Broke stud While Installing Strut Tower Brace

[MustangNoob]

Also never torque a bolt when the metal is hot....

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[MAT1955]

@MustangNoob ..... good catch. Yes, particularly with a stud (like the tower strut brace studs) that uses a "one use" not (says so right on the parts pack from Ford) because the nut will be damaged by a hot/oversized stud AND hot studs are more prone to stretching under torque and therefore later failure.

 

[LouG]

It's also a good idea to torque in steps. Start at half spec then redo at rated torque.
This is also hard to describe accurately, but when a thread is about to strip or a stud is close to breaking, the wrench feels like it's losing force and feels "greasy". That's when you back off and check what's going on.

 

[McSmugger]

I did it too, while taking one of the nuts off to install an air/oil separator. All were previously torqued to 41 ft lb when the brace was installed. Needless to say, I was not happy with myself after that. I took it to the dealer, who fixed it by drilling out the stud and tapping new threads for a bigger bolt in place of the broken stud. This seems to be a common issue with Mustangs all over the internet, so hopefully Ford can beef these things up in the future.

 

[MAT1955]

@Starship Enterprise ..... My friend was told 41 pounds too but the dedicated Mustang tech at his dealership said do 35 then 38 .... if you notice movement (the marks will show in the paint on the brace) then tighten two more pounds. It never moved. My 2024 GT Premium came with an installed strut tower brace. I have not R&R'd it yet. I have been told you have to remove the brace to perform some engine repairs. I have a bag of the new nuts ready in case. Too many dealerships use only air driven "rattle guns" the use of hand held torque wrenches is (sadly) declining. I would want the nuts for the strut tower brace to ONLY be done with the hand held unit. I find the dealership air driven "rattle guns" give wonky torques for my rims when the tires are rotated. I re-do them with my own shop-quality long-handled torque wrench so my wheel studs don't get stretched.

 

[Starship Enterprise]

For the record, 41 ft. lbs of torque was specified on the instruction sheet provided by Ford on their own Ford Performance tower brace. But it also came with 4 new nuts which the instructions were very specific about using.

But based on what I’ve been reading here, yeah, if I had to remove the strut, I would be safe and only torque it to maybe 35 Just to be safe. But definitely with new nuts every time. I mean, if they are only studs, why take the risk of snapping them?

IT’s real world experiences that makes this forum so valuable! You learn about what actually happens vs. what some manual tells you.

I’ll give a great example. One time my 06 Mustang GT had the check engine light come on. I read the code and it came up as a bad cam sensor. Easy 5 minute fix I did myself, but after putting in 2 new Cam sensors I was till getting the Check Engine Light. Only after forum research I found that a bad diode in the alternator will read as a bad cam sensor code! So I bought a rebuilt alternator and gave it to my mechanic who swapped it out for me and I never had the issue again. I told him, just swap the alternator…I did all the research for him…lol.

 

[amir_gh]

For the record, 41 ft. lbs of torque was specified on the instruction sheet provided by Ford on their own Ford Performance tower brace. But it also came with 4 new nuts which the instructions were very specific about using.

But based on what I’ve been reading here, yeah, if I had to remove the strut, I would be safe and only torque it to maybe 35 Just to be safe. But definitely with new nuts every time. I mean, if they are only studs, why take the risk of snapping them?

IT’s real world experiences that makes this forum so valuable! You learn about what actually happens vs. what some manual tells you.

I’ll give a great example. One time my 06 Mustang GT had the check engine light come on. I read the code and it came up as a bad cam sensor. Easy 5 minute fix I did myself, but after putting in 2 new Cam sensors I was till getting the Check Engine Light. Only after forum research I found that a bad diode in the alternator will read as a bad cam sensor code! So I bought a rebuilt alternator and gave it to my mechanic who swapped it out for me and I never had the issue again. I told him, just swap the alternator…I did all the research for him…lol.

I took it to my dad and we worked on fixing it together. It turned out to be pretty challenging — we actually broke two drill bits trying to get through that stud. It took us about 2–3 hours, but we finally managed to get the hole drilled.

I ended up buying an M10 stud from Advance Auto, painted it, and made it look just like factory! And yes, I did use the nuts that came with the brace.

 

[Starship Enterprise]

Glad you got it resolved! Sorry you had to go through so much trouble…that sucks.

 

[Brantzilla]

Hi all,

I broke the stud while installing a strut tower brace on my S650 Mustang. Should I take it to a mechanic or a body shop to get it fixed? Can I fix this?

Happened to me too! Ended up having new tower welded in.

 

[Billycar11]

Happened to me too! Ended up having new tower welded in.

i mean thats crazy do what he did drill it out and put a bolt and waster through it
or weld in a new stud

not replace the entire tower to much risk.

 

[Starship Enterprise]

I guess it’s a good thing they are only studs the tower brace mounts to. You think maybe some studs come weakened from the factory welding process?

 

[Cz_Ziemniak]

I guess it’s a good thing they are only studs the tower brace mounts to. You think maybe some studs come weakened from the factory welding process?

Unlikely.

 

[Pedrorwd]

Hello everyone,
My 2025 GT performace already embodied strut tower brace. I am not a specialist mechanic, but i think that the studs are a little weakened cause in case of crash in a side the stud "auto shear" and the forces don´t damage the other side strut. I´m very very happy with my GT with a delivery a month ago.

 

[Frogdog1]

OMG, my GT just passed 3000 miles today! Should I sell it and get another one? Do tower studs last much longer?

Glad it got fixed, OP. Drama and some cars go together.

 

[GrabThatBlue]

How is everybody braking this.

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