Curved Monte carlo Bar

I am wondering if its worth anything to install a curved monte carlo bar? I remember reading somewhere that due to their curved design they are in effect not very efficient as a structural brace, more or less they are just for looks. Is there any truth to that?

Junk

They are fine!

All the Monte Carlo Bar does is prevent the OUTWARD and INWARD flexing of the shock towers. during hard cornering and racing launches.

If you connect the shock towers with ANYTHING that does not move then you are covered.

If the bent bar was junk, it would flex and break.

Have you heard anyone complaining? I see curved or bent ones more often than not.

I run a curved one because i have no other choice with my tall msd distributor, anything else will hit. I can tell you for a fact that it DOES help it out. I can tell the difference just driving it around, once i put it on it got a much more solid feel in the front end, as good as a straight one? Prob not, but lots better than nothing.

My two-cents worth: The straight one is better, but the curved one is still a great improvement.

I had the straight one and went to the curved only because I got tired of removing it every time I needed to get my distributor cap off.

Another very important reason for adding one is that the shock towers, after years of holding the weight of the car tend to lean inward. The brace will keep them from doing that.

In fact, many people who try to add one find that the shock towers are already leaning in. Mine was like that. I actually jacked the car up and supported it from just the middle cross brace and left it sit like that for 2 months. The towers then leaned out just slightly, enough so I could get the brace in.

Its quite cheap for the benefit, even the curved one. Put one on for sure.

Go curved, it's more graceful and it is just as strong as the straight! Period, nearly the end of the story.
The results are identical unless you drop your car from a wheele stand of 2 feet, then I'm positive the curved one will give a tad.... I ain't kiddin....

from a structural standpoint, the curved one is inferior to the striaght bar. If not, why would Shelby have used the straight bar. Sorry FE.

While it is may be better than nothing, it is only barely better than nothing.

The export brace by itself is probably as strong as adding the curved bar.

I ran my car under a tractor trailer sideways at 70mph and got drug for a few thousand feet while he stopped since I was stuck between his back tire and the decapitation bar....my curve MC bar held up just fine.

cccdjb, You are correct but you are WAY off the mark!

Those shock towers will NEVER EVER EVER EVER be pushed together by a force strong enough to BEND that damn Curved Bar with ONE exception. Wheel stand that damn car about 3 feet then hit the friggin brakes. Some schitt will definitely bend, but so would the Straight bar.

Shelby used a straight bar because they were lazy, and it was cheap. Simple as that.

You people really have to THINK things through.

The actual stress on that part of the car even under a large amount of duress is EASILY handled by the curved bar. If there were forces on the shock towers that would BEND a curved bar, what the heck good would be a straight bar in the first place?

Do you understand the AMOUNT of force necessary to bend a bar like that? You'll never experience anything that harsh unless you are being run over...

Go with what makes you feel better but understand that there is NO disadvantage to using the curved bar unless you are hit by a train...