Hi all,

I have a strut bar I want to install but I’ve got some deformation as the strut tower plates don’t sit on them right. Would it be possible to remove the struts, take something like the Cravenspeed indurators and place them under the towers, place the strut bar plates on top, and run bolts and nuts through all of it and try to sandwich the strut tower by tightening slowly to restore its shape?

One of the bolt holes on the oil pan for the lower engine mount bracket is stripped and I want to go ahead and swap it out with a spare oil pan I’ve got since I’m going to replace the oil pan gasket. But the mating surface that mates with the bell housing has corrosion. Could this affect anything?

Thanks for the help!

 

ModMini on YouTube has a video showing how to fix your mushroomed shock towers (2x4 and a big hammer). The indurators are a good idea (what I use on mine) to keep them from deforming again. You do not need the top mount braces if you're using the indurators.

 

The corrosion on the side of pan isn't an issue. It's the flywheel side and not a seal service.

 

Gotcha. I was thinking if the mating isn’t as it should be, stuff from the road could get in and around the clutch assembly.

 

I’ll watch it again. Someone else somewhere online was saying that it can be a bad thing to hammer on thin metal like that.

I do want the top mount plates bc I have the WMW strut bar with plates. I do wonder though if this sandwiching idea would help. If I wasn’t clear, I meant tightening the indurator and the strut bar plate together with bolts to try to flatten out the mushrooming until the plate can sit on there as it should when I check for flatness/run the strut mounts studs through the strut towers.

 

If your strut mounts are bent/mushroomed don't bother trying to fix them. Just replace them and do it right. If you have stock suspension the IE fixed camber plates are a good stronger option.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/irelan...e-r50-r53.html
Or if you have aftermarket springs go with the vorshlag camber plates as they will be stronger and allow you to dial in the camber correctly.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/vorshl...er-plates.html
If it's a budget thing the genuine MINI mounts will work fine too.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/genuin...0-r52-r53.html

Don't worry about the oil pan as that is fine it doesn't seal on that surface.