Stock Steering Column Brace

My 69 stock column has a brace made of 2" flat stock that bolts to the Firewall to the right of the heater and to the lower bracket at the column. Is this a PO thing? or stock. Since I am putting a 75 dash in and the steering hole in it is to the left of stock I'm going to pull the column left to fit. It is also good because I moved the seat left it will center it up with the seat. And since later I'm going to add a tilt column the new dash will accomodate that well.
For now I'm just going to cut the column hole and top bracket out of my old dash, make it pretty and bolt it into the new location.

 

Thats not stock, and neither was a hole in your dash for the column or a top bracket.

 

Thanks,
I didn't want to take it off if it was needed.