Hey guys I know this is random as hell but I figured id ask since ive researched and haven't found a definitive answer. So I have an ets 4" inctercooler and I had to pull off my crash bar. The cusco braces don't fit over this size intercooler. I recently got into welding and have been doing random stuff here and there. I'm sitting here watching tv and thought. "what the hell maybe I can make something fit and look cool like the cusco brace". Anyone know what size tubing the cusco brace uses? I think its made out of aluminum but I cant find the diameter of the piping. I was thinking of making something out of chromoly steel maybe 1.25" diameter pipe or so? My machine doesn't weld aluminum. Just looking for opinion guys. What do you think? Has anyone custom made anything like this for the big intercoolers and made it fit?

 

Have you taken a look at how much you can grind off the stock crash bar? It is aluminum and won't take much to grind it down.

 

My stock bar sure as hell did not look like aluminum and its heavy. It needed quite a bit to be up against the frame. Idk, just thought it would be a cool little project.

 

Stock 8/9 crash beam is steel.
If you wanted to build something like the cusco brace, those look like 3/4 or 1". Or you can build something like the STM crash beam.

 

 

That's odd. I grinded mine down a bit to give my intercooler more clearance. Mine was light. Maybe I'm thinking of the wrong piece. Is it the oiece behind the bumper with 2 horizontal holes?

 

I grinded down flat the back side of the square tubes. Maybe the rest is steel while these tubes are aluminum.

 

OP- What are you trying to accomplish? It it more for looks or do you want added protection since you now have no bumper beam? The power brace may look cool but does nothing. And its certainly not going to do anything in the event of a small impact.

As Sean mentioned the VIII/IX bumper beam is indeed steel, yes the entire piece.

What machine are you using? Keep in mind welding 4130 chromoly with a MIG isnt exactly the proper way to go about doing that. Some people will use SS wire and claim its fine but it should really be done with a TIG machine as the HAZ with a MIG will be a lot larger and will most likely lose its heat treating at that point and lose a lot of its strength.

 

Mig welding chromoly is fine. Off the shelf material isn't heat treated. Because any kind of welding would make it pointless. Finish welded assembly go to heat treat, not the parts that need to be welded to together still.



It is 100% all steel.

 

I'm using an everlast tig welder. I would like some added protection now that I removed the crash beam but if possible would also like for it to look cool like the cusco brace. Which is why I said maybe I can do something like stm crash beam and add smaller tubes going up like the cusco brace. Sort of like combining both of them. I was looking at it today and the crash beam seems doable but idk if theres space for the rest. I'm also, trying to redo my 4" intake and ic pipe but it is aluminum. I don't know id its a good idea to do it out of stainless. Seems like all the ones I see are out of aluminum I guess for weight or heat? That is another project though. My machine doesn't do ac so no aluminum. I recently got into welding and I'm addicted. Now I want to weld everything lol. Sucks that I cant weld aluminum. I would have already redone all my piping since whoever fabricated them sucked.