66HertzClone
Member
I'm working on installing the very nice Billet Export Brace I purchased from Shaun a while back. I'm not having much fun with this, not his fault or his products fault, just the normal variables one comes across when working on these cars. Problem one, the location of the ECU for my EFI system is located where two new holes need to be drilled thru the firewall the secure the center of the bracket. I decided not to even attempt to relocate the ECU, I'm going to epoxy shortened bolts in those holes on the bracket to make it appear they are there.
Problem two, I had the Shelby lip brace installed atop the lip on the firewall when the bodywork was done. Well, the underside is far from flat, the edge is ragged and for some reason the holes have lots of burs in them. I'm going to ream these out before continuing, no room for a drill, the hood it too close and I'm not taking it off for this, going from under is not possible with the engine in place. So, I'll use a tapered reamer which should make short work of this problem. I bought a 1/4 thick piece of steel that's 12" x 4". I drilled 4 holes thru it and attempted to use it to flatten the lip so the bracket would sit better. No luck, I now have a piece of steel that is bent to match the curve of the lip. I'm wondering if I should have a heavy piece of angle welded to it and try again.
Problem three, the plates that mount to the shock towers are thick enough to render the existing bolts useless, these are fine thread carriage bolts 3/4 of an inch long. I know I can get carriage bolts locally, but not fine thread, a google seayieldedlplentyanty of carriage bolts but no fine thread. So, the question is, will the carriage bolts at the local hardware store work? Gee, I know they will fit, but, these are usually somewhere at or near Grade 2 quality, seems like these should be tougher given what they are holding in place. The thought of what could happen if these let loose while driving is disconcerting to say the least. I was worried without cause it seems now that the additional thickness might move the top of the shock up enough to contact the underside of the hood. The previous installed KYB shoapparentlyntly have a larger diameter eye mount than the Konis shocks I have now, I'm using the Shelby style upper shock mounts which have flat washers attached where the wings of the shock attach, these might have pushed the KYB's up enough to cause them to make contact.
So, once againShaun'shuan's fault nor that of his product, I did email him asking about the thru the firewall bolts and the height issue, he responded quickly and advised me to make the mock thru firewall bolts. He has been very quick to respond to all my inquiries, so please do not take offense.
I'm just looking for suggestions from those that might have run into these problems in the past, thanks.
Problem two, I had the Shelby lip brace installed atop the lip on the firewall when the bodywork was done. Well, the underside is far from flat, the edge is ragged and for some reason the holes have lots of burs in them. I'm going to ream these out before continuing, no room for a drill, the hood it too close and I'm not taking it off for this, going from under is not possible with the engine in place. So, I'll use a tapered reamer which should make short work of this problem. I bought a 1/4 thick piece of steel that's 12" x 4". I drilled 4 holes thru it and attempted to use it to flatten the lip so the bracket would sit better. No luck, I now have a piece of steel that is bent to match the curve of the lip. I'm wondering if I should have a heavy piece of angle welded to it and try again.
Problem three, the plates that mount to the shock towers are thick enough to render the existing bolts useless, these are fine thread carriage bolts 3/4 of an inch long. I know I can get carriage bolts locally, but not fine thread, a google seayieldedlplentyanty of carriage bolts but no fine thread. So, the question is, will the carriage bolts at the local hardware store work? Gee, I know they will fit, but, these are usually somewhere at or near Grade 2 quality, seems like these should be tougher given what they are holding in place. The thought of what could happen if these let loose while driving is disconcerting to say the least. I was worried without cause it seems now that the additional thickness might move the top of the shock up enough to contact the underside of the hood. The previous installed KYB shoapparentlyntly have a larger diameter eye mount than the Konis shocks I have now, I'm using the Shelby style upper shock mounts which have flat washers attached where the wings of the shock attach, these might have pushed the KYB's up enough to cause them to make contact.
So, once againShaun'shuan's fault nor that of his product, I did email him asking about the thru the firewall bolts and the height issue, he responded quickly and advised me to make the mock thru firewall bolts. He has been very quick to respond to all my inquiries, so please do not take offense.
I'm just looking for suggestions from those that might have run into these problems in the past, thanks.
