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Mega Brace
Pontiac V8 Mega Brace
Stop the Lifter Bore Cracking — Mega Brace for Pontiac V8s
The Mega Brace is a lifter bore reinforcement system for the Pontiac V8. Today's aggressive roller cams and high spring pressures put loads into the lifter bores that a factory block was never asked to carry, and a cracked lifter bore ends an engine. The brace ties the bore area together so the block can live with the cam you actually want to run.
Butler stocks the SD Performance patented Mega Brace system in three forms: the complete kit that reinforces the #2 and #6 cylinder lifter bores, the Deluxe kit that braces all cylinders, and the upgrade package on its own. Butler sells and uses them in the engines we build.
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More About Mega Brace
1. What Fails and Why
This is a known Pontiac problem and it is the reason the part exists.
| The load | a big solid roller running heavy spring pressure pushes sideways on the lifter bore every time the lobe comes up. The factory casting has limited material in the critical areas. |
| The critical bores | the standard Mega Brace kit reinforces the #2 and #6 cylinder lifter bores, which SD Performance identifies as the more common areas that could present a problem. |
| Track record | SD Performance reports over 1000 braces sold with no reported problems, and describes it as by far the strongest lifter bore brace on the market. More and more engine builders, Butler included, are using it in the engines they build. |
| What it buys you | the option of running today's big horsepower aggressive roller cams without the fear of lifter bore failure. |
2. Standard or Deluxe
Two levels, and SD Performance is clear about which engines need which.
| Standard Mega Brace | the complete kit reinforcing the #2 and #6 cylinder lifter bores. This is the one that covers the common failure areas and is the right choice for most serious roller cam builds. |
| Deluxe | includes the complete standard kit and adds braces for all the remaining cylinders. SD Performance states this upgrade is not necessary unless the engine is used in extreme applications, and calls the additional bores less critical. |
| Upgrade only | if you already have the standard kit installed, the upgrade package adds the remaining braces and requires the base Mega Brace system to already be there. |
3. Installing It
The current version of this kit is considerably easier to fit than the original.
| Assembled short block | the improved Mega Brace can now be installed in an assembled short block, with no grinding required to clear any bolts. That is a significant change from earlier versions. |
| What is in the box | 3/8-24 x 1 1/4" Grade 8 bolts and washers, epoxy and instructions. |
| What it does not need | no lifter bore distortion or cracking during install, light weight, and no special tools or welding equipment required. |
If you are spec'ing a solid roller package on a factory Pontiac block, price the Mega Brace into the build at the same time you price the lifters.
Not sure what your Pontiac needs?
Call our tech team at 866-762-7527. Tell us your engine, heads, car, and power goal, and we will put the parts together as one combination that works.