have been reading a lot of info about adding an export brace to our mustangs....the question i have is if i have the factory braces that are welded to the shock towers and bolted to the cowl, can i really notice any difference in the handling if i add the aftermarket export brace...i will be adding a monte carlo bar in near future,,,just want to know if export brace will be a waste of money/time? anyone have any input? thanx don

 

Don't know what you have stang wise but on my 65 mine are bolted in also they ain't the strongest metal

 

Just checked out our '65 coupe (been thinking about an export brace and monte carlo bar as well) and it turned out that the factory original braces are welded at the back side of both shock towers and bolted just aft of that and then again at the cowl. (8 bolts total). I;ve been thinking I'll have to drill out the spot welds and then add to new export brace after that. Data says the body was built in August '65.

 

You don't need to remove the part of the old brace on the shock tower. Leave it there and put the export brace over it.

 

What makes the export brace so good is the one piece design with deep draws. I installed the better version from NPD that uses thicker metal and has deeper draws than the cheaper ones. In order for it to fit, I had to remove the spot welded brackets at the shock towers. Easily done with a spot weld drill bit.
Yes it makes a difference. Whether or not it is noticable depends on how connected you are to the car when you drive.
If I could only do one of the two between export brace and Monte Carlo bar, I'd do the export brace hands down.
The Monte Carlo bar ties the shock towers together. The Export brace ties the whole front end together by triangulating off the cowl.
Good luck,

 

Their is a small time local mustang parts guy around my area and one day i was at his shop and asked him about monte carlo bars or export braces and he basically said dont waste your time on a monte carlo bar. He showed me the export braces he sells and they are a WORLD of difference from the originals. They go all the way around the shock tower instead of that C the originals made and they are much thicker. My original ones you can twist and they are 2 pieces, i couldnt budge this one and its one solid piece. For i believe 30 bucks? Its a great investment for your mustang.

 

I also put one in my 68 with a 351C that I needed to support and the updated one definitly made a huge difference.

 

hey whats that guys name so i can call and order one

 

Yea, but you can get a decent bar for 15 bucks, so its not going to hurt either way..

 

i don't want a bar i want a good export brace for as little as possible