Export Brace Bar

D

daddy oth

New Member

Mar 12, 2007

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Jul 15, 2007

#1

• Jul 15, 2007

• #1

hi . i try to install the x-brace bar that i bought off a fellow STANGNETER and ran into a problem. both shock tower ends fit fine but the back part of the bar is is off by 1/2" in.. is this normal or do i have to drill a holes fir it. thank you in advance

 

dodgestang

Active Member

Dec 15, 2003

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Cecil County, MD

Jul 15, 2007

#2

• Jul 15, 2007

• #2

Lay in the brace where the shocks mount where it fits, jack up the car and put stands under the front sub frames. Leave car on jack stands over night.

Come back 24 hours later, if holes line up, bolt in, if they don't drill them and bolt it in.

 

M

mustangdave

My rearend needs a stud and two nuts.

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Feb 26, 2002

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North Carolina

Jul 16, 2007

#3

• Jul 16, 2007

• #3

Is it the right brace? The early cars are spaced different than 67 (i think) and up.

 

HistoricMustang

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Apr 11, 2003

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Confederate States of America

Jul 16, 2007

#4

• Jul 16, 2007

• #4

dodgestang said:

Lay in the brace where the shocks mount where it fits, jack up the car and put stands under the front sub frames. Leave car on jack stands over night.

Come back 24 hours later, if holes line up, bolt in, if they don't drill them and bolt it in.

Click to expand...

Bingo! If the shock tower bolts match up you have the correct year export brace.

Also, is this an original or repo? There is a big difference in the thickness.

HistoricMustang
www.historicmustang.com

 

D

daddy oth

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Mar 12, 2007

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Jul 16, 2007

#5

• Jul 16, 2007

• #5

thank you guys i will have to try jacking the car this weekend and if that doesn't work drilling is my only options.

 

dodgestang

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Dec 15, 2003

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Cecil County, MD

Jul 16, 2007

#6

• Jul 16, 2007

• #6

If it makes you feel better....mine's drilled

shhhhhh

 

D

dgw8022

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May 3, 2006

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Jul 17, 2007

#7

• Jul 17, 2007

• #7

I would recommend strongly against drilling anything to make the export brace fit. Doing this is undoing what the brace was made for. You need make the car fit the brace not the other way around. Mustangs are notorious for getting "Tweaked" putting on the brace is a great idea and keeps the front end straight and true.

 

HistoricMustang

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Jul 17, 2007

#8

• Jul 17, 2007

• #8

dgw8022 said:

I would recommend strongly against drilling anything to make the export brace fit. Doing this is undoing what the brace was made for. You need make the car fit the brace not the other way around. Mustangs are notorious for getting "Tweaked" putting on the brace is a great idea and keeps the front end straight and true.

Click to expand...

If it is an aftermarket unit from our friends across the pond no amount of "tweaking" on the body is going to make it fit. They use the "carpenter" method........................"Hey Joe, it that where it needs to be................No LeRoy, it is about 1/2 inch to long.........................That is great Joe, just nail it!

HistoricMustang

 

D

dgw8022

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May 3, 2006

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Jul 17, 2007

#9

• Jul 17, 2007

• #9

.

 

D

daddy oth

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Mar 12, 2007

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Jul 17, 2007

#10

• Jul 17, 2007

• #10

i do believe the body tweak but not to the point where it need major work (no sign of accident or bent frame)i will try to put on the jack stand and have the front end weight itself down hopefully it work.thank you guys for all your though.

 

dodgestang

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Dec 15, 2003

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Cecil County, MD

Jul 17, 2007

#11

• Jul 17, 2007

• #11

dgw8022 said:

.

Click to expand...

The point was that:

1. It fits on the shock towers just fine
2. If the car relaxes on jack stands for 24 hours and the holes still don't line up then the brace will never line up with the car and when you account for both the lax manufacturing tolerances of these cars when they were new coupled with the lax manufacturing tolerances of reproduction/after market parts for these car, it is a guarantee that it will never go in no matter now long you let your car dangle.
3. You could drive yourself crazy for months buying different braces and test fitting them until you find one that has it's own tolerances off in just the right fashion that it bolts in and makes you feel all warm and fuzzy.....or you can just drill out the 4 holes along the lip on top of the firewall and install it. When you are within 1/2 inch there it has no impact on the ability for the export brace to do what it was designed to do.

 

Cyclone

Founding Member

Aug 17, 2002

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Chatsworth, California

Jul 24, 2007

#12

• Jul 24, 2007

• #12

Here is an article that I did for "Mustang Monthly" Click on the link below...
http://www.fly-ford.com/MM0105-How_To_Install_an_Export_Brace_and_a_Monte_Carlo_Bar.html

 

D

daddy oth

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Mar 12, 2007

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Jul 24, 2007

#13

• Jul 24, 2007

• #13

well i jacked the car up let it sit on the jackstand for 2 days with slight movement .so i just went ahead and drilled the damn holes and bolt it down.thank you for your thoughts

 

65fastbackresto

Active Member

Apr 13, 2007

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May 8, 2012

#14

• May 8, 2012

• #14

Bringing this thread back from the dead. Anyway, I just mounted my export brace and it just laid right on there, no tweaking pulling or anything. Its freaky after reading the install articles and how hard it can be on most cars. Right now its bolted to everything but the cowl, I`m gonna let it hang for couple days before I secure it, the bolt holes aren`t even close right now. I guess what I`m wondering is being as the brace bolted right up width wise to the shock towers, could I be doing it some harm letting it hang?

 

2

2+2GT

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Apr 25, 2009

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Southeastern Pennsylvania

May 9, 2012

#15

• May 9, 2012

• #15

daddy oth said:

well i jacked the car up let it sit on the jackstand for 2 days with slight movement .so i just went ahead and drilled the damn holes and bolt it down.thank you for your thoughts

Click to expand...

Pity. Now the car will never be straight. I have installed these on cars where I started with mis-match of an inch or more. Always got the brace on within an hour, and never drilled anything. A half inch mis-match is average, not unusual at all. Jacking and waiting doesn't work, by the way, as you found out. You should have attached at the firewall, loosely, first. Then jack each side, starting with the worst, with the jack below the front edge of the front seat. I have often loosened all but the first and last top fender bolts. Works every time.

 

65fastbackresto

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Apr 13, 2007

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May 9, 2012

#16

• May 9, 2012

• #16

Well I don`t see how I`m gonna get it to move this much, but I am going to try. In my case the holes on the brace are not only too far back to match the cowl holes, they are cocked to one side at least 1/4 inch.

 

horse sence

15 Year Member

Nov 29, 1999

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May 9, 2012

#17

• May 9, 2012

• #17

i have done several 65-66 the holes never line up just drill them
the 67-70 usualy line up a little beter but even they need a slite
egging out some times. the bars are the same bar 66-70 except
the early 65 with even spaced holes, if your front end will sag a 1/2
inch when jacked up then you got a problem. if the bar will bolt to
the spring towers and will set on the cowl lip without forcing it is
is probably alright.the reproduction bars fit teribly and are thin use
the origional type for a beter look and fit

 

65fastbackresto

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Apr 13, 2007

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May 9, 2012

#18

• May 9, 2012

• #18

Left overnight I don`t think it sagged at all. I just finished messing with it again and I am starting to think that my subframe connectors are keeping me from "twisting" the shock towers around. I can`t put the jack anywhere under the front end (or combination of jacks) to move the shock towers at all. The export brace still drops onto them no matter what I do, so I`m drilling. Experiment over.

I just caught that thread of yours last night on the coupe to fastback conversion, very nice work, one thing wrong though, need more pics.

 

horse sence

15 Year Member

Nov 29, 1999

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May 9, 2012

#19

• May 9, 2012

• #19

65fastbackresto said:

Left overnight I don`t think it sagged at all. I just finished messing with it again and I am starting to think that my subframe connectors are keeping me from "twisting" the shock towers around. I can`t put the jack anywhere under the front end (or combination of jacks) to move the shock towers at all. The export brace still drops onto them no matter what I do, so I`m drilling. Experiment over.

I just caught that thread of yours last night on the coupe to fastback conversion, very nice work, one thing wrong though, need more pics.

Click to expand...

working on it time is limited lately just posted some pics on the ifs
install