For anyone who saw my last thread, I've solved the issue of the shock tower brace clearing the intake. I had to shift the mounting point at the firewall a few inches, which makes the brace slightly less effective. I also had to cut a notch out for the corner of the Explorer intake to sit. I made up for the loss in the notch by adding welding angle iron to the bottom and 1/4" steel rod inside the edge of the brace-- I suspect my custom job has turned out to actually be stonger than stock.
