does the export brace need to be reinforced?

[stephen4785]

Im upgrading my suspension and was wondering if I should weld some metal to the back of the export brace to strengthen it up a little bit.I will be installing a Monte carlo bar,sway bars,etc...
Willl reinforcing the export brace make any difference?

 

[Ronstang]

The design has worked well for almost 40 years so I see no need change anything now. You can reinforce the cowl area like Shelby did but it is really not necessary.

 

[splinterddt]

Do you have a one-piece or two-piece export brace? I had a two-piece for years until I put in my big-block, then I got a heavy-duty one-piece and monte carlo bar from California Mustang. If you're not doing any serious racing, or installing a heavier engine, you shouldn't need to upgrade.

 

[stephen4785]

Iv got a one piece.Im planning on installing a monte carlo bar.And im not gonna do any serious racing in it.Thanks for the help

 

[Ronstang]

Just bolt in the export brace and monte carlo bar as is Stephen. They have been that way for almost 40 years on my Shelby with no problems.

 

[67GTA-FB429]

Why would you think that you need to reinforce it? Just curious. It seems to me that if your suspension is too tight you WILL break stuff for sure.

 

[Hack]

Why would you think that you need to reinforce it? Just curious. It seems to me that if your suspension is too tight you WILL break stuff for sure.

Reinforcing the chassis will just keep the suspension geometry from changing under load. It won't actually tighten the suspension. Chassis reinforcement will not cause the suspension to break.

No part of the chassis NEEDS reinforcement, especially for street use. However, reinforcement in many areas produces improvements in ride quality. The chassis of a modern car is much stiffer than that of an old Mustang. Ford didn't put a monte carlo bar or subframe connectors in the cars, but many people believe their Mustang handles better with those additions. It wouldn't surprise me if a stronger export brace didn't improve handling some amount.

I know that when I had one side of my export brace off for front suspension work, the front of the car sagged quite a bit under its own weight. I had to jack the front up slightly to get the shock tower to the correct position for everything to go back together. That was a very small load in comparison to loads the chassis sees during driving.

 

[Ronstang]

Let's clear something up. The stock braces are not "export braces", they are simply shock tower braces. The only thing that is actually an export brace is the one piece unit that is available from all the Mustang vendors and came stock on Shelbys and T-5s. It was designed to be installed on the T-5 Mustangs of the period which were all destined for export to Europe where the roads were not as good and extra bracing in the shock tower areas were deemed necessary....thus the "export brace" was born.