<p><span style="color: #99cc00;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;">BCB 4x4's <em>&rdquo;IMPROVED</em>&nbsp;Steer Straight Frame Brace" for all 1972-1980 International Harvester Scout 2, Terra, and Traveler models. In 1998 we found that the original model "Straight Steer" brace that multiple manufacturers were manufacturing and selling was lacking in a few key design areas. It was made from 3/8" steel with bent corners and some measured short of the actual inside frame dimension specs. When installing these "brand X" braces, it was noted that the frame tended to suck in to tighten up the gaps left. This causes side pressure on the leaf spring bushings and esentially BENDS the frame to match up tight to the brace. In many pictures on the web you can see this crushing effect on the outside of the passenger side frame rail where the bolts go through to mounts it. Also spotted was the stress zone created where the corners were bent 90 degrees. Any time you bend steel you introduce stress that over time can fatigue and crack causing failure. The last thing that annoyed us was that in most of them that we installed the lower radiator hose would hit and rub against the sharp edge of the brace. Over time this leads to a failure in the lower hose causing antifreeze to leak out. If that occurred while you were driving to work or wheeling on the trail and did not notice, serious damage to the motor could occur. To correct that during installation, the radiator must be drained, the lower hose removed and cut shorter, reinstall the hose, refill the radiator, bleed the air out, ...just a ton of extra work. This is wasted work and time that could be spent out enjoying your new found crisp steering ride!</span></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ffcc00;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #99cc00;">So with that in mind, a new improved steering brace that solved these flaws was created at BCB 4x4. The three major improvements that can be seen are: the 1/2" thick steel used in construction to beef it up, the patented and exclusive to our product&nbsp; lower radiator hose cutout that eliminate most of the extra installation work, and the welded corners that minimize stress zones. To assure that you receive a quality original BCB 4x4 made product we manufacturer and brand mark these in house at our shop.</span></span></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="background-color: #ff0000; color: #ffff00;"><strong>All Braces will come raw steel with a little bit of brush down and weld bb removal. Final sanding and deburing the edge to accept paint will be up to the purchaser. While we painted them for 20 years, its just impossible to paint them 1-2 units at a time and seeing as how we no longer have a full time welder thats only job is this and a few products where he could setup and paint 5-10 sets at a time making it feasable time wise, i just can not spend 30-40 minutes painting a set when I could be working on a customer rig for the hourly shop rate. Its all about making a living and survival. Rising rent cost, operationg expenses, permits, and fees have forced us to really take a close look at how our time is best spent.&nbsp; Besides i need extra time to bring all the new products to market that i have been designing over the past 20 years :).&nbsp; Thanks for understanding.&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="color: #ffcc00;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="color: #000000;">Ask for it by name "BCB Improved Steer Straight Frame Brace" .... Don&rsquo;t cut corners and try to save a few bucks on inferior copies when your safety and ride quality depend on it.&nbsp;<span style="color: #ffffff; background-color: #000000;"><em>And in keeping with our motto of "High quality parts at reasonable prices", we offer it to you.</em></span><br /></span></span></strong></span></p> Learn More

<p><span style="color: #00ff00;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;">We like the Flaming River Joints because they are Nickel coated (and our shaft is non polished chrome) at no extra charge and stay rust free. These function the same as the Borgesons do but stay looking nice. These are better than the imported EZ-Stainless that a certain company is selling. Those are bought for $35 each and as an example the 1" 48 spline steering column joint measures .955 but the USA Flaming River Joint measures .980 and is a much tighter precision fit. When dealing with steering there is no reason to cut corners and you will only pay later replacing a poorly machined product made with inferior materials. Zoom in on the pictures they show of the DD part and see how hacked up it looks if you don't believe me.
You can get a stainless shaft like shown in the second picture but will need to call us. Matter of fact all the joints are available in stainless and polished stainless but are $30 or so more. Again call us if you want these. These kits allow you to add a body lift and eliminate binding and excess pressure on your steering box input shaft as well as take the play out of the rag-joint and give you 100% positive steering input for a no slop situation. There are two sizes and <span style="color: #000000;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><span style="font-size: medium;">we need you to call or e-mail to confirm what size you have after ordering</span></em></span>.</span> Scout 2's from 1971 through mid 1977 came from the factory with a 13/16" 36 spline input, then from mid 1977 through 1980 they had a 3/4" 30 spline input. If your steering box was replaced at some point it may not be original. An easy way to tell is by slipping a 3/4" open end wrench over the splined section of the input shaft and if it fits then its the 3/4" size, otherwise its the 13/16". Alternately you can measure with a vernier caliper tool. Be sure to measure from spline side to spline side and not on the one flat section that the shaft has. Call us if you have any questions on the measuring procedure if you have tried it and it doesn't make sense.. We hope to have an easier way to order this but really like talking with our customers to confirm their order and discuss their project. We can't guarantee that it will fit unless you measure so if you order the wrong size we will be glad to exchange it, however you are responsible for covering the shipping costs. So its best to double check in advance by measuring. Thanks and happy slop free steering!! </span></strong></span></p> Learn More

<p><span style="color: #00ff00;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;">These fit all aftermarket springs for the Scouts. Upgraqde the original 5/16 units that tend to be weak by rheaming or drilling out the hole in leafs. </em></span></strong></span></p> Learn More

<p><span style="color: #00ff00;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;">These have a 3/8" center pin hole machined into them to allow you to bolt them into the spring pack with a new center pin (available in related items). That way they can not kick out. Also being steel you can weld them to a spring perch if you desire. These will not crack like cheaper aluminum versions. Call to discuss your suspension setup if you don't know what degree you need. Degree is stamped into the face for easy reference.</em></span></strong></span></p> Learn More

<p><span style="color: #00ff00;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;">These have a 3/8" center pin hole machined into them to allow you to bolt them into the spring pack with a new center pin (available in related items). That way they can not kick out. Also being steel you can weld them to a spring perch if you desire. These will not crack like cheaper aluminum versions. Call to discuss your suspension setup if you don't know what degree you need. Degree is stamped into the face for easy reference.</em></span></strong></span></p> Learn More

<p><span style="color: #00ff00;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;">These have a 3/8" center pin hole machined into them to allow you to bolt them into the spring pack with a new center pin (available in related items). That way they can not kick out. Also being steel you can weld them to a spring perch if you desire. These will not crack like cheaper aluminum versions. Call to discuss your suspension setup if you don't know what degree you need. Degree is stamped into the face for easy reference.</em></span></strong></span></p> Learn More

<p><span style="color: #00ff00;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;">These have a 3/8" center pin hole machined into them to allow you to bolt them into the spring pack with a new center pin (available in related items). That way they can not kick out. Also being steel you can weld them to a spring perch if you desire. These will not crack like cheaper aluminum versions. Call to discuss your suspension setup if you don't know what degree you need. Degree is stamped into the face for easy reference.</em></span></strong></span></p> Learn More

<p><span style="color: #00ff00;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;">These have a 3/8" center pin hole machined into them to allow you to bolt them into the spring pack with a new center pin (available in related items). That way they can not kick out. Also being steel you can weld them to a spring perch if you desire. These will not crack like cheaper aluminum versions. Call to discuss your suspension setup if you don't know what degree you need. Degree is stamped into the face for easy reference.</em></span></strong></span></p> Learn More

<p><span style="color: #00ff00;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;">These have a 3/8" center pin hole machined into them to allow you to bolt them into the spring pack with a new center pin (available in related items). That way they can not kick out. Also being steel you can weld them to a spring perch if you desire. These will not crack like cheaper aluminum versions. Call to discuss your suspension setup if you don't know what degree you need. Degree is stamped into the face for easy reference.</em></span></strong></span></p> Learn More