Guest JAMIE T Posted November 1, 2001 Share Posted November 1, 2001 Ok, try to follow me guys. I am in the process of building my front frame/under the car subframe connectors for my XTREME Z(a '72 240z with tube front(see Ron Jone's car) What I want to do is make this assembly bolt-on. It starts with 2.5"sq tubing then drops down after the t/c rod mounts, then the under-car subframe connectors are 2.5"x1.5" tubing that runs back to the rear frame section(stock). What I want to do is weld a 3/16"x2" flat bar on top of the floor-pan for the length of the subframe connectors. I will tie my existing roll-cage to this in the rear behind the seats. I could bolt through this flatbar to the frame section(in multiple spots). In the front at the firewall, I would run my cage to the firewall, then weld a 1/8" plate to the firewall there to attach the upper strut mount/front rollcage(if you have seen pics of Ron's car without front sheetmetal, you know what I mean). Also, any conveniant place to bolt through the car, I would(backed-up by 1/8" plate). I got this idea from seeing Heidts Nova/Chevy II/mustang II suspension conversion, the whole front frame bolts-on. The big benifit for me is that I can Zinc powdercoat(and coat it a sweet contrasting color) the part before attaching it to the car. Well, enough rambling, if you have gotten this far down this post, then you are an engineer or a gutten for punishment! Jamie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted November 2, 2001 Share Posted November 2, 2001 Engineer AND glutten for punishment The thing that bothers me is it has always seemed to me very difficult to design the bolted joints so that they are truly rigid. For that reason, I'd just weld it in, powder coat it, and get a big heat lamp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted November 2, 2001 Share Posted November 2, 2001 They use bolted on front clips on alot of the chevrolets. There are some direct replacement Nova and Chevelle bolt on front ends as you mentioned. Personally, I'd snag one, cut it down to get the width and length right and prepare mounts right at the firewall where most of them mount. No use reinventing a front end, unless you really know your suspension stuff. The good part about the front ends I'm speaking off is that they give more room in the engine bay because they don't use a strut design, but a-arms and a coil over shock. Might even make Big blocks a bit more comfortable in there.. Heres an example of a bolt on chevy II front end: Obviously those 4 attachment points are going to have to be pretty sturdy and tied into the cage. It'll be alot of work, but it'll be trick in front. Regards, Lone [ November 02, 2001: Message edited by: lonehdrider ] 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.