original export braces

[shelbymann1970]

Was the service part export brace that Ford sold the same as the braces on later 67-70 Shelbys? I know repos are different in their stamping but what about the Ford service parts of the 70-90s? Thanks. Gary

[SFM6S]

I bought three or four in the 1980's. As I recall all of them were of the 67-68 style with the thicker and pronounced ribbing and the paired holes punched for the cowl.
Joe

[Coralsnake]

Not all service parts were created equal
I have seen many with ribs that were not as tall as production parts

[SFM6S]

I concur with that assessment, I did see some service parts at swap meets that were a cheapened version.
Joe

[Bob Gaines]

Was the service part export brace that Ford sold the same as the braces on later 67-70 Shelbys? I know repos are different in their stamping but what about the Ford service parts of the 70-90s? Thanks. Gary

The last Ford service replacement of the one piece export brace was the different in construction compared to what was used on the cars originally. It was the one with the thinner metal with the higher outside edges.It has been standard practice for the aftermarket community to take the last NOS part before it goes obsolete and use it as a model to replicate. It has been observed that the last evolution of many original assemblyline parts can many times look different then the original in some way or ways.The different looking repro export brace is a example of this typical production of repro part process.   

[shelbymann1970]

Was the service part export brace that Ford sold the same as the braces on later 67-70 Shelbys? I know repos are different in their stamping but what about the Ford service parts of the 70-90s? Thanks. Gary

The last Ford service replacement of the one piece export brace was the different in construction compared to what was used on the cars originally. It was the one with the thinner metal with the higher outside edges. It has been standard practice for the aftermarket community to take the last NOS part before it goes obsolete and use it as a model to replicate. It has been observed that the last evolution of many original assembly line parts can many times look different then the original in some way. The different looking repro export brace is a example of this typical production of repro part process.

I agree and in many instances they even used the original dies that Ford had. I remember when George H of CDC had a bunch of dies for 55-57 T-bird parts. I offered to recon them but he already had someone that was going to do that for him. Now for this brace. It is strange that a Ford service part for a heavy metal stamping would be changed. It costs $$$$$ to iterate a die. I know being in the field for decades. My only thought on this was they either broke the die or the supplier decided to go with thinner metal and got away with it and is probably why you see the outer edges taller and the ribs not as tall. Now dies that stamped bumpers during the service years were maintained poorly for 69-70s. I remember going to the Ford dealer and ordering front and rear bumpers in 1980 for my Mach1. I compared them to my original assy line ones and the trim edges were garbage-hence why I laugh when people buy NOS bumpers for $$$$. Get original ones restored. The 67-8 rocker moldings are another one. I had a pair of the LAST service parts made(one didn't even come in a Ford bag but a blank bag) and the edges that meet the body at the front and rear were jagged and different than original 67-8 ones. BTW I was getting 20% discount on Ford parts back then(Father-in-law) but still took the bumpers back and paid twice the price to have my originals re-chromed.