalt in particular but equally useful for RoadsterSport & Cusco

2016+ Mazda Miata

If your MX5 did not come with a shock tower brace from the factory, a cowl reinforcement
plate, part number 910-891, must be installed to fit this strut bar. Directions to install the
cowl reinforcement plate can be found at the end of these instructions.

Parts may vary slightly from pics.
Tools required:
• Ratchet
• Torque wrench
• Sockets: 10mm, 10mm deep,14mm
• Universal joint
• 10" Extension
• 10mm wrench
• Needle nose pliers
• Slip joint pliers
• Rags

Removal of the Factory Shock Brace
1) Disconnect the battery.
2) Remove the front section of the sound tube attached to the intake at the front of the engine bay. Remove
the two outside hose clamps, and the 10mm bolt securing the center of the tube. Figure 2.
Fig1.png
3) Move the sound tube chamber out of the way by removing the 10mm bolt securing it to the outside
edge of the engine compartment, and then lifting straight up to separate it from the shock tower plate.
Figure 3.
Fig3.png
4) Remove the factory shock brace. Unfasten the six nuts securing the brace to the shock tower plates
and firewall. Pull out the rear section of the brace before the two side sections. Figure 4.
Fig4s.png
5) Move the EVP control unit fastened to the passenger side shock tower plate. Use needle nose pliers to
release the backs of the clips holding the wiring from the control unit. Unfasten the two 10mm bolts holding
the control unit bracket to the shock tower, and move it out of the way. The large connector on top of the
control unit does not need to be disconnected. Figure 5.
Fig5.png
Brian Goodwin
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Brian
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Re: Shock Tower Brace Installation

Post by Brian »

6) Remove the passenger side shock tower plate by unfastening the three 14mm nuts, and lifting it off of
the studs. Figure 6.
Fig6.png
7) Move the ecu attached to the driver’s side shock tower plate. There are three 10mm bolts in total. Two
bolts are located on top connecting the ecu bracket to the shock tower plate, and the third is located at
the bottom of the ecu. The bottom bolt needs a 10 inch extension and universal joint to unfasten. Gently
move the ecu off the studs of the shock tower plate and place a rag between the ecu bracket and the
shock tower to protect the paint. Do not disconnect the ecu from the wiring harness. Figure 7.
Fig7.jpg
8) Remove the driver’s side shock tower plate by removing the three 14mm nuts.

9) Clean the shock tower surfaces where the new brace will be mounted. Any debris left over may damage the paint.

10) Place the new shock tower brace onto the same eight mounting studs as the factory shock tower brace. Figure 10.
Fig10.jpg
11) Using the nuts that were removed earlier, secure the new brace. Torque the six shock tower nuts to 37-43
ft-lbs, and the two firewall nuts to 12-19 ft-lbs.

12) Bolt the EVP control unit on the passenger side of the vehicle to the shock brace using the two included
M6x35 bolts, washers, and nuts.

13) Remove the D shaped clip from its line and bushing located near the EVP control unit. Flip it upside down
and reinstall it to fit the hole in the bracket attached to the control unit. The rubber bushing underneath
will need to be moved up. When everything is in place, install the clip into the bracket. Figure 13.
Fig13.jpg
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Brian
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Re: Shock Tower Brace Installation

Post by Brian »

14) On the driver’s side of the vehicle, mount the ecu back in its original location. Use the original bolt
to secure the lower mount of the ecu, and the two M6x25 bolts, washers, and nuts to secure the top two
mounting holes. Figure 14.
Fig14.jpg
15) Mount the sound tube chamber into place on the driver’s side. Use the original bolt to secure the
outside mount, and the included M6x40 bolt, 20mm washer, and nut to install the other side to the shock
brace. Figure 15.
Fig15.jpg
16) Make a connector using the small stainless steel pipe and rubber hose included in the kit. Push the pipe
into the hose until approximately 3/4” of the pipe is sticking out, and use one of the included hose
clamps to secure them together. Figure 15.

17) Mount the rubber side of the connector onto the sound tube chamber, and secure it with the second
clamp from the kit.

18) Using the original bolt, install the long end of the included bracket where the center of the sound tube
was originally mounted. Figure 18.
Fig18.jpg
19) Rotate the portion of the sound tube that connects to the intake 180 degrees, so that the bottom is now
facing up. Figure 19.
FIg19.jpg
Attachments
Fig20.jpg
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Re: Shock Tower Brace Installation

Post by Brian »

.
Attachments
Fig21.jpg
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Re: Shock Tower Brace Installation

Post by Brian »

RoadsterSport ND shock tower brace.
Attachments
K1.jpg
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Re: Shock Tower Brace Installation

Post by Brian »

Rear shock tower brace has same torque specs but requires some minor trim of trunk liner as shown here. Shock tower nuts to 37-43ft-lbs, nuts in the middle span of brace to 12-19 ft-lbs.
Attachments
K4.jpg
K4.jpg (132.17 KiB) Viewed 14516 times
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ScottM489
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Location: Steeler Nation

Re: Shock Tower Brace Installation

Post by ScottM489 »

Just installed mine with the Edelbrock S/C.

Very light. Looks great. Install was (as it typically is) not as simple as I would have thought.

I didn't have all the hardware (screws/bolts) but fortunately I have a ton of nuts/bolts/lock washers in my garage for times just like this.

You can see on the passenger side the two bolts holding the surge tank and evap unit. These are quite a joy to install because of the low clearance beneath them. Had to jack up the car because of course the first bolt dropped down on the engine cover below and had to remove cover to retrieve them.

It's a very tight squeeze and awkward position. I ended up loosening all the attachment points on to the car and after that I was able to slightly lift the brace a bit to get my fingers to hold the bolt in. On the stock plate there are threads attached to the plate so it's not an issue.

Once that was done it was pretty simple install. Driver side ECU attachment was easy as there is plenty of clearance beneath the bolt for your hand.
Attachments
IMG_3385.jpg
IMG_3384.jpg
ScottM489
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Re: Shock Tower Brace Installation

Post by ScottM489 »

ScottM489 wrote:Just installed mine with the Edelbrock S/C.

Very light. Looks great. Install was (as it typically is) not as simple as I would have thought.

I didn't have all the hardware (screws/bolts) but fortunately I have a ton of nuts/bolts/lock washers in my garage for times just like this.

You can see on the passenger side the two bolts holding the surge tank and evap unit. These are quite a joy to install because of the low clearance beneath them. Had to jack up the car because of course the first bolt dropped down on the engine cover below and had to remove cover to retrieve them.

It's a very tight squeeze and awkward position. I ended up loosening all the attachment points on to the car and after that I was able to slightly lift the brace a bit to get my fingers to hold the bolt in. On the stock plate there are threads attached to the plate so it's not an issue.

Once that was done it was pretty simple install. Driver side ECU attachment was easy as there is plenty of clearance beneath the bolt for your hand.

Going to reply to my own post 8)

I have a new 2020 ND2 with the new GWR V2 brace. I did learn from my first install.

I purchased a telescoping magnet wand sometime between owning these two vehicles on amazon. Although I did not drop any bolts or nuts this time... I did drop the Allen key :| This time I did not have to jack up the car, I simply used the wand and it picked the Allen key right up off the skid plate from about.

The most useful tip from doing the first install...on the passenger side evap unit install. My first attempt I had secured the brace to the shock tower. This time... I did NOT secure it to the shock towers. This let me lift the brace while putting the bolt and nut to secure the evap unit to the brace. Way easier. So much more room for your hands to secure the nuts and bolts. Once secure... I placed the brace on the shock tower bolts and started to tighten everything back down.

As the first one...this one is a piece of engineering. Unfortunately, you will have to remove it to replace the spark plugs....but I won't be doing that too often. If it were not for the evap and ECU... this install would be a breeze. It is easy as long as you have the required tools (deep socket for the firewall bolts). I also had to dip into my split washer and tooth washer inventory to help secure the ECU and evap unit to the brace. These were not in the kit...might not be required... but I like them.
Attachments
IMG_5462.jpeg
The red arrows are will be the most challenging part of the install
The red arrows are will be the most challenging part of the install
IMG_5460.jpeg
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Re: Shock Tower Brace Installation

Post by Brian »

Thanks for the great post Scott, that will be helpful to other folks for many years to come!
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Re: Shock Tower Brace Installation

Post by Brian »

Another customer pic...
Attachments
V2.jpg
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