I normally wouldn't comment in a pricing discussion, but I hear tons of 'bend me over' and 'no lube' comments. I appreciate humor as much as the next guy but if you really take the time to do the comparison shopping, the price difference isn't as great as it initially appears.
Export Braces
MPG Heads Export Brace - $150 with straight pins, $200 as shown in photo. Sorry for the gigantic image. Its off MPG's server.
TCP Export Brace - $160
Mustangs Plus Billet Export Brace - $400!! Just had to throw this one in.
Monte Carlo Bars
Street or Track Monte Carlo - $120 Looks like a nice product, very clean. Unfortunately, no export brace available at this time.
TCP Monte Carlo Bar - $120 Mounting position can be varied if necessary. This braces a larger area of the chassis by placing the monte carlo bar further forward than the standard braces.
Combination Braces
Mustangs Plus Export/Monte Carlo combo - $200 Sounds like a good deal. However all the braces are welded and cannot be removed to access header bolts, spark plugs, waterpump, etc. Their monte carlo bar shares the shock tower mounting plate and appears to mount behind the distributor. You may want to check to see if this works with the larger distributors or the Cobra oval air cleaner.
MPG also has a combination export/monte setup. Would have posted a picture but the one of their site is over 500kb. Here a link,
MPG Monte Carlo Bar modem surfers beware. This one also looks like it runs behind the distributor.
Cost - $100 So now we're at either $250 or $300
TCP Kit 3 - Sorry, no fancy name for this one. $115
So $395 for the whole TCP enchilada, but you can buy just the two for $280 or none of it. I'd say its one of the better looking kits, along with the Street or Track brace. Despite everyones comments I feel you get what you pay for.
This wasn't intended to be a sales pitch. That's not why I browse the forums. I tried to do the comparison as fairly as possible and I hope the information helps you to make the best decision for your particular project.
Whew... I feel better now.
Lino
TCP