New Ford Performance B-Bow & C-Bow Brace Kit

[hozer]

Stiffening mods are the new 'Cold air intake'. Designed and required for the 1%. sold and marketed to the 99%

I will not be convinced anyone needs or could even identify the benefit of this installed... and if you do, buy a vehicle with a fixed roof

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[mcinfantry]

Stiffening mods are the new 'Cold air intake'. Designed and required for the 1%. sold and marketed to the 99%

I will not be convinced anyone needs or could even identify the benefit of this installed... and if you do, buy a vehicle with a fixed roof

Woaaaaaaa… what about billet stiffening mods! Aren’t they more better… dare I say ….. bestist?

 

[Gluestick]

Stiffening mods are the new 'Cold air intake'. Designed and required for the 1%. sold and marketed to the 99%

I will not be convinced anyone needs or could even identify the benefit of this installed... and if you do, buy a vehicle with a fixed roof

I would have bought a fixed roof bronco, maybe with sunroof, if available. Not available.

 

[imstimpy]

My previous early production '21 did not have the nutserts for the C-pillar brace. I believe that once Job 2 started for the 21s and the hardtop prep kit started being added, those frames had the needed nutserts to install this. I'm guessing that since not all 21s can install, they have to leave all of that year off of the labeling.

I have one of the last production MY21s, delivered with hard top prep kit, and I can confirm it came with the nutserts on those back pillars.

 

[Obeh4ve]

This will only reinforce the roll bar, not stiffen the chassis. The Bronc is body on frame, not a uni-body. The only way to stiffen the chassis is to put something on the chassis. doing things to the body does nothing for the chassis. A uni-body vehicle is a different story. A body mod will stiffen the chassis.


Examples:

Strut tower brace for a Bronco ( I hate the term strut tower but that is what Steeda calls it).

It goes from one side to the other of the top coilover seat on the frame.


A Bronco Sport on the other hand is a uni-body and as you can see those strut towers are connected to the body.

"This will only reinforce the roll bar, not stiffen the chassis." is a statement I disagree with. A "roll bar" is an integral part of the chassis. That's how they work. With this B pillar brace tying the upper sections of the chassis together it will be more rigid. What you're saying goes against what any good driver with a convertible knows, Having a metal roof means a more rigid chassis compared to a convertible. This brace will provide some of the rigidity a full metal roof does. The B pillar brace will work in the same manner as the strut tower brace shown in one of your pictures. A rigid chassis works all the time and improves every aspect of a vehicles handling.

 

[Obeh4ve]

Stiffening mods are the new 'Cold air intake'. Designed and required for the 1%. sold and marketed to the 99%

I will not be convinced anyone needs or could even identify the benefit of this installed... and if you do, buy a vehicle with a fixed roof

Having put chassis braces on several cars and 10 years of autocross with and without chassis stiffeners on the same vehicle I can assure you, you are absolutely wrong. Would a lot of people be able to tell the difference? Of course not. Does it work regardless? Yes. Do the physics work regardless of your opinio? Yes. I'll paraphrase what someone else said earlier on this thread; They didn't offer an integrated roof. If Ford had offered it, I absolutely would have gone that direction.

 

[BAUS67]

"This will only reinforce the roll bar, not stiffen the chassis." is a statement I disagree with. A "roll bar" is an integral part of the chassis. That's how they work. With this B pillar brace tying the upper sections of the chassis together it will be more rigid. What you're saying goes against what any good driver with a convertible knows, Having a metal roof means a more rigid chassis compared to a convertible. This brace will provide some of the rigidity a full metal roof does. The B pillar brace will work in the same manner as the strut tower brace shown in one of your pictures. A rigid chassis works all the time and improves every aspect of a vehicles handling.

I came from drag racing my Fox body back in the late 80's early 90's and those are a uni-body. Not a frame with a body attached to it. I have seen many, many stangs, yes even convertibles, with no rollbar and big power tweek the doors, hatches, so to that aspect I agree with you. In that case a rollbar will stiffen the chassis because the chassis and the body are one, hence UNI-BODY. But. That is a uni-body vehicle, no frame. The Bronc is a body on frame.

In theory you can drive a Bronco with no body. The chassis is the chassis, independant of the body. In my above example you will notice that Steeda has put the brace on the coilover top mount, ON THE CHASSIS, NOT the body. This will help. Now if you were to, or if Ford did, put the roll bar onto the chassis THEN you would benefit because the roll bar is mounted to the chassis. As of right now the roll bar is part of the body not the chassis. Therefore it has rubber body mounts and doing anything to the roll bar without it being on the chassis will gain very minimal results. IMO.

 

[Ninjak]

So question: Why does the BRaptor have a B support? Is it for looks?

 

[Gluestick]

I wish the kit was split so I could get the B but not the C, since I have the AAL shelf in the rear.

 

[hozer]

Having put chassis braces on several cars and 10 years of autocross with and without chassis stiffeners on the same vehicle I can assure you, you are absolutely wrong. Would a lot of people be able to tell the difference? Of course not. Does it work regardless? Yes. Do the physics work regardless of your opinio? Yes. I'll paraphrase what someone else said earlier on this thread; They didn't offer an integrated roof. If Ford had offered it, I absolutely would have gone that direction.

I had an open wheel license. Like I said designed and required for the 1%. sold and marketed to the 99%. Did not claim it served no purpose, only that a majority of those buying it likely could not identify it's presence or not

 

[indio22]

It is really tough to drill through... I have done it though... It just takes time, and some good bits. Start with a small diameter and then redrill with larger and larger.... Not that bad..... just time consuming.

Any issues encountered installing nutserts in the rollbar, other than the difficult drilling? I'd like more connection points on the rollbar, will probably use a cobalt drill bit.

I've already installed this quick and dirty 2x4 kayak carrier on the rollbar, using existing nutserts (photo below). But would rather have attachment points in better locations on the rollbar for fastening various items. In this case, I would have moved the front 2x4 further forward, if there were nutserts closer to the windshield.

 

[5GENIDN]

Any issues encountered installing nutserts in the rollbar, other than the difficult drilling? I'd like more connection points on the rollbar, will probably use a cobalt drill bit.

I've already installed this quick and dirty 2x4 kayak carrier on the rollbar, using existing nutserts (photo below). But would rather have attachment points in better locations on the rollbar for fastening various items. In this case, I would have moved the front 2x4 further forward, if there were nutserts closer to the windshield.

I have not installed any riv-nuts or nutserts at this time.... but easily could have. I drilled for wiring purposes. Holes will compromise structural integrity so you want to be careful and well thought through before adding very many.

What you have done looks like a nice quick solution. Well done. And by the way, great looking Bronco!

 

[Aonarch]

Frames should not articulate. Suspension should articulate.

Toyota Tacoma and the 1st and 2nd Gen Tundras had frames that intentionally flexed.

 

[James Cole]

My bronco top end shakes on uneven bumps will this mod take care of it?

 

[BAUS67]

So question: Why does the BRaptor have a B support? Is it for looks?

It will stiffen the roll bar, just will not stiffen the chassis. The Braptor is made for some serious desert running, at speed. In the case of a roll over then these would be benefical. They will reinforce the roll bar making it stronger in case of a roll over.

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