Info on subframe connectors
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Car: 1986 trans am
Engine: 300hp 355cu. inch
Transmission: 350 turbo with shift kit and ratchet shifter
Info on subframe connectors
Can anyone give me a decent diagram or maybe some measurments for some subframe connectors? I will be making my own but havent done it before. Should i use round or square tubing? Square or rectangular would be easier to fit the angles.
#2
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 63
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Car: 87+
i'm searching the forums on this same exact subject and this is what i've come up with:
1) bust out the tape-measure and decide (after a bit of research) where the best and most applicale locations are to connect
2) figure out what design you feel like making, i really like ede's double rail idea, which i'll use, connect it about every foot would be great
3) now i'd suggest finding the best possible way to attach it, front to rear in a straight line is a start, but i believe a bit of branching wouldn't hurt
4) making your own is the cheapest way to go, and you have to weld in store bought anyway, a bit of extra welding and some creativity goes a long way, and you might end up with a stronger design
5) personally, i'm going to do this when the time comes, and i will make a 3 or 5 point STC as well, and a homemade wonderbar also, possible connect that to the sfc, who knows it's endless!
6) definitely a thanks to all the people who have a heads up on this application. here are some links to help:
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=189705
http://www.spohn.net//index.cfm?acti...d&contentid=10
honestly the majority of the threads in this section is where you need to look. i have compiled a group of pictures to assist my research better, hell it ain't gonna hurt, only help
1) bust out the tape-measure and decide (after a bit of research) where the best and most applicale locations are to connect
2) figure out what design you feel like making, i really like ede's double rail idea, which i'll use, connect it about every foot would be great
3) now i'd suggest finding the best possible way to attach it, front to rear in a straight line is a start, but i believe a bit of branching wouldn't hurt
4) making your own is the cheapest way to go, and you have to weld in store bought anyway, a bit of extra welding and some creativity goes a long way, and you might end up with a stronger design
5) personally, i'm going to do this when the time comes, and i will make a 3 or 5 point STC as well, and a homemade wonderbar also, possible connect that to the sfc, who knows it's endless!
6) definitely a thanks to all the people who have a heads up on this application. here are some links to help:
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=189705
http://www.spohn.net//index.cfm?acti...d&contentid=10
honestly the majority of the threads in this section is where you need to look. i have compiled a group of pictures to assist my research better, hell it ain't gonna hurt, only help
#4
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Car: 1986 trans am
Engine: 300hp 355cu. inch
Transmission: 350 turbo with shift kit and ratchet shifter
Thanks a million guy, you helped alot! keep em coming!
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Katy, TX
Posts: 997
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Car: 1985 IROC Z-28
Engine: 355
Transmission: TH-350
Axle/Gears: 3:73
The cross-brace goes under the back seat. The lift bars that weld to the rear axle bolt to the cross-brace. I don't know if the rest of the kit is available separately, but you could contact SSM and check. I bought the $449.99 kit, and it came with everything, including a bolt-in drive shaft loop!
#7
Member
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Poland
Posts: 192
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Car: '89 GTA
Engine: a bunch of pieces
Transmission: still there - very stockish TH700
Originally posted by seek007
2) figure out what design you feel like making, i really like ede's double rail idea, which i'll use, connect it about every foot would be great
2) figure out what design you feel like making, i really like ede's double rail idea, which i'll use, connect it about every foot would be great
Trending Topics
#8
Supreme Member
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: 107th and lower buckeye
Posts: 1,047
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Car: 91z28 and 88 SC thats for sale,in the sig
Engine: 305 TPI soon 383 stroker or 327
Transmission: t-5
anyone got some good under car shots of their sfc's?
#9
Supreme Member
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Jacksonville, NC
Posts: 1,886
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Car: Guess
Engine: Crazy 8
Transmission: So close to being a manual I can taste it
Here's a shot of my DS. My design was based on simplicty. They were easy to fab, easy to install, provide absolutely no interference to exhaust or ground clearance, and were remarkable effective. I had more pics, but I must have deleted them cause I could only find this one...
#10
TGO Supporter
all i did was run a "main rail " like most all SFCs from the rear forward. then ran secondary rail from the pad inboard from the lca forward mounting point forward and tied in with the main rail. ran a brace across both and tied into the trans tunnel and added a drive shaft loop. i looked at several catalogs to get an idea of what was being done, got under the car and thought about it. steel cost me 30-35 dollars for enough to do 2 cars. steels went up so i'd suspect it'd cost close to 45-50 dollars now. wasn't hard to do, any dumbass, even me, can do it.
#11
Banned
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Moving to non emission state
Posts: 828
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Car: 86 Camaro
Engine: L98 350 bore .060 out, Carb power
Transmission: slusher 700 beatbox
those ssm kits work wonders but are terrible for street cars. i had one on my 88 GTA and man what a horror... the bars that weld to the axel housing actually cracked my housing and ruined my rear end. they sit to close togeather under the car and have no flex like trailing arms do, they just move up and down. so if you hit a deep hole on one side of the car, the other side cant angle down and causes stress in the rear. hard to explain but if you picture it im sure youll get what im saying. DONT BUY THE KIT for your daily driver...PLEASE.
to answer the question on boxed or tubular for the frames, i would say go with the boxed design. more rigid design. they dont put up buildings with tubes ya know
to answer the question on boxed or tubular for the frames, i would say go with the boxed design. more rigid design. they dont put up buildings with tubes ya know
#12
Supreme Member
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Jacksonville, NC
Posts: 1,886
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Car: Guess
Engine: Crazy 8
Transmission: So close to being a manual I can taste it
Originally posted by Kontrax
to answer the question on boxed or tubular for the frames, i would say go with the boxed design. more rigid design. they dont put up buildings with tubes ya know
to answer the question on boxed or tubular for the frames, i would say go with the boxed design. more rigid design. they dont put up buildings with tubes ya know
#13
Banned
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Moving to non emission state
Posts: 828
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Car: 86 Camaro
Engine: L98 350 bore .060 out, Carb power
Transmission: slusher 700 beatbox
im talking about getting the BOXED ones or the ROUND ones, get the BOXED ones. all the frames ive seen, the tubular is round and the boxed is boxed...
#14
Supreme Member
Originally posted by Kontrax
those ssm kits work wonders but are terrible for street cars. i had one on my 88 GTA and man what a horror... the bars that weld to the axel housing actually cracked my housing and ruined my rear end. they sit to close togeather under the car and have no flex like trailing arms do, they just move up and down. so if you hit a deep hole on one side of the car, the other side cant angle down and causes stress in the rear. hard to explain but if you picture it im sure youll get what im saying. DONT BUY THE KIT for your daily driver...PLEASE.
to answer the question on boxed or tubular for the frames, i would say go with the boxed design. more rigid design. they dont put up buildings with tubes ya know
those ssm kits work wonders but are terrible for street cars. i had one on my 88 GTA and man what a horror... the bars that weld to the axel housing actually cracked my housing and ruined my rear end. they sit to close togeather under the car and have no flex like trailing arms do, they just move up and down. so if you hit a deep hole on one side of the car, the other side cant angle down and causes stress in the rear. hard to explain but if you picture it im sure youll get what im saying. DONT BUY THE KIT for your daily driver...PLEASE.
to answer the question on boxed or tubular for the frames, i would say go with the boxed design. more rigid design. they dont put up buildings with tubes ya know
mine is mint on the street.....and it nearly eliminates body roll.....of course its welded to a moser 12 bolt housing too, not a stock 10 bolt, which im sure makes a big difference.
and for the person that asked before, the lift bar setup is only available as a kit from SSM with the subframes.
the yellow arrows all point to lift bar components, and the red ones are the LCA's.....this pic is with my old 10 bolt before i blew it up and swapped over the bars to the 12 bolt (took major surgery and careful resizing of the cutouts in the flanges to maintain the axle centerline)
#15
Supreme Member
heres another.....wish i hadnt used undercoating on the subframes
#17
Supreme Member
#19
Supreme Member
Originally posted by Kontrax
good luck with it. its a poor design.
good luck with it. its a poor design.
so ya, it sucks pretty bad
#21
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
Posts: 690
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Car: 89 GTA
Engine: 350 LT1
Transmission: T56
I recently made some SFC's.. since it was too expensive to ship them..
I used 2"x1" Rec tubing, 1/8" wall
drive side is straight, its the easy one..
pass side you need a coat hanger to get the little whopp de doo and then use a torch to bend the angles.. not a big deal just have to do a little at a time, so you don't go to far.. then cool it and test it....
the 2x1 will fit between the pinch weld and the rear Lower control arm bracket.. then up to front following that groove..
on each side I went straight out to the front subframe.. and gusseded it for support.. I primed and painted top, then welded in 3 spots.. (all on the frame, not the body) and then primed and painted. if you want I can dig up a picture..
I used 2"x1" Rec tubing, 1/8" wall
drive side is straight, its the easy one..
pass side you need a coat hanger to get the little whopp de doo and then use a torch to bend the angles.. not a big deal just have to do a little at a time, so you don't go to far.. then cool it and test it....
the 2x1 will fit between the pinch weld and the rear Lower control arm bracket.. then up to front following that groove..
on each side I went straight out to the front subframe.. and gusseded it for support.. I primed and painted top, then welded in 3 spots.. (all on the frame, not the body) and then primed and painted. if you want I can dig up a picture..
#22
Member
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Stoneville, N.C.
Posts: 111
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Car: '88 IROC-Z
Engine: 305 tpi
Transmission: 700r4/OD
I was thinking (which was my first mistake) if a man had access to a press brake, he could bend any thickness and shape he wanted to. The weight has to be taken into consideration,right?
#24
Supreme Member
Originally posted by Kontrax
i also live in NE and mine broke right off. no need to get nasty about it.
i also live in NE and mine broke right off. no need to get nasty about it.
#25
Supreme Member
Originally posted by Thirim
I recently made some SFC's.. since it was too expensive to ship them..
I used 2"x1" Rec tubing, 1/8" wall
drive side is straight, its the easy one..
pass side you need a coat hanger to get the little whopp de doo and then use a torch to bend the angles.. not a big deal just have to do a little at a time, so you don't go to far.. then cool it and test it....
the 2x1 will fit between the pinch weld and the rear Lower control arm bracket.. then up to front following that groove..
on each side I went straight out to the front subframe.. and gusseded it for support.. I primed and painted top, then welded in 3 spots.. (all on the frame, not the body) and then primed and painted. if you want I can dig up a picture..
I recently made some SFC's.. since it was too expensive to ship them..
I used 2"x1" Rec tubing, 1/8" wall
drive side is straight, its the easy one..
pass side you need a coat hanger to get the little whopp de doo and then use a torch to bend the angles.. not a big deal just have to do a little at a time, so you don't go to far.. then cool it and test it....
the 2x1 will fit between the pinch weld and the rear Lower control arm bracket.. then up to front following that groove..
on each side I went straight out to the front subframe.. and gusseded it for support.. I primed and painted top, then welded in 3 spots.. (all on the frame, not the body) and then primed and painted. if you want I can dig up a picture..
#26
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
Posts: 690
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Car: 89 GTA
Engine: 350 LT1
Transmission: T56
i considered that, cut a triangle out of rec tubing and fold and weld.. with the heat, it loks very professional.. (no one will know that I haven't the foggiest ) and it is still very strong, i mean 1/8" wall and 2 small bends.. If I had of cut the angles out, i probably would have totally screwed it up.. Though your right, would be better if you knew what you were doing..
#27
Supreme Member
Originally posted by Thirim
i considered that, cut a triangle out of rec tubing and fold and weld.. with the heat, it loks very professional.. (no one will know that I haven't the foggiest ) and it is still very strong, i mean 1/8" wall and 2 small bends.. If I had of cut the angles out, i probably would have totally screwed it up.. Though your right, would be better if you knew what you were doing..
i considered that, cut a triangle out of rec tubing and fold and weld.. with the heat, it loks very professional.. (no one will know that I haven't the foggiest ) and it is still very strong, i mean 1/8" wall and 2 small bends.. If I had of cut the angles out, i probably would have totally screwed it up.. Though your right, would be better if you knew what you were doing..
#28
Banned
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Moving to non emission state
Posts: 828
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Car: 86 Camaro
Engine: L98 350 bore .060 out, Carb power
Transmission: slusher 700 beatbox
listen, i explained this already. the 2 arms that weld to the housing are to close togeather. you dont get any flex if you hit a deep hole or large object. if the axel dips down to oneside the other end goes up. but it goes up in an angle. thats what broke my welds free.
------------
| | | |
the stright line is the housing and the 2 bottom lines are the weld on arms. if the right arm goes down into a hole then the left arm goes stright up. the space between the housing and the arms is the weld. if the left arm is going stright up and welded to the housing, it doesnt give it enough flex if you hit a deep enough hole. youll break the weld or break the axel. im my case i broke the axel. like i said before, i had the kit years ago. it worked awesome untill i hit that pot hole and broke my housing.
------------
| | | |
the stright line is the housing and the 2 bottom lines are the weld on arms. if the right arm goes down into a hole then the left arm goes stright up. the space between the housing and the arms is the weld. if the left arm is going stright up and welded to the housing, it doesnt give it enough flex if you hit a deep enough hole. youll break the weld or break the axel. im my case i broke the axel. like i said before, i had the kit years ago. it worked awesome untill i hit that pot hole and broke my housing.
#29
Supreme Member
Originally posted by Kontrax
listen, i explained this already. the 2 arms that weld to the housing are to close togeather. you dont get any flex if you hit a deep hole or large object. if the axel dips down to oneside the other end goes up. but it goes up in an angle. thats what broke my welds free.
------------
| | | |
the stright line is the housing and the 2 bottom lines are the weld on arms. if the right arm goes down into a hole then the left arm goes stright up. the space between the housing and the arms is the weld. if the left arm is going stright up and welded to the housing, it doesnt give it enough flex if you hit a deep enough hole. youll break the weld or break the axel. im my case i broke the axel. like i said before, i had the kit years ago. it worked awesome untill i hit that pot hole and broke my housing.
listen, i explained this already. the 2 arms that weld to the housing are to close togeather. you dont get any flex if you hit a deep hole or large object. if the axel dips down to oneside the other end goes up. but it goes up in an angle. thats what broke my welds free.
------------
| | | |
the stright line is the housing and the 2 bottom lines are the weld on arms. if the right arm goes down into a hole then the left arm goes stright up. the space between the housing and the arms is the weld. if the left arm is going stright up and welded to the housing, it doesnt give it enough flex if you hit a deep enough hole. youll break the weld or break the axel. im my case i broke the axel. like i said before, i had the kit years ago. it worked awesome untill i hit that pot hole and broke my housing.
the new rear has probably 5000, and its much stronger everyplace, including the welds as it was a brand new clean steel axle housing.......i see where your coming from with the stress argument, but i dont see it breaking........its possible you could bend one of the lift bars if you hit a big enough hole, but i try to avoid those in the first place
#30
Banned
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Moving to non emission state
Posts: 828
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Car: 86 Camaro
Engine: L98 350 bore .060 out, Carb power
Transmission: slusher 700 beatbox
it is a nice kit and you do notice a big difference, im glad yours is working for you. i just had a bad experience with it. be cautious around thoese monster pot holes, alright?
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post