pparaska Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 subframe connectors: I have seen the subframe connectors employed by numerous Z car owners...although that would not have been the first stiffening that came to MY mind... it does make sense to have a "frame" that runs from front to rear... I have been told that they are just adding weight for little or no return in stiffening by 2 local S-30 race car owners... I am still open to adding them... One racer on the east coast without realizing I had the subframe connectors in commented on how tight the chassis was compared to the hundreds he'd driven. Then I showed him the subframe connectors. Rocker tips:I have seen pictures and heard of folks tying the front tips of the rockers up to the tops of the strut towers...didn't Bondurant do this.... this was of course added in conjunction with the roll cage A-pillar tubes and a dash bar...this seems interesting to me... My rocker ends (inner and outer) were GONE. I had to hand fabricate them out of sometihng like 1/16" steel, with all the little beads and evertthing. I even replaced the doubler plate that goes between the inner and outer panel. Of course new outers went on. Someone else said why not just use 1x3 tubing - because the stiffness of tubing in the direction you're trying to bend it is dependent on the THIRD power of the height (1 inch vs 2 inch). So quit whining and just cut the floor! Actially if you neeed floors, do the rails first (on side at a time) and cut the new custom floors from Zedfindings to fit either side, with a little 45 degree bend up to meet the rail and seam weld. Forget sealer! All my floor and subframe stuff is seamwelded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heavy85 Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 One racer on the east coast without realizing I had the subframe connectors in commented on how tight the chassis was compared tothe hundreds he'd driven. Then I showed him the subframe connectors. I agree subframe connectors would add a lot of stiffness. Reason I say this is my 240 with the factory short rails sags right at the firewall. Extending them all the way back rather than just stoping them in the middle of a flat plate (the floor) would help tremendously. If I put jack stands under the frame rails directly under the firewall as I set the front end down it sags so bad that the doors wont shut! I'm convinced framerails would fix that. Now my question is how to weld them in upside down. I really dont want to strip it and put it on a rotiserie but am concerned with the out of position welding that would be required by welding from underneath. Anyone have some insight on this? Also still considering the add-on baddog ones vs fabbing up out of tubing. Anyone have overall pics of the Baddog framerails installed? I looked in Jons post on T/C mods but cant really see the whole thing. Thanks Cameron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruxGNZ Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 Now my question is how to weld them in upside down. I really dont want to strip it and put it on a rotiserie but am concerned with the out of position welding that would be required by welding from underneath. Anyone have some insight on this? Full face welding helmet, dew rag or hat with small brim, leather apron, leather arm protection, ect. It sucks, but can be done safely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 I agree subframe connectors would add a lot of stiffness. Reason I say this is my 240 with the factory short rails sags right at the firewall. Extending them all the way back rather than just stoping them in the middle of a flat plate (the floor) would help tremendously. If I put jack stands under the frame rails directly under the firewall as I set the front end down it sags so bad that the doors wont shut! I'm convinced framerails would fix that. Now my question is how to weld them in upside down. I really dont want to strip it and put it on a rotiserie but am concerned with the out of position welding that would be required by welding from underneath. Anyone have some insight on this? Also still considering the add-on baddog ones vs fabbing up out of tubing. Anyone have overall pics of the Baddog framerails installed? I looked in Jons post on T/C mods but cant really see the whole thing. You don't need to totally strip the car to put it on a rotisserie. I put mine on with the driveline and wheels removed and everything else on the car. If you were just doing the subframe connectors I think that the rotisserie would be a bit much. All the stitch welding and trying to get the paint out of all the little crevices underneath was what was killing me. Prepping for the SFC's was easy by comparison. I don't know exactly how many welds I've got holding the connectors in, but I'd guess that there can't be more than about 50. You can put up with it for that long. It's not fun, but you can do it. If there is something unclear or if you want pics of something else on the SFC's just ask. Mine are only modified from the firewall forward. For the record, the Bad Dog parts aren't nearly 2x3. They're more like .75 x 2.5, and they aren't a full rail, just a U channel that welds to the floor, using the floor as the 4th side of the box. I needed the ground clearance and didn't want to really lose any with the connectors, and didn't want 1.5" of tubing sticking up out of the floor either. You have to take into account what the subframe connectors are being used for. In my case they're only part of a larger structure, not a ladder frame that the unibody effectively just sits on as would be the case for others. My intention is to connect the subframes each other and to the rockers as solidly as possible, the rockers to the frame rails as much as possible, then the cage to the rockers as well. The roll bar in the back will connect to the strut towers, and I still haven't decided whether to do a full cage or just leave it as is. With this all done and the entire chassis stitched, I'm thinking that will be enough. It will certainly be an improvement over what I had going on before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam280Z Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 I just did this: this past weekend with 3X1 tubing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heavy85 Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 I just did this: this past weekend with 3X1 tubing. I got this message when I clicked on that link "You do not have permission to view the images in this category." Any idea whats up with that? - and yes I am logged in. Thanks Cameron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad-ManQ45 Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 Ditto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruxGNZ Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 Well, I can see it, so here ya go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.