Custom Shock Tower Brace

 

The huge intake on the EFI engines prevents you from using the Mustang's Export Brace.  In addition, the mass air meter and plumbing, along with the distributor make it difficult to use the Monte Carlo bar.  There are a few companies that make a shock tower brace that will work with EFI engines, but I chose to make my own instead.  

 

The shock tower mounts were mocked up with cardboard first.  I originally started with large tabs like these, but after trial fitting with the cross tubes, I found they didn't need to be this big.

The shock tower mounts are now cut out of 3/16" steel plate and bolted to the shock tower.  The firewall mount is a piece of 2"x2" angle iron.  On the vertical leg, I cut a wedge out of the middle, bent the bracket a couple of degrees, then welded the notch back up.  It now follows the curvature of the firewall lip pretty well.  In this picture, you can see where the weld was ground flat right behind the 10 pin connectors on the intake.

The front tube has to be bent to clear the distributor and mass air sensor.   I used a length of brake tubing that I bent to form a mockup.  When I got it right, I brought it and some 1" OD x 1/8" wall steel tubing to work and had them bend it to match.  Some exhaust shops will be able to do this for you.  They left the ends long, and I cut and grinded them to get the right fit.  The rear diagonals are just straight tubes with the ends cut to fit flush with the rear bracket and the front shock tower mounts.  Everything was tack welded in place on the car, then removed for full welding.

After welding everything together, I shipped it off to be chrome plated.  The finished product looks great.

 

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Last Update: 08/31/2003

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