BASSETT IROC 85

iTrader: (2)

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BEST SUB FRAME CONNECTORS OUT THERE? I'M LOOKING FOR BEST FIT, EASE OF INSTALLATION, AND COST. I WANT TO KEEP MY EXHAUST IN THE STOCK LOCATION. THANKYOU

Jza

Best cost-per-quality: SSM

Best quality: Spohn

Best cost: self-fabricated

Z28 Boy

well said...

i agree...Spohn is best quality.

-B

MdFormula350

some good pics of them installed on his site.

http://www.spohn.net/index.cfm?fusea...t&contentid=21

89transam

Are they? Or is it that they are the most widely run? I mean I have them and they are terrific, but is that the consesus , that they are the best quality when put side to side with other sfc's?

If so that makes me even happeier with my decision.

Z28 Boy

well, in all honesty, i dont have ANY SFCs on my car. but i have done a LOT of researching the subject, and i have come to the conclusion that Spohn is the best. both by my own standards, and from what i have heard overwhelmingly throughout the boards.

i also have a lot of other Spohn stuff on my car, so I can tell you first hand that the quality is amazing.

i go to school for mechanical engineering, and I have taken a lot of courses on metals, and stuff like that. tubular is the way to go, without a doubt based on everything that I have learned.

-Brian

1FastZ

I have Spohn SFC and rear control arms and I love the quality and the price.

Here are pics of both

1FastZ

Control arm

sbrice18fan

I would have to agree, I have the Spohn subframe connectors and LCA's. He makes a great product!

jcurrieirocz

spohn's sfc are tubular right??? Im going to stick to Flatout Performance SFC but I wont be getting them for a few months,,,,,Its important to me to use them as jack points cause sence I lowerd my ride its seems to be hard to get my jack under the car. Plus they sell them at a real good price. heres a link if anyone fells like checking them out.
http://www.supersportperformance.com

BlownBird

jcurrieirocz
Do you have any pics of these subframe connectors installed?
I have been searching for a set of Southside Machine subframe connectors, but they are on backorder everywhere. The link you gave has a single pic of what appears to be the drivers side only, and it looks very similar to the SSM setup. I am very interested to see a set installed, or even a pic of the SET.
Thanks in advance!

jcurrieirocz

I dont have anypics yet.......all I have is Flatouts website ithink its the same pic. I bet theyll have pics soon....maybe you should email them.
Flatout performance web site

383backinblack

the spohn parts are good, but the SSM is the strongest you will find overall....they are made from standard weight 3x1.5 rectangular tubing.

I build things for a living and work with this exact tubing very often.....its extraordinarily strong

88-droptop

I would suggest alston sfc's. I have them on my vert and they are awesome

Makaveli

do SFC's affect your ground clearance with speed bumps etc, do they hang low?

88-droptop

not at all

CHRISMAN2000

iTrader: (1)

I love my global west sfc.
The seems more solid, and hooks up much better.

formula350sd

iTrader: (2)

Cant all subframe connectors be used as jacking rails?

jcurrieirocz

well yes but id rather jack on a flater surface that is welded to the car above were im going to jack it ....not on a round bar thats only welded on the ends.

Brian'sIROC

I finally welded in my Spohn subframe connectors this weekend. All I got to say is, it's true what every one says. They make a huge difference. The main thing that I noticed was going over bumpy roads or roads with a lot of potholes, the car is much smoother and quieter. And of course it handles better all around.

The only problem is the exhaust clearance. When I take off in first, the exhaust bangs the SFC.

Install took about 4 hours total.(2.5 for the SFC's) The header flange bolts on the passenger side snapped off when I tried to lower the exhaust. It took about an hour and a half to drill them out and re-tap the holes.

By the way these are the older style Spohn connectors (boxed not tubular) I think I got the last set ever. I also wanted boxed SFC's over the tubular style because they seem like they would be more rigid, and better to jack the car up with.

MikeS

So BlownBird, I take it you didn't have subframe connectors on your car before, with your old SLP exhaust system? I only ask since it's on my car now and I don't know what sfcs might fit, if any.

MikeS

Kontrax

kenny browns are real nice. they come with the cross brace's that weld the what little frame the f body has. i dont understand how some of you guys use the tubular when you can go boxed. i think the boxed are much stronger then the tubular versions. also think boxed trailing arms are stronger too.

85TransAm406

iTrader: (1)

Tubular structures will always be stronger than a rectangular structure of comparable weight/thickness, i think. An arch is stronger than a square opening in a wall, correct? Tubular steel is just a continuous arch. If boxed was stronger, wouldn't Nascar, NHRA, and others require boxed tubing in chassis construction?

85TransAm406

iTrader: (1)

My Spohn tubular SFCs are welded the whole length also, and my jack fits just as secure around the tubing as boxed tubing, as i had kenny browns on my 84 camaro, and am running spohns now on the TA, i see no reason that the tubular ones are weaker, if not stronger.

383backinblack

it depends on alot of things.....with steel tubing, the heavier square and rectangular stock is generally much stronger than round tubing, basically because its usually much heavier stock.

DOM round tubing is strong, but also heavy and a pain to bend

its harder to bend rectangular tubing, because there are 2 straight perpendicular walls supporting the structure.

an arch is stronger when pushed on from the top....thats about it though

when you bend tubing, your stretching one side of it over a die or a mandrel, which is much more difficult to do with rectangular tubing

because in round tubing, the amount of material positioned in a fashion to directly oppose the bending force is minute compared to that of a rectangular stock

the same goes for I beams....which have the the weight advantage as well.....they dont make skyscrapers out of pipe

Kontrax

the same goes for I beams....which have the the weight advantage as well.....they dont make skyscrapers out of pipe


hence the reason why i think boxed is stronger then tubular...

383backinblack

to simplify things a little bit,

its not so much an enourmous strength advantage of the rectangular tubing over the round, as it is stiffness...it tends to be much more rigid over a given length

Kontrax

just something to think about....even though there isnt really a frame to an fbody, the little frame they do have is made of boxed steel/alloy. ive never seen a car with tubular chassy. thats another reason why i chose the boxed design over the tubular.

383backinblack

round tube chassis's are extremely stiff.....but its because of how they are put together

in the case of subframe connectors, its 1 length of material......straight or almost straight usually with no additional bracing (except for the 2 small braces like the spohn parts have)

which is why the stiffness is an issue

mike graycar

iTrader: (2)

ALSTON. the best i've used so far.

Diggler86

just had alstons installed they feel great.

chevyboy07 91

well, this is turning into an ongoing mess, but the bottom line is...GET ANY FRIGGIN SFC'S u can get.

They are all waaaaaaaaayyyyyy better than none at all.

I like my Alstons. Got em at a decent price, they were simple to install (for the most part). I have a seriously modified (large O.D.)piped exhaust and they clear the dual pipes, etc.

Funny enough, i just welded them in today. Got most of the sides as much as possible and will leave the bolts in there also (bolted them in first for security)