Anyone else have trouble with the Mason Engineering Z3M strut brace?

[ClayMan]

I was very excited to score a used brace off the classifieds forum here but equally disappointed that I cannot fit it over the strut mount bolts, no matter how I jack the car (one side or another or both) or how much I try to force the brace. It also seems the quality and finish of the brace is very rough, looks almost like a one-off DIY project more so than a mass-produced product.

Is it just me or are the tolerances of the brace extremely tight? My car is clean and straight as an arrow (less than 30K miles) with not a single panel repainted or replaced... Mechanically it's all original too so I highly doubt the chassis is tweaked. I've e-mailed Mason asking if I have a counterfeit or a prototype brace but the only response they've provided is that the brace "has seen some use over the years".

rps20170424_023741_146.jpgrps20170424_023804_857.jpgrps20170424_023754_271.jpgrps20170424_023815.jpg

[Terry F.]

How far is it off? Mount one side and photograph the other sitting over top.

Obviously, he has no obligation on a used part.

Can any holes be enlarged slightly, allowing you to use the part?

[MC28REPSOL]

looks fake to me. John usually has the short bar just kinda dive in to the plate and not a straight cut & cover over end of the tube.

... It also seems the quality and finish of the brace is very rough, looks almost like a one-off DIY project more so than a mass-produced product.

oh and btw ... John's strut bars and basically everything else he makes are Hand Made and not massed produced.

[jjmtools]

used women and auto parts that have been around the block a time or two
often show up with baggage

[rf900rkw]

I was very excited to score a used brace off the classifieds forum here but equally disappointed that I cannot fit it over the strut mount bolts, no matter how I jack the car (one side or another or both) or how much I try to force the brace. It also seems the quality and finish of the brace is very rough, looks almost like a one-off DIY project more so than a mass-produced product.

Is it just me or are the tolerances of the brace extremely tight? My car is clean and straight as an arrow (less than 30K miles) with not a single panel repainted or replaced... Mechanically it's all original too so I highly doubt the chassis is tweaked. I've e-mailed Mason asking if I have a counterfeit or a prototype brace but the only response they've provided is that the brace "has seen some use over the years".

rps20170424_023741_146.jpgrps20170424_023804_857.jpgrps20170424_023754_271.jpgrps20170424_023815.jpg

But, but, I thought everyone knew these cars flexed so much they needed these braces.

[BimmerBreaker]

But, but, I thought everyone knew these cars flexed so much they needed these braces.

Good point

Have you tried laying across the engine bay, using one foot to push the other shock tower apart (or pull it towards you, depending on which way the fitment issue is).
Just be careful not to push or pull too hard, you might end up creasing the metal which weakens it.

[deni2s]

Good point

Have you tried laying across the engine bay, using one foot to push the other shock tower apart (or pull it towards you, depending on which way the fitment issue is).
Just be careful not to push or pull too hard, you might end up creasing the metal which weakens it.

And please pics of this process, or it didn't happened!

[cfmistry]

I have the same brace as you. It is a little tight to get it over the bolts, but it is possible. I may have to jack up one side of the car a little bit.

[ClayMan]

Thanks fellow friends and trolls, lol. Would you suggest that I try to force it on as tight as possible (and have the strut tower bolts in constant shear) or file the holes bigger so it goes on comfortably ?

[khammack]

But, but, I thought everyone knew these cars flexed so much they needed these braces.

[ClayMan]

I've had less frustration installing coilovers than this brace! 2 broken grinding wheels later and it still doesn't fit. Maybe the Z3 strut towers just separate over time sitting under the weight of gravity.

Suffice it to say, I'm not a fan of this brace or 1-piece bars on the Z3 platform!

This is how far off it is with the other side all the way in:
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Curiously, the MASON Engineering logo faces the rear of the car:
rps20170428_021400_839.jpg

[MC28REPSOL]

Suffice it to say, I'm not a fan of this brace or 1-piece bars on the Z3 platform!

lets keep things into perspective. your not happy with the way your bar fits. not that it's a one piece or a mason bar. you yourself said you were happy to get it and if the bar fit you would still be happy! but I think something happened to that bar along the way and you are now paying for it. that's what can happen when you buy used performance parts (Buyer Beware). it looks like you have 2 options here. #1 send it back to seller for a refund. inform them the bar don't fit and is defective. #2 mark where the studs are in relation to your holes then take a drill or file (I would use a file myself) and elongate the holes to fit. either way you go your problem will be solved ...

[Tim95M3]

Good point

Have you tried laying across the engine bay, using one foot to push the other shock tower apart (or pull it towards you, depending on which way the fitment issue is).
Just be careful not to push or pull too hard, you might end up creasing the metal which weakens it.

Don't forget to unbolt the front subframe so that you have a little extra play in the frame rails...

But on a serious note, I've had a bar so difficult to install on an E36 that I had to drop one strut out, lay the bar flat, and push the studs up through the bar. Serious pain in the ass.

[BimmerBreaker]

I've had less frustration installing coilovers than this brace! 2 broken grinding wheels later and it still doesn't fit. Maybe the Z3 strut towers just separate over time sitting under the weight of gravity.

Probably. Sort of like people think glass is still melting on old church windows.

That reminds me, we better enjoy these cars while we can. Given enough time our Z3's will simply melt into a puddle on the floor.

[BMWBergy]

Good point

Have you tried laying across the engine bay, using one foot to push the other shock tower apart (or pull it towards you, depending on which way the fitment issue is).
Just be careful not to push or pull too hard, you might end up creasing the metal which weakens it.

What's with you lately, G? First Turbo Encabulators and now this! Hopefully OP is taking your comment as sarcasm!

OP:
I ordered the upper-tier bar from Mason, and it didn't align either, no matter how hard I tried. The mounting holes on one side were rotated a few degrees relative to the bracing elements. I was assured that it was my car that was damaged, rather than the bar being improperly-welded (though I presume that Mason works on some kind of a jig - but it might have some error/slop in it).

[jbrannon7]

lets keep things into perspective. your not happy with the way your bar fits. not that it's a one piece or a mason bar. you yourself said you were happy to get it and if the bar fit you would still be happy! but I think something happened to that bar along the way and you are now paying for it. that's what can happen when you buy used performance parts (Buyer Beware). it looks like you have 2 options here. #1 send it back to seller for a refund. inform them the bar don't fit and is defective.

Following up on this post, I have seen Z3s hit a curb and bend the strut bar, so if this bar came off a wrecked car it could be bent. You could try putting it on the ground and standing in the middle to force the ends farther apart or some other method of removing the bend.

[BimmerBreaker]

What's with you lately, G? First Turbo Encabulators and now this!

I guess I've just been in a helpful mood recently, what can I say?

[zellamay]

I'd measure my car, compared to another Z3M , just to make sure.

[tiMASTER]

Maybe this is why the E36 factory strut bar is adjustable? That's pretty bad..

[Jakechan]

Following up on this post, I have seen Z3s hit a curb and bend the strut bar, so if this bar came off a wrecked car it could be bent. You could try putting it on the ground and standing in the middle to force the ends farther apart or some other method of removing the bend.

This....

If you know that your car is straight, then the donor car may not be. Many cars being broken for spare parts have been crashed.

[Remotion]

Dont install nor try to force the product into car it if it is faulty. Trying to force it when car is jacked up is just retarded.
Buying shed built stuff when it needs to be precise can go wrong.

Your car is 30k driven and faultles, but brace look very rough.

[CMM3]

Just a note: you'd be absolutely amazed how pliable and how much the struts and frame rails of a Z3 can move. It doesn't take an impact and the factory positions are not that precise. After all the bracing I added to mine I could still move things around very easily with a scissors jack. After all the welding my sub-frame mounting points were 1/4 inch too close together. Using the jack between the rails with blocks of wood I was able to move this point on the rails by 1.5" and could have gone more. I did so incrementally until after releasing the jack the mounting points ended up were they were supposed to be. And this is with extensive bracing. The stock towers move all over the place and it's not uncommon for this kind of variation to occur.

What you can try is to lower the struts, then put the brace in place and then raise the strut bolts into the Mason Bar. At the angle the towers are at the higher above the tower you go the closer they come together. Mine was the same way and this it how I used to mount it.

Chances are pretty good that the bar is built to the right dimensions and your towers have moved every so slightly. Mason builds everything on a jig by hand so I doubt that the bar is off.