or is it jsut there to hold things up? I mean, the thing is easily bendable by hand, and is shaped like it there to keep the exhauist and driveshaft from falling down. If I took it off, would it hurt anything?

 

I highly doubt its structural. Althought it may not do much but I kept mine on anyways. I figured at the very least it acts like a ghetto DS safety loop.

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Jason
93 TA, M6

 

I had mine off for seven years with no ill effects.

-Chris

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'95Z: Black; !AC, !EGR, !AIR, !MAF, !traction, !money, !sanity;
12.72 @ 109.84

'01 S10 Xtreme:White extended cab, 2.2L automatic; a mod or two...

Feel the Quickness

I gave her a stiff proposal, but she took it in the end.

 

It doesn't have to be stiff in bending to be structural. It might be there to keep the tunnel from opening up at the bottom and compromising the tunnel's own stiffness. It would be primarily loaded in tension, so its bending stiffness/strength would not be important. Guess that makes it a secondary structural element.

Norm

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'79 Malibu, way not stock (355, 5 speed, . . .)
'95 Mazda 626 V6 5 speed, not entirely stock either
'01 20th AE Maxima, 5 speed, stock (so far)

 

Look at what the tunnel brace mounting points are made of: spot welded sheet metal.

I've broken two of those bolts on my old 95z28 that hold the brace on the body.

The only purpose I could see is probably acting as a driveshaft safety mechanism if it were to break.

Steve