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Export brace install

DougG69

DougG69

Member
I am trying to get anything that will affect front end alignment done so I can take the car in for one ASAP. All that's left is the SorT strut rods, the one-piece export brace, and the monte carlo bar.

I have persuaded the export brace to fit. But there's an extra, separate bit of bracing for the firewall area, and I'm not sure how it fits in. About a foot or so long, L-shaped. Does it go above or below the export brace? Anyone know?
 
Well, there you go then ;)

I found a pic of it on the Scott Drake site:

LINK

It helped to refresh my memory... looks like those holes will line up with the mounting bolts for the brace itself, so no drilling required. Although I do have a rat-tail file with its name on it if it gets sassy :)

Thanks AzPete.
 
As designed originally, it was to be welded to the firewall,and to the pinchweld that makes the front lip of the cowl (where the export brace bolts up)

I bolted mine in by drilling through the bracket and the firewall and a piece of barstock, and sandwiching the firewall between the bracket on the engine side of the firewall, and the bar on the interior side of the firewall. I figure welding is better, but my engine is in, and my welding sucks, and as Pete mentioned, many people don't even run the bracket at all, and I figured bolting it in was better than nothing :)

Oh, also, I made my bracket from the angle iron of a bed-frame I had, but it shouldn't be much different than your supplied bracket.

http://www.stangfix.com/testforum/index.php/topic,7536.0.html

Steve
 
OK, I dig. No holes because it was intended to be welded in. Well, I'm in the same boat you were; engine in, not a welder.
 
I just installed my export brace in my 70 and it's a PITA. The shock towers apparently have a tendency to "sag" inwards and that can cause some fitment issues. With mine, I could get the brace connected at the shock towers but it didn't line straight up with the 'L' bracket with holes in it that you linked above.

What I ended up having to do was get 2 longer bolts and use a pry bar in the mounting holes to pull it even. Then I put one of the longer bolts in and tightened it down a little. Did the same on the other side. Put the pry bar in again and slide it over until I could fit the correct bolt through and tightened that one up as best I could. That finally brought the rear section of the brace down enough to where I could get the other bolt in/switch out the longer bolts for the correct sized ones.

It took me 3 beers, half of CCR's greatest hits and some swearing to get mine in. Each of these cars is different though so yours may go on a bit easier. Now just wait until you try installing the monte carlo bar!
 
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