I have a 73 Mav 302. all stock. I notice in a lot of pics on here there are braces running from the top of the shock towers to the fire wall. Have mine been removed? or never installed or are they after market parts for extra strength?
Yours have been removed sometime in the past. They are all the same with the exception of the drivers side one which was different in a power brake application.
If you don't have them, you need them! They are important for structural integrity of our cars. Without them, the towers will quickly sag and bend in towards each other. A true alignment is also impossible to keep without them. Find some. You may have to jack the towers apart to get them back in. I left mine off my 75 for fairly short time and the towers sagged a full inch each. 2" total. And the 75 has the reinforced towers. I have been told that the towers will twist and sag even if the car sits without the braces, engine installed.
It seems like some of these cars were stiffer than others. You really need them, but don't go thinking that the car is junk because they aren't there. Just get them on, it should improve the feel of the car and stiffen up the front. I had a Mustang without them for years with wheels up launches and it never tweaked but at the time I didn't realize how important they were. But that's the exception, certainly not the rule.
I got the braces. $15 off a 1975 4 door. they cleaned up well and the passenger side will bolt on. The driver side will need to be coaxed 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch. that's what Hydrallioc jacks are for. Again, Thank you guys
I took mine off when I was 17 to paint them. I drove the car for a couple of days without them. It started pulling. I put them back on and had to do a front end alignment. It can't be good to have them off. Seth
Cool! Glad you found a set local. Goes to show there are still good parts cars out there. Saves you from going to eBay, or somewhere else to get reamed! Remember to get it aligned after you get them on.
