BCB 4x4's ”IMPROVED” Straight Steering Brace for all 1972-1980 International Harvester Scout 2, Terra, and Traveler models. In 1998 we found that the current model Straight Steering brace that some manufacturers were selling was lacking in a few key design areas. It was made from 3/8" steel with bent corners and 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. 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 in all but one (that we installed) the lower radiator hose would hit and rub against the sharp corner 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 refit by cutting it shorter. This is wasted work and time that could be spent out enjoying your new found crisp steering ride!

So with that in mind, a new improved design that solved these flaws was created at BCB. The three major improvements can be seen in the 1/2" thick steel used in construction to beef it up, the patented lower radiator hose cutout to eliminate (95% of the time) 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. Ask for it by name "BCB Straight Steer" .... Don’t skimp on inferior copies as your safety and ride quality depend on it.