subframe connectors

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    Author Topic: subframe connectors  (Read 1692 times)

    Offline ericindc

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    subframe connectors
    « on: September 25, 2009 - 03:29:17 PM »

    How necessary are these? How much do they actually help?

    I see several different types on the market

    Magnumforce:  Bollt or welded in  http://www.magnumforce.com/store/detail.asp?ProductID=3037&CategoryID=19&BrandID=&Category=&SubCategory=&Search=&Page=

    Year One's from Auto rust technicians: welded in: http://www.yearone.com/serverfiles/fbshopmain2.asp?cat=1

    XV Motorsports: weld in: http://www.xvmotorsports.com/products/detail/index.cfm?nPID=14&cid=105&cdesc=Chassis%20Stiffening


    These are all that I could find.  I dont weld so I was wondering what people thought about the bolt-in connectors.

    Thanks.
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    Offline the_engineers

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    Re: subframe connectors
    « Reply #1 on: September 25, 2009 - 03:54:16 PM »
    USCartool makes the ones for XV.
    http://uscartool.com/Eframeconn/index.html

    Reading around says that the bolt-in's are OK, but the real gains are from the ones that follow the floor contours.

    Still others say that you'll get no benefit unless you section out the floor and sink in 2x3 steel tubing.

    I plan to put in the US Car Tool ones.
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    Brooks

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    Offline 71Plym

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    Re: subframe connectors
    « Reply #2 on: September 25, 2009 - 05:47:05 PM »
    Bolt-ins are better than nothing, but structural rigidity will come from welded in units.
    Careful with bolt ins since it is possible to collapse the tubing as tightening the bolts.  Some have used sleeves to prevent this.
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    Offline BIGSHCLUNK

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    Re: subframe connectors
    « Reply #3 on: September 25, 2009 - 06:20:35 PM »
    I did a post on this awhile back with pics. Materials cost me $10. The handling/ride was imedeatly noticableand improved. We all NEED them seeing we dont have full frames, unless your putting your car in a museum!  :bigsmile:   :burnout:
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    Offline Chryco Psycho

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    Re: subframe connectors
    « Reply #4 on: September 25, 2009 - 07:30:38 PM »
    I just use a 1x2" 1/8 wall tubing & weld it to the T bar cross member & the front of the rear frame
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    Offline Changin Gears

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    Re: subframe connectors
    « Reply #5 on: September 26, 2009 - 07:09:06 AM »
    They are only as strong as there weakest section.   All that extra meat under the front seat adds zero to the strenth since they are so small under the rear floor on the contoured ones. But they are pretty.
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    Offline Topcat

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    Re: subframe connectors
    « Reply #6 on: September 26, 2009 - 11:03:41 AM »
    Another benefit from having the sub frame connectors whichever brand or type you choose:

    If your car was originally a vinyl top and you plan to use a plastic body filler on the sail panel seam (which I don't agree on doing)

    Over time, with a HP torque drive train, body flex will cause the filler to begin small cracks on the body filler right at the sail panel. They'll get bigger later on. 

    How do I know this? It happened to my car on my first resto back in the eighties. I filled the quarter panel seam with plastic filler. After a few years of layin rubber, bumpy, crappy CA. roads, I started seeing cracks. These bodies do flex quite a bit just like in the XV Motorsports video they show on their website.
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    Mike, Fremont, CA.

    Offline cudazappa

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    Re: subframe connectors
    « Reply #7 on: September 26, 2009 - 03:09:13 PM »
    ANY subframe connector will add significant rigidity to your unibody and is a GREAT idea.

    in order from weakest to strongest:
    Bolt In
    Contoured Floor design
    Divorced box design (1x2, 1.5x1.5, 2x2)
    Through the floor 2x3

    An idea for you, buy the bolt in set, pop them on and drive them over to a weldor who can then finish the job for you.  They'll be as strong as the divorced box weld-ins then.

    I bought the kit from autorust.com waiting for the winter to kick dad out of the garage so I can lay up my car for a few months with a bunch of work.
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    Offline BIGSHCLUNK

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    Re: subframe connectors
    « Reply #8 on: September 27, 2009 - 08:49:06 PM »
    I used 1x3 1/8 wall  :2cents:
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    Offline dodj

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    Re: subframe connectors
    « Reply #9 on: September 27, 2009 - 09:05:21 PM »
    I used 2x3 1/8" wall and slit my floor pans the width of the tubing from the rear frame to just under the front edge of the front seat. Then welded the 2x3 to the rear frame, t-bar crossmember, and all along the floorpan. I did it after a friend of mine put some wrinkle walls on his 383 '74 Cuda and went racing. Then he could no longer open and close his doors without a lot of effort.
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    Offline thedodgeboys

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    Re: subframe connectors
    « Reply #10 on: September 28, 2009 - 05:14:50 AM »
    Start with the bolt in ones and have a muffler shop weld em up for ya some day.  :bigsmile:
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