I am tired of all the squeaking and body flex and cracked dashes so I'm finally gonna get some Sub-frame connectors. I see some on Hawk's that say "for covertibles". Do I need to get SFCs made specifically for a vert?
Either way what are teh best ones to get? I don't want to spend a fortune but I want to get this right. i'm leaning strongly toward the weld in kind.
The only advantage to bolt-on ones is....You can bolt them in place, drive to a welder, then have them welded in place. But I see no reason you couldn't simply drill the bolt holes in the weld-on ones, then TEMPRORARILY bolt them in place to get to a welder, if you can't weld yourself.
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17"x9" ROH Snypers (with the correct 3rd gen backspacing, no spacers needed), 275 front/285 rear, no rear seats, 4th gen front seats, OEM 2001 TA rear wing, OEM 1997 TA side mirrors
i dont have sub frames but i do have a wonderbar, car still drives like a wet noodle if the road isnt flat. the subframes is where its at. when i drove i put my finger between the top and the windshield area and feel all the flex in the car. I'm going to need subframe connectors as my next purchase for my 92
the wonderbar is similar to the strut tower brace, but it goes under the front end. bolts to where your swaybar bolts.
sturt tower brace is also a good investment. get the car as solid as possible
You can weld in the Alston SFC's instead of or in addition to bolting them. That's why I offer the SFC install kit (bolts & nuts) as an option in case you just want to just weld them in.
I know it's a tough choice, which SFC to get? Powder-coated gloss black or gloss red. If you can't decide, get them un-coated (bare steel) and you can have them powder-coated or rattle-can painted in any color you desire.
Lon Salgren
__________________ 90 RS Convertible "cruiser"
88 Firebird Formula "racer"
88 Iroc-Z Resto-Project car "paperweight"
Why does everybody keeps calling them "Lon's" when they are Alstons. He sells the Alston brand SFCs, not his own design....
Alston has the best design IMO. I'm just trying to come up with the $400 for the Alston SFCs & Lon's Deluxe Door Hinge reapair kit. Maybe next month or August.
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17"x9" ROH Snypers (with the correct 3rd gen backspacing, no spacers needed), 275 front/285 rear, no rear seats, 4th gen front seats, OEM 2001 TA rear wing, OEM 1997 TA side mirrors
i went with the spohn SFC's because they were specificially made to fit with the reinforced rocker panels in verts. they tucked in nicely without comprimising any ground clearance (cleaner). also, they were able to stitch weld them 1" every 4" or so. Plus they have an extra Y or T branch that welds onto the main frame member that adds more rigidity. see pics below (not my car). IMO, it doesn't get any better than this.
Those look home-made to me. They don't tie into the front subframe except for the 'T' piece. While they might be better than nothing, I'd hardly call them worth the effort of putting those on.
I see room for improvement for those.
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17"x9" ROH Snypers (with the correct 3rd gen backspacing, no spacers needed), 275 front/285 rear, no rear seats, 4th gen front seats, OEM 2001 TA rear wing, OEM 1997 TA side mirrors
I think the spohns make the car more rigid. I've got the Alstons and they helped some, but the car still has noticable cowl shake. It drives me freakin nuts. I've got a Kenny Brown 3 point STB I need to install, but have little faith that it will cure the shake. I'm thinking the only way to get it right is to remove the rocker GFX and fenders, and stitch weld all the ASC bracing along the rockers and firewall...... then maybe add the spohns.
I've just heard you can install both, never seen pics of it done yet though. I just bought my friend a couple good dinners at a sit-down restaurant to have him weld in my stuff. An exhaust shop or a body shop might be able to weld them in, someone that has a lift and a welder. I'm guessing $75-100.
