Bullitt w/o Strut Tower Brace?

[Gilbor]

Is Strut Tower Brace standard on all bullitts? The one I am looking to purchase was rebuild after an accident and doesn’t have one. Should it have one?

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[NGOT8R]

As fas as I know, they all have them. Mine has one with a Bullitt nameplate on it.

 

[WD Pro]

Euros didn’t get the brace (at least not in the U.K.).

I’m not sure how that fits in with regards to the OP’s location

WD

 

[Bulutt]

Not in Australia either but they are available aftermarket so just buy one off the internet or your local Mustang specialist..

 

[xSouthSyde]

Not in Australia either but they are available aftermarket so just buy one off the internet or your local Mustang specialist..

Do you have to take the engine cover off in Australia to fit the strut brace , as it looks the engine covers look different in US vs Aus

 

[Gilbor]

Thanks! This car is us-spec, but was rebuilt after an accident.
so I suspect that there may be an issue with body repair that didn’t allow to fit it
or it was lost

 

[Skye]

Thanks! This car is us-spec, but was rebuilt after an accident.
so I suspect that there may be an issue with body repair that didn’t allow to fit it
or it was lost

This. Would concern me. That 1) the accident impacted the vehicle in such a way the strut towers themselves moved and/or 2) that the people performing the repair work missed it, and I'd wonder what else was missed.

 

[NGOT8R]

Euros didn’t get the brace (at least not in the U.K.).

I’m not sure how that fits in with regards to the OP’s location

WD

Not even the GTs?

 

[WD Pro]

Not even the GTs?

No, even though we are PP1 ish spec and get the other braces.

It’s something to do with predestination impact regulations - yet Ford will officially sell you one as a upgrade / accessory … ? lol

WD

 

[Siege]

Ouch, it looks like it took quite a hit:
https://americamotors.com/ford/mustang/1FA6P8K09K5500803

It didn't have the brace when it was at the salvage auction so it may have been removed by the previous owner. If it was stolen at the lot I wouldn't expect the strut tower brace nuts to still be in place.

 

[Bulutt]

Not in Australia either but they are available aftermarket so just buy one off the internet or your local Mustang specialist..

No issues fitting it except that we needed to add spacers under because is RHD.

 

[fdl2phx]

Ouch, it looks like it took quite a hit:
https://americamotors.com/ford/mustang/1FA6P8K09K5500803

It didn't have the brace when it was at the salvage auction so it may have been removed by the previous owner. If it was stolen at the lot I wouldn't expect the strut tower brace nuts to still be in place.

Oof, poor one out for a fallen brother.

 

[Cobra Jet]

I find it odd that so many US salvage vehicles end up overseas…. How is it those countries have access to the parts more than it just being fixed here? I mean after auction fees, shipping and any other import fees, plus to fix - is it really a “deal”?

 

[Nightmonkey]

@Cobra Jet
It's not good deal for the buyer, at least here in Germany.
The vehicles are offered about 10% cheaper than undamaged EU vehicles.
But some people just want a vehicle like that without sufficient budget and don't care.
It is also not uncommon for sellers to conceal it, so that the buyer may never know that the vehicle was a total loss prior.

The repair is done cheaply (hourly wages) in Eastern Europe.
Parts are either collected from several vehicles or aftermarket parts are installed (e.g. Shelby look front skirts).
Conceivable is that needed OEM parts are also shipped directly together with the accident car, where it is not avoidable.
There are also stories of airbags that were simply replaced with ohmic resistors.
This vehicles can be a jack-in-the-box.

Fortunately, you have Carfax, so it is traceable what damage the car had.
We do not have such a thing here, with an EU vehicle you could not find out easily from the VIN how much the car was crumpled.

One can probably assume that with a few exceptions (e.g. GT350 and GT500, which are not available as EU models), all US 6g in Germany were US accident cars, often total losses.

 

[Cobra Jet]

@Cobra Jet
It's not good deal for the buyer, at least here in Germany.
The vehicles are offered about 10% cheaper than undamaged EU vehicles.
But some people just want a vehicle like that without sufficient budget and don't care.
It is also not uncommon for sellers to conceal it, so that the buyer may never know that the vehicle was a total loss prior.

The repair is done cheaply (hourly wages) in Eastern Europe.
Parts are either collected from several vehicles or aftermarket parts are installed (e.g. Shelby look front skirts).
Conceivable is that needed OEM parts are also shipped directly together with the accident car, where it is not avoidable.
There are also stories of airbags that were simply replaced with ohmic resistors.
This vehicles can be a jack-in-the-box.

Fortunately, you have Carfax, so it is traceable what damage the car had.
We do not have such a thing here, with an EU vehicle you could not find out easily from the VIN how much the car was crumpled.

One can probably assume that with a few exceptions (e.g. GT350 and GT500, which are not available as EU models), all US 6g in Germany were US accident cars, often total losses.

Interesting…. Thanks for the detailed explanation/info and education.

Even though CarFax or similar VIN reporting sites aren’t a regular “tool” to use overseas, can you still get to those websites and run reports, or are you blocked from looking/paying since your ISP (internet service provider) would be showing an overseas registration?

The other thing one can do too is run the VIN via any internet search engine (like @Siege did above - which is what I also do). If that VIN was at any known salvage yard and was placed for auction, most of the time that will pop up online. Even for Manufacturer Lemon Buy Backs, if those were dumped to an auction facility, they too will sometimes show up online.

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