who has installed the 1 piece export brace from mustangs unlimited and had trouble getting it to bolt on.
who has purchased somewhere else specifaclly west coast classic cougars they say theres are the best , have trouble or bolted on?

 

Chances are that ANY export braces you find will be difficult to just "bolt on", since the Mustang's shock towers most likely have caved in and maybe dropped back a bit. That's the reason you install an export brace. Get the front end geometry corrected.
As for quality, the original Ford is just the best. There are other good ones out there, but there are some really cheesy offerings, also that will fold right up. Really hard to know. I would personally stick with whatever Scott Drake is marketing if I could not find an original Ford.
Best,
Al

 

a lot of times you need to jack up the car and put it on jackstands and let the car relax for a day or so

 

I had a cheapy chrome unit that would not fit, no matter what. I ended up drilling a new set of holes in the brace knowing I would be overhauling the car in time. Once the car was coming apart I test fitted the heavy Drake piece and it dropped right into place with no struggle.

Dont go cheap. The Drake part fits and is much stiffer.

 

+1 on the Scott Drake heavy gauge one! No issues installing.

 

Definitely the deeper stamped heavier Scott Drake one. The same is true of the monte carlo bar.