Anyone ever tried this?

[priderocks]

I read this idea on the A-body forum, but don't see why it wouldn't apply to e-bodies. A guy said that he ran a continous weld the length of the rocker (where the rocker metal joins the floor pan metal, I guess) and noticed a difference in the rigidity and quietness of ride compared to beforehand. This joint is resistance welded I think from the factory. Does this seem logical to you guys?

[wagesofsin]

thats how  i did my rockers. as for the rigidity i cant say.

[HP2]

Yes, but if your going to do that, you might as well start hitting every seam. Cars are put together with spot welders, not seam welds, so anything you do will be an improvement. I've always used this analogy, would you rather have a shirt that is sewn together or buttoned together?

FWIW, I read an analysis of a builder who welded up all the seams on a 1st gen Mustang. Testing before and after the modification showed a torsional stability improvement of 65% after welding.

Also worth noting is that SCCA prohibits seam welding in street classes, so it obviously is an advantage.

[jvike]

Let it be said that Mustangs are known to have very low torsional stiffnes, especialy in the front. I guess the fastbacks mus be good in the rear. The Boss 302's had seamwelded shocktowers from the factory, goes to show there is someting to gain. My brother has a 69 FB that has the TCP subframeconnectors and the "cage" that bolts in between them. His car raises three wheels in the air when he jacks it up with a regular garage jack.

Let's talk mopars, Get the XV chassis stiffening kit with their floorhugging frameconnectors, and you'll have a chassis that has an torsional stiffness equal with a late model sports car. A step further would be torque boxes, If you have them I don't see a need to weld the lenght of the rocker. But as said, anything you do will improve (at the cost of added weight). I think XV seamwelds the shocktowers and inner fenders on their cars, probably not a bad idea since you'll have to repaint the enginecompartment when you do their stiffening kit anyway..

I think this is as good as it gets without building a rollcage.