[N_CA]

My 1994 Coupe has 45K miles, and as far as I can tell, no issues with the firewall around the clutch master cylinder.  My question to the group is whether I should install one of the available firewall brace products on the market as a preventative measure, or do nothing now?  If the best course of action is to move ahead and install a brace, which one of the products on the market have you tried and had good success with?  

 

If I do embark on the project to install a brace, I will probably also replace the master and slave cylinders, and also the clutch hose at the same time.  What is the best source for a replacement clutch hose, preferably a stainless steel unit?  

 

Thanks in advance for any comments/suggestions.

 

Nathan

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[Chris Vais]

I have a 1994 Coupe as well and I had the firewall crack at about 135K miles. I had it repaired and installed the D1R firewall brace at the same time I installed the D1R shock tower brace. I've had no issues since. If the firewall cracks, it will move every time you depress the clutch causing issues with clutch take-up. The other thing I would do is install the D1R stainless steel clutch hose. The stock one is rubber and will eventually fail. Mine failed in a really dicey neighborhood so I drove the car home with out using the clutch. You just have to know how to speed shift without tearing up the transmission.

 

The owner of D1R is closing down his mail order business, so I would check soon to see if he has either item in stock.

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[94SilverCab]

S/S Clutch hose is NLA, and he won't be making any more.

 

Not sure about strut tower brace or firewall support from D1R, but you'd better hurry if you want one, he going out of business and selling all remaining stock.

 

Buy an undercarriage brace while you're at it, if they are available.

 

Jay

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[MCL968]

Yes to all the above, but a word of caution. I thought my firewall was fine because a visual inspection revealed no cracking. My mechanic noticed that the wall was cracked in an unusual place, and the whole area where the clutch and brake are mounted was moving. Scary stuff. He fabricated a plate, and using industrial adhesive and rivets attached it to the firewall (BTW- welding is not an ideal option because of the thinness of the metal and the heat traces caused by the welding). At the same time I installed the upper and lower braces and the firewall brace.

 

Problem solved.

 

Get the braces, install the braces, forget about the problem and move on to the next repair.

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[az968]

Curious question I have, was this firewall cracking an issue with 944/924s?


Also installed all the braces Bob made, so I hope I only have to worry about the next repair :-)

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[jacknk]

My firewall cracked so I had it welded and installed this brace. Brace attaches using the two bolts for the clutch cylinder, very easy to do.

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[WJH]

My firewall cracked so I had it welded and installed this brace. Brace attaches using the two bolts for the clutch cylinder, very easy to do.

I have that brace, but I've not tried to install it yet. I did install one on my sons 88 944 Turbo. I had to modify it to get the

brake booster to clear the brace. Others had the same problem, others did not. Did you have any clearance issues

installing this on your 968?

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[az968]

I installed the D1R brace with no problem, other than needing smaller hands, a contortionist would be a useful tool.

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[MLB]

+1 on D1R firewall brace. Not difficult to install, but a U-joint for your socket wrench and the right length extension(s) makes the job a lot easier

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[jacknk]

I have that brace, but I've not tried to install it yet. I did install one on my sons 88 944 Turbo. I had to modify it to get the

brake booster to clear the brace. Others had the same problem, others did not. Did you have any clearance issues

installing this on your 968?

 

I had no problem with the brake booster.  Mine cleared fine. 

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[WJH]

 

I had no problem with the brake booster.  Mine cleared fine. 

Excellent, that gives me hope. I really like the brace. It worked great on my sons turbo, after I did a little modification.

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