Alan wrote:

Installed my rebuilt 5.0 last week. Only took two years and another grandkid (#5) to get it in. Pulled the old motor because of the smell and burning oil. Had this one ready to go in, but fhe wyait monster took over and I cleaned and painted the engine bay plus filling all the holes, replacing part of the frame, and on and on. Whenever I figure out what to do with the export brace, i will put the EFI intake on.




 

My Belief - unsubstanciated - is that a Monte Carlo bar would be more effective than the export brace; each by themselves..  If it  fits use the stock firewall braces with the bar.  I also think that you can get a U-shaped firewall brace that will bend around the intake plenum.
 

Ideally a MC and export braces work together to triangulate the upper portion of the shock towers.  An MC will help with in and out movement, but the export brace is to stop fore and aft movement, though, since they are not in a straight line you really need the MC bar to get maximum benefit.  Without the MC bar you're actually introducing a shear moment into the equation because the upper portion of the shock tower will now try to rotate under loading.

It shouldn't be too difficult to modify and/or fabricate something more akin to the strut tower braces used on Fox body cars.  They work really well, provided you have subframe connectors, otherwise you've just stiffened the front end and left the floorpans as the only stiffening member between the front and rear suspensions. 

If and when I ever decide to put a taller cobra intake on, I've thought about modifying the brace the same way you put a curve in a straight plank of wood. Cut the curve out, and place it on the opposite side.
Not sure it'd work ... may need a second brace for material.

Last edited by 50vert (10/09/2018 6:04 PM)

I have a Holley Systemax intake so i dont think it will fit under the export brace. I have thought of doing the same thing, cutting the brace and going around the intake. I even have 2 export braces to do that if i want. Would be a lot of cut, weld and grind, but not impossible. 
I did get the monte carlo bar put in place and welded up. Waitin on paint to dry to put it in.