BF IRS Brace finally installed (Pics)

[thomas91169]

finally got motivated to do the install i have been dreading, anytime i have to deal with mustangs and exhausts its usually an ordeal. thankfully the bassani catback came off effortlessly. next i pulled the 5 differential housing bolts off, and put the jack under the diff per the supplied instructions from BilletFlow. next i took off the two Differential Mounting bolts that connect it to the IRS Frame. Put the IRS brace up there and hand tightened the first 5 bolts (had to raise the jack/diff to clear the middle bolt from the crossmember thingy), then i put in the upper Differential Bolt (once the jack/diff is lowered the length of the bolt makes it impossible to install due to clearance with the IRS frame thingy). then i tightened all the Housing bolts, and lowered the differential and installed the final Differential mounting bolt, and torqued everything down to german torque specifications (Gutenteit), as there was no ****ing way to get a torque wrench to any but the bottom most two housing bolts. Reinstalling the Catback proved to be the issue, i could not for the life of me get the front hangar isolator on, took a good half hour, many screwdrivers to finally pry it into place. attached the rest and was done.

All in all, took about 4 hours, including the 30 minutes to go out and buy a set of Ramps (35$ at Vatozone).

 

[mrrob96fs]

Nice install, looks good, like the red color(being a redfire owner myself.) I have an IRS brace too and I am not looking forward to putting it in, suspension I am always nervous about.

 

[Uncle Meat]

I need to pick one up myself and get it installed. My diff cover has a very minor leak (one drip every week or so) and the cover needs to be resealed. Might as well get the BF brace and do the whole job at once.

U.M.

 

[CobraCruiser]

Hey, Meat, is that drip a common problem? I have the same thing happening on my '03 and my '99 had the same problem, too. I am planning to go to 4.10s next year when it comes out of storage, so I hadn't figured on fooling around with it.

A question for thomas91169 and other brace users. What is the best brace? What are the pros and cons for each one? That BilletFlow one looks pretty trick. I plan on doing a few things this winter that won't void my extended warranty and the brace might be a nice addition.

Thanks for any info.

 

[Uncle Meat]

Hey, Meat, is that drip a common problem?

Yes, espicially on the 03/04's. The force that the torque brace places on the cover under hard acceleration actually twists the cover & housing enough to break the seal. There's no gaskey between the cover and the housing, just an RTV type sealer.

A question for thomas91169 and other brace users. What is the best brace? What are the pros and cons for each one? That BilletFlow one looks pretty trick.

Mark, a.k.a. MJ of MAFterburner fame designed the original IRS brace and sold the rights to manufacture it to Doug at Billetflow. So this is the original and all others are knock-offs. Stick with the best and get the BF unit. Just my 2 cents...

U.M.

 

[thomas91169]

i didnt know anybody but BF made a IRS Brace. This one is very sturdy looking, without seeing the competitors i still highly doubt theirs would be as stout of a piece as the BF unit.

Nice install, looks good, like the red color(being a redfire owner myself.) I have an IRS brace too and I am not looking forward to putting it in, suspension I am always nervous about.

the downside to spending the additional 10$ for a colored piece (be it SonicBlue or RF) is that you will never see it unless the car is in the air. but my baby is worth it

 

[04sleeper]

I resealed my cover with Permatex Ultra Grey.

It was a pain in the rear to do but it's perfect now!

Oh, I have a Billetflow brace too.

 

[Uncle Meat]

It was a pain in the rear to do but it's perfect now!

Very punny!

U.M.

 

[Turboduck]

nice install.

 

[thomas91169]

I resealed my cover with Permatex Ultra Grey.

i was anticipating the cover to crack open once i took off the bottom most bolt (left it for last) but it stayed on tight. didnt have to reseal it. was ready with my catch bucket just in case though. ill do that another day.

 

[04sleeper]

Very punny!

U.M.