MyLil'4

Mustang Family - great to say I have just purchased my first mustang. I bought an 88 LX, 2.3 4Cyl, NA, 5 Spd, convertible. I know the arguments for and against the 2.3 but I am extremely happy with it (and that is all that matters). I've replaced the fuel filter and have started scrubbing the car down. I plan on doing a restore and in a few years seeing if I need more pep' in my step.

So, to my question: I put the car up on my lift and noticed that underneath the engine are four rods that appear to connect to a bracket underneath the engine. The problem is, these rods, three of the four, have rusted through and I cannot find the name of the part anywhere on the Internet. Does anyone out there know the name of the rods? I thought some sort of subframe connector but the images I am seeing do not match the round shape. Any help would be appreciated.

I attached a picture where the four rods connect. I assume it is where the car gets its support from since it is a convertible, but I haven't the foggiest.

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks and I am glad to join the Mustang crew!

7_Zero

This is not going to be of much help to you as you have already nailed it, it is your X-brace. Convertibles had these to help with the structure due to not having a hard top. Aside from pulling a good one off of another vert I think you will be very hard pressed to find one available from aftermarket manufacturers. Something you might look into is if a 4-point K-member brace would be a good alternative to the X-brace? You could contact Maximum Motorsports and see what they would recommend. I also wonder if the X-brace from an SN95 would work as they share the same chassis as the Fox, might be something to look into.

Good luck and welcome to the family, these cars can be a lot of fun!

MyLil'4

7 Zero. Thanks for the add'l info and the reply. I ended up "picking" a new brace off of an 86 convertible that was at a junkyard. I've attached the pics of pre-cleanup and then post cleanup/sandblast/protection/install.