fitting 8 3/4 backbrace??

[GON_RACIN]

just received my mancini back brace for my 8 3/4 and personally i think it fits like crap.  There is a about a 1/4 gap between the brace and center hump of the housing.  I dont weld, i usually have a friend do my welding for me, but i would think that gap that big is going to be a problem.  I'm wondering if the size of the hump on the housing varied from year to year, maybe this is whats causing this brace to fit so poorly    I just want some different opinions from those who have dealt with braces before, is this common for these things to fit so crappy?  This rear housing came out from under a 65 C body if it makes a difference.  Thanks!

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[mopar stu]

try cutting a 1/4 inch of the plate where it touches the other plate at the top.the left side looks o.k. just move the right side over a little.

[GON_RACIN]

yeah i'm sure if started cutting on the thing i could make it fit, i was just wondering if anyone bought a brace and had it fit out the box with no mods other than cutting clearance for the U bolts.  Maybe i'm expecting to much but i was thinking i was just going to take the thing out of the box and weld it on 

[mopar stu]

i know what you mean,sometimes you don't want to mess fabbin' something even though you know you can do it and you buy something hoping to slap it in,only to realize you could have made one with the same amount of work it takes to make their piece fit right, and  for alot less $ too.    bummer..

[70 Dustpan]

Yep that fits like crap. One way to make it work is to cut it in half at the top of the hump, slide both sides together, trim off any extra. Then tac it back tegether, then weld a plate on the underside from side-to-side and weld the cut back together.

[GON_RACIN]

i'm tempted to just send the thing back.  The more i look at it the more i think its just a poorly made piece rather than loose factory tolerances of the rearend housing.

[mopowers]

I made my own out of 2 x 3 .125 wall tubing.  I just made it in 2 halves and welded them on seperately and then joined them in the middle.  Just spend some time trimming and fitting.  I would definitely cut it in half though and work with each side seperately.  You can certainly make it work.  I know how frustrating it can be to spend good $ on something and STILL have to spend a bunch of time to make it perfect.  I guess its just part of the game.  Goodluck!

[signet]

send it back.

thats bunk.

you could do better with card board and a cut off wheel.

[hitmanslimo]

i've bought the same brace from mancini pt # mre 888 but sent it back because of fit they in turn sent out another one that fit much better. one i started welding it pulled itself into place perfectly.

[loiq]

You see that notch in the brace at the top of the hump? It's meant to be bent down over the hump to fit the rear. You may have to grind the ends that fit over the tubes to get it to lay down nice and flush.

[mark8denny]

try a 4 inch grinder !, metal fabricating always takes effort ,  but all that heat will probably end up warping the housing , the welds may pull the tubes backward slightly , weld it on before you send it out to be narrowed so the housing ends can be put on square.  Do you really need a back brace ?

That avitar is just plain wierd ! are you a wierdo ?  

[Gospel Runner]

You can use a compass to determine where to grind. Just set the compass for the widest gap distance and trace along the housing with the pointed end and the lead side of the compass will mark exactly where you need to grind. Good luck!

[GLENNP]

I bought a Morrison AM one and it didn't fit for crap either. Lots of grinding.

[GON_RACIN]

You see that notch in the brace at the top of the hump? It's meant to be bent down over the hump to fit the rear. You may have to grind the ends that fit over the tubes to get it to lay down nice and flush.

i'm aware of what the notch is for, i bent the brace around the rear and it just doesnt fit.  The problem is the radius they cut into the brace is way to big.  Yeah i could cut the thing in half, grind on it, and piece it back together but piss on that.  I'm sending it back.  I tried it on another housing i have and it didnt fit either.  If i'm going to go through the trouble of cutting one up to make it fit i'll either build my own or just live without it.  Thanks for all the info guys. 

[GON_RACIN]

forgot to add............anybody know who sells/makes back braces that DO fit?

[mopar stu]

http://www.jimsautoparts.com/mopar_performance_drivetrain.htm

http://web.inetba.com/autoweld/rh.ivnu

[b569rr]

  If i'm going to go through the trouble of cutting one up to make it fit i'll either build my own or just live without it.  Thanks for all the info guys. 

  If enough people send them back maybe they will go out and check for themselves that it doesn't fit. If it needs that much work to get it to fit I'd build my own.

Tom

[GON_RACIN]

Update!  I ordered a Moser back brace from Summit and it actually fits!  I will have to do little or no trimming/grinding to make it fit.  It hugs the center hump nice and tight and price wise it was only 10 bucks more than the one i originally bought that didnt fit. 

[mopar stu]

good to hear,how did the return go?did you eat the shipping?

[Ciscodog]

I bought mine second hand and it fit pretty well - didn't have the cut in the middle like your first one.  It must have been Moser, I know it started with an M.

[Westernstar]

Here's my two cents about fit.When Mancini designed that part they set a 8 3/4 rear in a jig to get measurements.That rear maybe was the 18,683rd to come out of a paticular mold.Your rearend was # 15299 to come out of yet another mold.Remember this is mass production we're talking about.I saw the pic,it does'nt look bad to me but thats me.Happy turkey day.

[GON_RACIN]

which is exactly why i tried it on several different housings, it didnt fit any of them so i'm convinced it was just not a well made piece.  If you think that first one didnt fit to bad then you should see the one i just bought, you'd think it fits like a glove