8 3/4 rearend backbrace

[65 racer]

Give me some ideas guy's on backbracing a 8 3/4 housing. I am going to have to put a new one in my race car and I want to brace it to try to keep it from bending, they are pretty thin in the arms and across the back shell, I have bent 3, and cracked the shell on another one, how about some input. Thanks Dave

[JERICOGTX]

I just did this to my 8 3/4 about a month ago. I just used some 2x3 metal stock and made a cardboard template, then cut it out with a plasma cutter. I kept the housing straight by tack welding it to a 3/4 inch thick Bobcat bucket cutting blade. Take your time and weld it in small sections at a time and keep moving aound. It will keep the housing from warping. make sure you brace as much of the housing as wide as possible. After installing ladder bars on my car the unbraced housing only lasted 16 or 17 passes. The new one has about 40 and so far so good.