Monte Carlo Bar

[I66coupe]

Which would be better for the 6 cylinder car, the curved or the staight?

 

[66Sprint6]

everyone seems to have the curved, mostly to clear the valve cover breather. I want one but my ram air setup wont allow it. Once I go turbo I prolly will get one
Matt

 

[Kinky6]

You might want to look at the custom bars that Harrie, aka "the66mustang" is offering for sale.

They look like they cross in front of the valve cover.

 

[CobraSix]

harrie's brace looks like this:

Slade

 

[simon]

Slade, either those are older pictures or it looks like you swapped back to your partially plugged offy-equipped US-1V-head?

 

[Anonymous]

I was reading along here, and looking at the pics, now I just gotta ask, what does this Monte Carlo bar do, function-wise? It does however look really cool..lol
Thanks!
James

 

[simon]

simply put, the monte carlo bar prevents the shock towers from flexing and sagging under load, thus maintaining correct wheel alignment during hard cornering.
It assists the standard shock tower-to-firewall braces or export brace in stiffening the front end and handle higher sideloads.
Triangulation is a basic method of strengthening, whether you build a car or a skyscraper.

 

[Anonymous]

Hmmm...the stuff they come up with..lol. I thought it might have something to do with the suspension, but better to ask than assume. This does leave me with a few questions though...If I am not running any high performance or "excessive" manuvers with my vehicle (I am often teased about driving like an old person), do I need something like this? What kind of conditions would require the installation of such a device? Is there a structural defect in the design of the shock towers that makes something like this a needed addition? Sorry for all the questions, (damnable curiousity).
Again thanks for taking the time to answer all these!!!
James

 

[CobraSix]

Yes, those are old pictures I took of the installation of the brace kit. Still have the oz on.

As far as what they do and are they needed? Is anything ever really needed?

Seriously, they do reduce shock tower flex. The original braces in the cars (at least mustangs) weren't the greatest. If you are a handling junky like me...they are very nice. You'll notice a huge difference, even on small manuevers. I have installed on on every one of my cars. The first one I every installed was on my 98 volvo, FWD. Made a huge difference in handling ability, especially with sharp maneuvers, but even smalls ones I noticed a difference. The car just feels much more solid on the front end. and it actually helped reduce some of the frame noise that was coming from my front end. I think it is worth it personally.

While the full kit may be overkill for a stock six and average driving, the monte carlo bar is very much worth it. You'll notice a difference just from that. I went with the full kit because the mustang verts came with extra engine compartment bracing, so I wanted to make sure I had at least as much as before. Also, with the Aussie head, I was going to have clearance issues with my existing bracing.

This is the original extra bracing:

Slade

 

[Anonymous]

Definitely sounds like something to look into...Though I dont drive far (or often) I do however drive some seriously twisted roads (north west arkansas, soutwest missouri).

So, now....the kicker...how much for just the basic bar for 200?

And, is it a pain to install (the pics dont look too complicated but we all know how that works..)?

Thanks for the plain english explaination too!!!!

 

[AzCoupe]

A Monte Carlo bar is a great and cheap upgrade. Definitely worth the money. Even if you don't drive it hard, it will reduce tire wear. Considering the age of our cars, most all suffer from frame flex and will benefit from the installation of a Monte Carlo bar. Highly recommended.

The are really easy to install. You may be able to use the existing holes, but even if you have to move it forward to clear the breather cap, its just a matter of drilling eight new holes, rather than four. I moved mine forward about an inch and a half. You can see the bolts (just behind the brackets) where they are intended to go.

 

[Anonymous]

Yup. I'm sold.
I dont drive much, but I do drive some seriously twisted and hair pin old roads and anything that offers an edge in handling I am all for.

Can you reccomend a supplier / brand, or can I order one through FordSix ? And a price for just the basic kit to start out with...Seeing how its installed in the previously posted pics makes sense out of how it does what its supposed to.
Thanks again for all the info!!!!

 

[CobraSix]

I think Harrie is offering the total kit for around 200Euros, ask him. He can also ship single parts.

Slade