Can i remove the Convertible x brace

Twista · Aug 17, 2010

It sits right under the oil drain plug and it sits SOOOO LOW! on a lowered vert. Its scraps everything and almost gets ripped off everyday on ****ty roads i drive on.

What would happen if i remove this thing??

BlackVert · Aug 17, 2010

it provides much needed (in my opinion) support and stiffness to the chassis. if it scrapes, then maybe your car is just too low for your liking? i would recommend putting in taller springs

revhead347 · Aug 17, 2010

Steeda makes something called a G-trac bar. It stiffens about the same as that, but it's not as low to the ground. I would call them, and see if it would be appropriate.

Kurt

Adam95GT · Aug 17, 2010

Mines gone. lol i hit the damn thing on a cinder block and all sorts of messed it up.

that and i have the tube K now anyway.

Just buy a set of through the floor subframes or at least full lengths.

thats my plan.

chaos254 · Aug 18, 2010

i still have mine. I'd rather have the brace scrape than my oil pan.

Twista · Aug 18, 2010

chaos254 said:
i still have mine. I'd rather have the brace scrape than my oil pan.

I dont think the oil pan would scrape.. its tucked up in the body. The brace on the other hand is not.

And thanks for the steeda idea. I will check it out.

I currently have BBk sub frame connectors on the car.

Husky44 · Aug 18, 2010

chaos254 said:
i still have mine. I'd rather have the brace scrape than my oil pan.

x2. I've thought about taking it off every time I do an oil change, but end up leaving it once I think about what might be impacting if it isn't there.

Saying the pan won't scrape because it's tucked up is accurate as long as what you're scraping on is wide enough to hit the frame rails on both sides. If you're scraping on something 8-12" wide, it could miss those parts that the pan's tucked up between. For instance, I pulled into a gas station the other day and knocked the crap out of mine on one of the manhole covers for filling the in-ground tanks.

I'd love to have mine gone, but am keeping it for the little extra insurance.

Chythar · Aug 18, 2010

Your logic of "my oil pan will scrape if I remove the 'vert X-brace" isn't really solid. Coupes have the pan in the exact same place and we're not scraping our oil pans. As far as what you'd lose if you removed the x-brace, is some chassis rigidity. Coupes make use of the roof structure to reduce body flex; the x-brace attempts to replace that lost structure on 'verts. Since Twista has sub-frame connectors, he may not notice any difference without the brace.

Husky44 · Aug 18, 2010

Chythar said:
Your logic of "my oil pan will scrape if I remove the 'vert X-brace" isn't really solid. Coupes have the pan in the exact same place and we're not scraping our oil pans. As far as what you'd lose if you removed the x-brace, is some chassis rigidity. Coupes make use of the roof structure to reduce body flex; the x-brace attempts to replace that lost structure on 'verts. Since Twista has sub-frame connectors, he may not notice any difference without the brace.

I have a gas station for you to visit...

I understand the purpose of the brace, and why verts have it and coupes don't. I also have subframes, which is why I thought I might want to take mine off. The OP asked what would happen if he removed it. I said i keep mine for a little extra insurance. If I'm wrong, no big deal. If you're wrong, it can be kinda messy.

kendoo130 · Aug 18, 2010

I've had mine off for about ten years now-I never noticed a difference. Then again I drive like a girl. My brace looked just like the OP brace.

Twista · Aug 18, 2010

Cool, next oil change its going off! Im sick of it =]

toyman · Aug 18, 2010

Looking at mine it's different. Ford must have changed the shape/design between the '94's and '95's. Mine clears by about 4" with the FRPP M-5400A suspension. I personally would be inclined to leave it in place. It just works like a skid plate when it makes surface contact.

Husky44 · Aug 18, 2010

toyman said:
Looking at mine it's different. Ford must have changed the shape/design between the '94's and '95's. Mine clears by about 4" with the FRPP M-5400A suspension. I personally would be inclined to leave it in place. It just works like a skid plate when it makes surface contact.

Now that you mention it, mine's different than the one in the pic also. But, mine's the same year (95)?

Strange...

Adam95GT · Aug 18, 2010

Wow it is different:

Twista · Aug 19, 2010

Adam95GT said:
Wow it is different:

No its the same as mine.

The picture in my 1st post is from a 2001 GT, but the damage to mine is pretty much the same.

Chythar · Aug 19, 2010

Husky44 said:
I have a gas station for you to visit...

I understand the purpose of the brace, and why verts have it and coupes don't. I also have subframes, which is why I thought I might want to take mine off. The OP asked what would happen if he removed it. I said i keep mine for a little extra insurance. If I'm wrong, no big deal. If you're wrong, it can be kinda messy.

Ah, I see. The "extra insurance" I understand completely. I was looking at it as a "if I remove the brace, my oil pan will blow up" POV. If it's saved your pan several times, you've got a good reason to keep it.

Early on when I bought my V6 (now the Cobra clone), I bought a chassis brace to install on the car. Never bothered to install it tho. Fast forward several years, I now know it as the 'vert x-brace. It looks exactly like the photo Twista posted, instead of the one Adam posted. Need to junk the thing one of these days, subframes are a better way to go and I avoid steep driveways anyway.

95Vert383AOD · Aug 19, 2010

I removed mine.... But i use Maximum Motorsports full length connectors. No real flex issues. BUT i wish i still had it when someone hit my left front. That brace adds an angular support. (like x bracing on a fence door) If i had that support i probably wouldn.t have had both aprons tweaked right from a 15mph accident.

Chris

toyman · Aug 19, 2010

Chythar said:
Fast forward several years, I now know it as the 'vert x-brace. It looks exactly like the photo Twista posted, instead of the one Adam posted.

Except that my '94 'vert isn't like the one Twista posted. Mine is the same as Adam95GT's. Ford obviously had two versions. I thought that was the "K" member brace based on it's appearance.

Twista · Aug 19, 2010

toyman said:
Except that my '94 'vert isn't like the one Twista posted. Mine is the same as Adam95GT's. Ford obviously had two versions. I thought that was the "K" member brace based on it's appearance.

My brace is the same as yours and Adam's.

The brace i posted in the original post is from a 2001 GT vert, but it still hangs low on those cars also. It looks like FORD changed it alittle, but it still hangs low as you can tell from the picture. Same problem.. different year brace.

wytstang · Aug 19, 2010

I knew something wasn't right when I saw to many O2 sensors.

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