So I set out a couple of weeks ago to build a strut tower brace for less than the cost of buying one on the market, but still make a quality brace. My requirement was that it had to have full coverage of the strut tower tops, (like the M7 brace) as I also wanted some protection from the treacherous strut tower mushrooming ( the roads here in Tacoma WA are atrocious). So the plan was to take a set of Craven Speed Strut Tower Defenders and attach a 1/2"x2" aluminum bar to the tops of them to create the Strut tower brace. I only had to notch my Alta CAI a tiny bit on the passenger side, and no other modifications to the car were necessary. This is the end result.
Craven Speed STDs on the car.

Holes drillied on the front raised portion of the STDs.



Notch in Passenger side of Alta airbox.



Bar in place!





So, there it is, a garage built strut tower brace, built off of Craven Speed STDs and a piece of 1/2"x2" aluminum bar.
I have not been able to tell whether the bar improved handling at all because the roads up here in WA are too wet right now to really corner hard. Or, at least too wet for my comfort when cornering hard. I have noticed a significant decrease, though, in the creeks and cracks coming from the dash/ console area, I can only assume due to increased chassis rigidity.

The brace does push the rear of the bonnet up a bit when the bonnet is closed (like I hear the M7 strut brace does) but not too bad. I Could have/ should have used 1/2"x1 1/2" bar instead of 1/2"x2" bar, just a little wider than necessary. I will, at some point, drill some large, 1/2" holes down the center of the bar to lose some weight, and paint the bar black.

 

Sweet! I did something reeeaaallly similar with my Craven STDs and the cheap-o bar from Bavarian Autosport. I cut up the Bav Auto brackets and drilled and tapped mounts on the STDs, same as you. While I don't actually think it did anything handling-wise, it looks great! But it barely fits under the hood. I ended up removing the fire blanket/sound deadener, and pounding back some of the bracing under the hood in one spot.