Prior to ordering this, make sure you remove your hood insulator and check for clearance. It will only cost you six plastic push pins (they break off). It appears that in '04 or '05, they clearanced the hood for the CTS-V and it's strut brace, but early cars had the '03 non-clearanced hood insulator, which can be swapped. Robert did this, and reported that the STB and his new insulator work perfectly on his 3.6L car.

Not so on my early '03 (Feb '02 build date) 3.2L. While the STB clears the engine by far (unlike the early V STB), it won't clear the hood. I removed my insulator pad anticipating the drive to the dealer today to pick up my '06 hood insulator and install it there. Unfortunately, even with the insulator removed, the hood won't close! The culprit? . . . . with the insulator off, you can see that the hood has 8" dimples formed in the underside for sound reflectors. The ones right above the STB are not clearanced on my car, hitting it.

One pic shows the underside of the hood with the insulator removed, and the STB installed. The other is a pic from the gap left when the hood wouldn't shut, showing the interferance of the STB to the hood.

ARGH!!!!! Now I have two STB's (this one, and a V one I got in '04) that won't fit, and an '06 insulator at the dealer, which is likely not returnable.

Oh well, someone has to be the guinea pig, right?

Damn 3.2L haha, we cant install any of the the 3.6L goodies w/o some issue. Looks like our only alternative for an STB is the one from RSM Racing.. But its $500 bucks

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b260/BishopRuger/ctsengine.jpg

I'll buy the STB off of you, probably the liner as well since I have an 04 3.6L I might need the clearance

you can buy new hoods for around 300 bucks


http://www.partstrain.com/products/ALL/2004~CADILLAC~CTS.html

Will an 04 or 05 CTS hood fit the 03 CTS?? It would solve the clearance issue, but the cost of the hood plus paint is kind of a turn off.

And i'll take the V one at a good price :)

Prior to ordering this, make sure you remove your hood insulator and check for clearance. It will only cost you six plastic push pins (they break off). It appears that in '04, they clearanced the hood for the pending CTS-V and it's strut brace, but early cars had the '03 non clearanced hood insulator, which can be swapped. Robert did this, and reported that the STB and his new insulator work perfectly on his 3.6L car.

Not so on my early '03 (Feb '02 build date) 3.2L. While the STB clears the engine by far (unlike the early V STB), it won't clear the hood. I removed my insulator pad anticipating the drive to the dealer today to pick up my '06 hood insulator and install it there. Unfortunately, even with the insulator removed, the hood won't close! The culprit? . . . . with the insulator off, you can see that the hood has 8" dimples formed in the underside for sound reflectors. The ones right above the STB are not clearanced on my car, hitting it.

One pic shows the underside of the hood with the insulator removed, and the STB installed. The other is a pic from the gap left when the hood wouldn't shut, showing the interferance of the STB to the hood.

ARGH!!!!! Now I have two STB's (this one, and a V one I got in '04) that won't fit, and an '06 insulator at the dealer, which is likely not returnable.

Oh well, someone has to be the guinea pig, right?

Damn Ody that really suck!! I imagine the aluminum hood won't allow for any pounding on those high spots? What's the chances for getting an Ebay hood? Big expense for a friggin' tower brace.

Guess what. I have the new insulator pad installed but held up on the brace so I could put the 3.6VVT letters on it. I have an early '04 and I may have the same problem. I'm taking the afternoon off so I will know soon.

Have you been keeping up on the fiberglas hood in the V Forum? It has a nice hood bulge that should work and have a neat lookin' hood too! It's looking like the hood will go for about $800.

http://usera.imagecave.com/BobsWork/hood-2.jpg

these things can't be 500 to produce. is there any way we can get a design of rsm's or modify the one Ody has to fit? as far as fabrication is concerned. theres got to be a place that can turn some out willing to sell them for 200-350 including material and labor. it doesn't seemt hat complicated a design warranting 500 bucks...but i haven't seen one up close.

And i'll take the V one at a good price :)

You know it won't fit your CTS right? Ody and I found out it doesn't work for the 3.2 or 3.6. Here's how I used mine as a towel rack.

http://usera.imagecave.com/BobsWork/LS6bar-2.jpg

oh my god RSM is a joke
500 bucks for that?
hell go make it outo f pvc piping for a tenth the cost

I nearly died when I saw their poly motot mounts for 320!!! (these should cost like 60-70)

wait a sec
you guys are saying the V hood wont work on the normal cts's? (3.6L, 3.2L 2.8L)??

-K

does anyone on the forum have the rsm stb? if so take it off, send it to me or better yet get all measurements so i can build and 3-d model and then guess what.. we can make our own.

here is a nice service to remember:

http://www.emachineshop.com/

i bet it will come under 500 bucks to have it made in anything you want.
it looks like they used aluminum for the brace.

(okay, see how much I like you guys, I am revealing the secrets of "how kael makes stuff", what I should have done was offer to make it for 300 and made a profit, but eh.. what the hell)

The V hood will fit fine, the pre-06 CTS-V strut tower brace won't. The '06 CTS-V strut tower brace is identical to the '06 CTS Sport one. The early V STB hits the top of our overhead cam V-6's. Sitting that one on top of the motor, not only is it 1" too short for the strut tower, it also won't allow the hood to close.

The '06 solved that problem by moving the cross bar back about 6" to clear all of the engines, but the hood needs to be clearanced (and was done on '05 and later hoods, appearently). For the V and the 3.2L, it clears the engine by at least 3". Too bad it wasn't a little flatter, as I'm sure 1/2" lower would be just enough for the hood to close properly.

Getting a new hood and having it painted is way too much for me. The original Lund strut brace was flat, and fit the CTS-V and the 3.2L motor, but not the 3.6L motor. Since the CTS-V already came with an STB from the factory, the only market for that one was for 3.2L cars. But it was way too expensive for regular CTS owners, and Lund cleared them all out on eBay in late '04 or early '05. I didn't get one because I thought they were still too expensive, and I don't want chrome/polished aluminum under the hood. I like stealth black.

The RSM one is too expensive as well, considering the original V brace was only $18 at GMPD, and the sport brace was something like $80. I'll go without for now.

The V hood will fit fine, the pre-06 CTS-V strut tower brace won't. The '06 CTS-V strut tower brace is identical to the '06 CTS Sport one. The early V STB hits the top of our overhead cam V-6's. Sitting that one on top of the motor, not only is it 1" too short for the strut tower, it also won't allow the hood to close.

The '06 solved that problem by moving the cross bar back about 6" to clear all of the engines, but the hood needs to be clearanced (and was done on '05 and later hoods, appearently). For the V and the 3.2L, it clears the engine by at least 3". Too bad it wasn't a little flatter, as I'm sure 1/2" lower would be just enough for the hood to close properly.

Getting a new hood and having it painted is way too much for me. The original Lund strut brace was flat, and fit the CTS-V and the 3.2L motor, but not the 3.6L motor. Since the CTS-V already came with an STB from the factory, the only market for that one was for 3.2L cars. But it was way too expensive for regular CTS owners, and Lund cleared them all out on eBay in late '04 or early '05. I didn't get one because I thought they were still too expensive, and I don't want chrome/polished aluminum under the hood. I like stealth black.

The RSM one is too expensive as well, considering the original V brace was only $18 at GMPD, and the sport brace was something like $80. I'll go without for now.

Ody my man I want to
SCREAM!!!:bomb:
My early '04 is the same as yours. I left the new insulator pad on. The back two pins won't work. I'm determined to make this thing work!!

I mentioned the high rise hood design that the V guys are working on. Pete has an order in for about a half dozen hoods. I'd like to either get on his list or the V Group Buy. I don't need another damn towel bar!!

You guys listening in on all this and learning from it should be just cause to become a supporting member..don't you think?:yup:

You guys listening in on all this and learning from it should be just cause to become a supporting member..don't you think?:yup:

:mad2:

:bigroll:

:mad2:

:bigroll:

3x0, did I tell you your avatar needs some work. Send Sal some bread.:D

Thanks Ody for taking one for the team. Sucks it wont fit, I was waiting to see how yours was before ordering mine. :banghead: :crying2:

Thanks for the heads up Ody. I almost ended up in the same boat as you but like caddy man, decided to wait and make sure it'd fit. Oh well.

If I remember right, in one of Pete's postings, he stated that he plans on fabricating his on STB for the CTS's, hopefully for the 3.2L.