looking for some good pics of subframe connectors. i wanted to make some but i am not sure exactly where they need to mount to. i know the rear is the lca om the body but i don't know about the front. Thanks

 

Had custom made SFC's installed about a month or so ago and all I can say WHAT A DIFFERENCE !!! All the body flex is gone, all the squeks/creacks etc while driving gone due to minimal body flex. And I can really feel the suspension doing the work and not the body flexing in each corner. On a t-top car this does miricals for sure!

Below please find links to pictures of the SFC's being trial fitted, done waiting to get installed, installed and treated with POR15 and finaly everything done with everything undercoated to match the rest of my car.

http://la.rsson.com/sfcs/1
http://la.rsson.com/sfcs/2
http://la.rsson.com/sfcs/3
http://la.rsson.com/sfcs/4

Plenty of pictures so just click on the thumbnails on each page and navigate back an forth using the arrows just above the picture


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That's my next project! Looks great! Do you know the dimensions on those? A guesstimate would be good if you don't. I just need to find out if we have that much scrap metal behind the shop.

 

good pics. thanks for the info. did you do it yourself or did you have someone make them for you? this is my next step i have t-tops and i just finished my stb. Thanks alot

 

I have to crawl under the car to get the dimensions for you, it's a seamless tubes so not "any scrap tubing laying around" remember you want it as strong as possible.

I had a company (freiend I know) do it for me, they do custom bike frames and have all the equipment necissary to bend the tubes etc, also everything been TIG welded (they are fully certified doing this all day long) and it looks really good.

 

I made some out of 2x3" steel, I bought 8ft. and ended up with about 2ft left over.. don't quote me I think one side was 39" and the other 36"

You could make them look nicer than this, I don't plan on having rear seats so I cut a larger hole than needed back there to get the welding gun in there a little easier.

The fronts are tied into the back of the transmission subframes, You can see the tranny xmember in a couple of the pics for reference. You could either cut the subframes to match the 2x3" connectors (i believe this would be stronger method) or cut the connectors to contour with the cars' existing subframes, then weld 'em on..





more pic's of pass. side on links..
http://www.81x.com/Authors/83fbody/DCP_2266.JPG
http://www.81x.com/Authors/83fbody/DCP_2265.JPG

 

jlarsson, what size tubing did your friend use? Looks great.

 

1 3/4" Seamless tubing. All TIG welded.

Welding all professionaly done and looks better than what GM did from the factory :-)

POR15 treated and then undersealed properly.

 

How much do SFC typically weigh?

 

Mine were around or just slightly less than 20lb

 

i did not want to remove i entire interior to install the sfc. will aftermarket ones just bolt up. will i have to worry about the car being "off" of alignment if i just buy sfc's?

 

You only have to remove the seats and lift the carpet, don't get bolt ons get the weld ins. Also make sure whoever installs them knows what they are doing and dont set your car on fire by accident and also support the car properly while installing them and of course knows how to weld :-) Even the pictures on Spohns web site looks like they used a really crap welder ... not good from a marketing point of view

 

or you cant get bolt ins and simply weld them on. makes it alot easier to install them in the garage on your own.

 

My old designed Spohn (boxed tubing) was ~36 lbs if I remember right.

Just like spartyon says you could buy the bolt in and install them yourself then drive the car to a welding shop and let them do the welds every 4 inches or so like in the directions or do the welding yourself.

Anyway you do it you'll want them to have welds if you expect them to work for very long. Without the welds for supports the sheet metal on the car will flex and the holes will elongate, then you get a wet noodle effect with the SFCs where they start to slide and slap around.

 

thanks alot . i need sfc. i just did not want to really screw up my car by making my own. i will just buy them . thanks again.

 

i have always wondered how you find a shop that has done them before. most wealding shops would say "yeah we will do that" but may not have any idea what they are doing.

how much do you need to support that car in the middle anyway?

 

there must be somone why has not done them themselves?

 

I just call around to the welding shops in the area.

So far I've had SFCs and brackets put on in one shop while another shop did my 8 point roll bar without any problems.

Hardest part is making sure the shop knows they must load the suspension first. With my Spohn SFCs I had a printout of the directions I gave to the shop.

 

cool, thanks.