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Export Brace fit

S

sigtauenus

Active Member
Wow, does this part suck or my front end is waaaay out.

Bolted up on the shock towers, well, I can't really, it fits too far back and is interfering with the cowl, ie, I can't lay it all the way down. With it bolted up at the cowl, both shock towers are roughly 3/8" out. I took pics but am about to go to dinner with SWMBO so will post them later tonight. Maybe tomorrow morning. ;)

I have a monte carlo bar in and it fits fine.

Is this one of those deals where I need to jack the front of the car up, and let the suspension pull the shock towers around, ie, the part is correct and my car is wrong, or somewhere in the middle?
 
I'd sure try that. Get it up on jackstands and place them back at the torque boxes so the weight of the front end can flex the front frame rails down. If it flexes too much and pulls it too far away you can put a jack under the engine crossmember and move it into position slowly. This will work better with the weight of the engine in the car.
 
before I cut the front end off of my car, my export brace was a bear to get on. I could do it with a big pry bar. Now with new frame rails, shock towers, aprons, etc. it bolts right on with no fuss.
 
My Monte Carlo bar was initially a bear but with a persuasion rod, I was able to get it installed.
 
I bought a triangler shock tower brace from MML and it just doesn't fit !!!! :cry :cry :cry

I have to pull my tower towards each other to fit !!!! :rp :rp :rp

I gonna cut it into piece , mounted it in the engine bay , tack weld it and finish it of off the car.

Triangler shock tower brace from SMR. Yes , i am ashame to tell but for me its expensive enough when it get at my doorstep. :rp
 
It's one of those common rights-of-passage to muscle the one-piece export brace in. If the shock towers line up with one another but the brace is pinching against the cowl, jack up at the torque boxes as suggested and use a long phillips screwdriver (protect the firewall though) to push/pull the brace forward enough to start and get a long bolt through one hole. Once you get one long bolt through, you should be able to install the correct fastener in the adjacent hole, remove the long bolt and continue to install the correct fasterners.
 
Good stuff here as I plan to put a single piece unit on my 70 car as well. Just curious, and have to throw out this obviously newbie question; can you run without these or are they an integral component to body and wheel alignment? Seems like those things would get in the way a lot while working under the hood.

....then again, I guess they make a handy tool and hardware tray too. :craz
 
If you are useing one of the $50.00 cheap repro braces then you have to pry it on. I had one for my 70 and gave up on it. There is no way the front end of my car was that far out. I tried to get an nos one but they are around 250-500 bucks. I ended up with a Scott Drake conourse brace. it wnt right on without any prying. You can see how crappy the other ones are when you look at them side by side. The SD brace is much heavier and the ribs are more s shaped than w shaped as on the other braces.
 
"miketyler" said:
Seems like those things would get in the way a lot while working under the hood.
Click to expand...

A lot less then you think, i actually dropped the motor and trans in as one unit with the brace installed. You can get to anything with it in there.
 
FINALLY got it in. I bought the SD piece and it still didn't fit perfect. About 6-7 weeks ago I got the driver side on and then slowly, 1 at a time, got the cowl bolts in. The passenger side was off by about 1/4-3/8" on the forward most bolt on the apron.

Since I was out of town most of May, I jacked up the car a few weeks ago to let the suspension settle as I've seen posted several times and loosened up the monte carlo bar.

Believe it or not, it worked. The rear most bolt was dead on, the inner bolt by the engine was dead on, and the front bolt was still out about 1/4".

I was prying on it when a neighbor came over (retired Marine MSgt, we get along great) and he didn't even ask, just threw some gloves on and started to help. We put a rope around the export brace and he pulled, while I pryed, and then we used a little persuasion with a mallet and it dropped down. Once it was down it wiggled around like it had plenty of room.

So anyhow, its on!!

I know, I know, pics coming.
 
Getting a stubborn export brace to finally fit is a real sense of accomplishment. Congrats.
 
"AzPete" said:
Getting a stubborn export brace to finally fit is a real sense of accomplishment. Congrats.
Click to expand...

So True.

Pic

427_12_06_10_11_57_39_2.jpg


Need to lower the car and get the other shock on still.
 
I like the added use of a tool/parts rack also....as I see you have already found out about. It is also good for leaning on to see something around the car to tranny area.
 
"AzPete" said:
I like the added use of a tool/parts rack also....as I see you have already found out about. It is also good for leaning on to see something around the car to tranny area.
Click to expand...

That's one of the best benefits!!
 
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