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rear chassis crossbrace

My TCs have a chassis crossbrace just in front of the axle, dunno if all Birds/Cats have them or not.

There's a brace on the inside under the carpet that saddles the driveshaft tunnel.  It looks like that inside brace is loose.  Is there anything to reinforcing that brace, welding it solid, and/or replacing it with something else?
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Twin '85 TCs
White/ Grey 2-tone
#1 (left): undergoing top-to-bottom rebuild     
#2 (right): DD, power everything (sorta)
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rear chassis crossbrace

Reply #1 –
this one?
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***** Project "EVOLUTION" 1987 Cougar LS  & 1985 Cougar Convertible *****
[/COLOR]
5.0 HO 306 roller block, machined GT-40P heads, Wiseco dished forged pistons, Eagle forged floating I-beam connecting rods, Lunati pushrods, ARP bolts, Scorpion aluminum 1.6 rockers, Comp Cams Magnum 266HR, Explorer intake, 65mm TB, MAF Conversion, 19# injectors, Ford Racing stainless P-headers, 2-1/2" cat-less exhaust w/ Flowtech Afterburner lers , SC AOD with 2800 BDR torque converter, 3.73 T-Lok rear, CHE rear control arms, full 2-1/2" frame w/1" jacking rails & seat supports, Rear disk brakes, Turbine wheels, All original interior w/ floor shift upgrade .......
Pretty much every panel on my 87 is new, rebuilt, or re constructed. :D
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rear chassis crossbrace

Reply #2 –
yup, that's it (the inside one, of course)
__________________
Twin '85 TCs
White/ Grey 2-tone
#1 (left): undergoing top-to-bottom rebuild     
#2 (right): DD, power everything (sorta)
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

rear chassis crossbrace

Reply #3 –
You could get a nice piece of 1/8 x 1 steel and replace that if you wanted. or put more bolts in the one you have to tighten it up.
Really comes down to how much more you want to stiffen the car up.
If you aren't worried about twisting the car, just bolt it back in.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
***** Project "EVOLUTION" 1987 Cougar LS  & 1985 Cougar Convertible *****
[/COLOR]
5.0 HO 306 roller block, machined GT-40P heads, Wiseco dished forged pistons, Eagle forged floating I-beam connecting rods, Lunati pushrods, ARP bolts, Scorpion aluminum 1.6 rockers, Comp Cams Magnum 266HR, Explorer intake, 65mm TB, MAF Conversion, 19# injectors, Ford Racing stainless P-headers, 2-1/2" cat-less exhaust w/ Flowtech Afterburner lers , SC AOD with 2800 BDR torque converter, 3.73 T-Lok rear, CHE rear control arms, full 2-1/2" frame w/1" jacking rails & seat supports, Rear disk brakes, Turbine wheels, All original interior w/ floor shift upgrade .......
Pretty much every panel on my 87 is new, rebuilt, or re constructed. :D
Join us on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_137541156293768&ap=1

rear chassis crossbrace

Reply #4 –
okay, thanks
__________________
Twin '85 TCs
White/ Grey 2-tone
#1 (left): undergoing top-to-bottom rebuild     
#2 (right): DD, power everything (sorta)
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

rear chassis crossbrace

Reply #5 –
I think the inside strap is mainly a strong mounting point for the studs that go through the floor so the under-brace has something to bolt to. It also helps retain the under-brace in case a u-joint lets go and the brace has to act as a "driveshaft safety loop".
.
Death awaits you all with nasty, big, pointy teeth.

1988 5.0 Bird, mostly stock, partly not, now gone to T-Bird heaven.
1990 Volvo 740GL. 114 tire-shredding horsies, baby!

rear chassis crossbrace

Reply #6 –
Yea, pretty much all it does.
I'm going to make one that bolts across my crazy SFCs. That will tie them together.
The brace that's under a 3.8 car, doesn't hang down enough for the pipes to go through. I need to change mine anyway, along with the transmission cross member. I may make one of those too.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
***** Project "EVOLUTION" 1987 Cougar LS  & 1985 Cougar Convertible *****
[/COLOR]
5.0 HO 306 roller block, machined GT-40P heads, Wiseco dished forged pistons, Eagle forged floating I-beam connecting rods, Lunati pushrods, ARP bolts, Scorpion aluminum 1.6 rockers, Comp Cams Magnum 266HR, Explorer intake, 65mm TB, MAF Conversion, 19# injectors, Ford Racing stainless P-headers, 2-1/2" cat-less exhaust w/ Flowtech Afterburner lers , SC AOD with 2800 BDR torque converter, 3.73 T-Lok rear, CHE rear control arms, full 2-1/2" frame w/1" jacking rails & seat supports, Rear disk brakes, Turbine wheels, All original interior w/ floor shift upgrade .......
Pretty much every panel on my 87 is new, rebuilt, or re constructed. :D
Join us on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_137541156293768&ap=1
 

rear chassis crossbrace

Reply #7 –
interesting mark vii's have those too. i just pulled all my interior and didnt notice the brace in the car though.

rear chassis crossbrace

Reply #8 –
Quote from: mark007;247625
interesting mark vii's have those too. i just pulled all my interior and didnt notice the brace in the car though.


It might be hard to see if there's a lot of the tar insulation.
__________________
Twin '85 TCs
White/ Grey 2-tone
#1 (left): undergoing top-to-bottom rebuild     
#2 (right): DD, power everything (sorta)
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

rear chassis crossbrace

Reply #9 –
Did some thinking on this.  It would be nice to tie the subframe connectors together instead of relying on the floorpans, but it's also probably a good idea for that brace to be removable. 

How about a tubular bar with a dip in the middle for the exhaust (similar to MasterBlaster's pic) with heim joints at each end, or is there a simpler way?
__________________
Twin '85 TCs
White/ Grey 2-tone
#1 (left): undergoing top-to-bottom rebuild     
#2 (right): DD, power everything (sorta)
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

rear chassis crossbrace

Reply #10 –
What kind of SFCs do you have now?
I'm thinking about bolting my rear brace to them
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
***** Project "EVOLUTION" 1987 Cougar LS  & 1985 Cougar Convertible *****
[/COLOR]
5.0 HO 306 roller block, machined GT-40P heads, Wiseco dished forged pistons, Eagle forged floating I-beam connecting rods, Lunati pushrods, ARP bolts, Scorpion aluminum 1.6 rockers, Comp Cams Magnum 266HR, Explorer intake, 65mm TB, MAF Conversion, 19# injectors, Ford Racing stainless P-headers, 2-1/2" cat-less exhaust w/ Flowtech Afterburner lers , SC AOD with 2800 BDR torque converter, 3.73 T-Lok rear, CHE rear control arms, full 2-1/2" frame w/1" jacking rails & seat supports, Rear disk brakes, Turbine wheels, All original interior w/ floor shift upgrade .......
Pretty much every panel on my 87 is new, rebuilt, or re constructed. :D
Join us on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_137541156293768&ap=1

rear chassis crossbrace

Reply #11 –
The SFCs came from somebody on TF, I think Bob40 is selling them now.
__________________
Twin '85 TCs
White/ Grey 2-tone
#1 (left): undergoing top-to-bottom rebuild     
#2 (right): DD, power everything (sorta)
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

rear chassis crossbrace

Reply #12 –
Quote from: t3skidoo;247730
How about a tubular bar with a dip in the middle for the exhaust (similar to MasterBlaster's pic) with heim joints at each end, or is there a simpler way?
Heim joints are not a good choice for something that needs stiffness in bending or torsion. Mounting points like the MM K-member braces are the way to go.


Heim joints are also a bad choice for strut tower braces.

rear chassis crossbrace

Reply #13 –
oh yeah, that looks better and simpler.  weld a couple of tabbecd mounts to the insides of the rails, fab a bar, mount some bolts with bushings in them.
__________________
Twin '85 TCs
White/ Grey 2-tone
#1 (left): undergoing top-to-bottom rebuild     
#2 (right): DD, power everything (sorta)
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

rear chassis crossbrace

Reply #14 –
No need for bushings.
Long live the 4-eyes!  - '83 Tbird Turbo - '85 Marquis LTS - '86 LTD Wagon-  '81 Granada GL 2dr