[Stan65]

Ok I posted a question about evaporust and dipping the fender in it to get rid of the rust behind the lower rear brace.

Well I chickened our and removed the brace, blasted the metal, and epoxy primed the inner fender and the brace.

Now as I stare at what I have, I am contemplating leaving it out.

Any thoughts on its purpose? The fender seems pretty solid bolted on without it.

Stan

[steve v]

GM put it there for a reason. I'd put it back & not risk damaging the lower fender.

[poncho4554spd]

I would leave it in also. I have removed them before. I would just tack it back in or panel bond it . It adds extra support to the fender and gives extra rigidity when attached to the upper brace.

[rasilverbird]

I'm doing the same thing on my GTO. I pulled them out, and it's easy enough to put them back in.

[Stan65]

My thoughts are/were that at the bottom it traps leaves and dirt. With it removed there is no place for dirt and moisture.

With that being said once the fender is bolted on ( top of cowl, front of cowl, upper door jamb) I don’t see how the top rail can move.

It is also bolted with 2 bolts at the bottom of the cowl. Essentially making the cowl side the brace once installed.

Hence my question as to what the original purpose was.

Possibly for storage and assembly line rigidity? Or crash purposes to help keep fender out of door on front impact?

I bolted it to the car and it is just as rigid as the other side with brace.

Just my thoughts. As this is not a restoration, but a pro(amateur) touring car.
Stan