K well my car is suffering from the spagetti syndrome and I am currently buying chassis support peices for it one by one. When I have completed my list I shall put it all in and hopefully the spagetti will be gone. My question to you is what should I buy (what brands) for each of the below:

I already have---Edelbrock strut tower brace for TBI 3point
TDS- wonderbar

Stuff I dont have but am going to get but unsure what brand I should buy

Subframe Connectors (think UMI is best)?
K Member (dont have a clue)?
Lower Chassis Brace (think KB is best)?
8 Point roll cage (think KB chromoly is best)?
Adjustable Torque Arm (dont have a clue)?
Adjustable Lower Control Arms (dont have a clue)?

Any help would be appretiated. Cost is no issue.
If there is anything else available (braces) please inform me too.

Thanks

IROC da STANG

ps......any info about tubular front ends would be appretiated (tilt front end like vettes)

 

There are no tilt front ends like for vettes that is not 100% fabricated.

I will just toss you my idea for all those components. Not everyone is going to agree, but I will just tell you what I have.

6 point bar from jegs and installed myslef
PA k-member
PA A-arms
Spohn Adj. TQ arm
Hotchkis PHR Adj. (THey are all really the same)
Edelbrock STB
Hotchikis SFC (welded in)
Stock wonder bar

Think that covers it.

oh and JMI (think it is called) LCAs they are solid buchings and sperical end. Not the best for the street, but they were cheap and I wanted to see how they would handle on the street. Spohn double poly wold be best for the street. Hope this helps.

 

thanks bud...to bad other people didnt have any other views about this 71 views and only one reply.

 

please post a reply with pics of installed roll cages and subframes. Please tell what brands they are also and if you had any problems installing them. Thanks

 

This will be a big as$ post with a lot of pics to help you get on your way.....bear with me...

Here is some of the bars going in

And how it mounts to the back.


The roll bars are not ment for NHRA legality in this case, just for added rigidity.

Done and red

Here is the front K-member with A-arms and sportlines. Those caster plates are off ebay, but you can get them at the companies website. I forget the name now, sorry.

All PA stuff




bars padded and covered in fabric.


WOW this made me notice I have no pics of my subframe connectors and a few other things. Whenever I take those pics (if i remember to) I will post them up on here.

Hope this helps at all. All the pics were pulled from me CD site. just click my [www] button


Later man.

-Dennis

 

How well did all your interior pieces go back in after you installed the cage....? Were you able to put the back seats in? Looks sweet....you said its PA didnt you? How much was the cost for the roll cage kit? Did you do it yourself?

get back to me when time permits

Robert

 

did you notice an improvement with those caster plates (sturt towers)? If you did what difference? Also did you put all the stuff in at once? another question is what difference did you notice with the roll bar/ subframes/ k member/ caster plates installed? My car feels like spagetti right now..,.

 

The roll bar was super cheap. I got the kit out of jegs for an 8 point but then decided I am not racing it so I omitted the last 2 points and the cross bar. It cost like $150 or so I think.


edit: I did do all the work 100% myslef.


I wish I could tell you about inprovments, but I can't. I am building the car up from scratch and it is not done yet. Ask me in the spring. Eveything looks like it should help though. We will have to wait and see.

If you cut the bars right, (pretty easy) I did it with a cut off wheel, not notcher or anything, then it can all go in just like stock. Headliner, seats and all plastic. Just have to cut notches for the main hoop to touch the floor pan. Easy as pie I would recomend doing as many things at once as possible. I decided to do the entire car all at once. It has also been off the raod for over 2 years now. I am def not a good example of an average buildup.

Hope this is helping. My site has some better captions (I think)

Later
-Dennis

 

While I don't know of any tubular front ends that aren't completely custom, I'll give you my take on who makes the best of the parts you don't have.

SFCs - Kenny Brown
K Member - GM Factory Piece
Lower Chassis Brace - Kenny Brown is the only one who makes it but is probably not worth the money.
8 Point Roll Cage - Several manufacturers, all of them fine. Chromoly is probably not worth the extra money for a street car.
Torque Arm - Spohn
LCAs - Boxed factory pieces or mostly any aftermarket ones are good.

 

Seems like it would be stronger than a stock K Member......also UMI subframes seem way stronger. Anyone have pics of these installed? anythought about this issue appretiated.

 

did you notice an improvement with caster plates (sturt towers)? If you did what difference? Also did you put all the stuff in at once? another question is what difference did you notice with the roll bar/ subframes/ k member/ caster plates installed? My car feels like spagetti right now..,.

 

I personally have every suspension and chassis piece he currently makes including the pro-tour coilovers and I have yet to find any better products out there then what Spohn puts out.

FYI from what I understand Spohn has finally completed his prototype K-member, it is ment to be installed with the motor in the car and to fit with no modifications. Steve promised my cousin he could have one very shortly but price has not been spoke of yet.

 

just as a warning, do a search on pa racing a arms.. there have been stories of them failing under street use..

 

If cost is no issue, forget all this part by part stuff. Just take the car to a good fabricator and have them fabricate everything. They could use a kit for a dirt track car and then make their own SFC's or whatever else you want under the chassis. Depending on what you're gonna be doing you can take it to the extreme, 12 point, 16 point, go insane. Have it extend through the firewall and tie into the strut towers, even the radiator support. The main idea is that all the components the suspension mounts to are tied together. You could also have the chassis seam welded engine bay all the way to the trunk. But at some point you have to ask yourself whats worth more, the weight of the car or the strength of the chassis.

 

I agree with CrazyHawaiian 100%. I forst wanted to seam weld and to through the firewall, but once I felt how damn heavy 1 pipe was I went from insane to mild, 8 to 6 point. I wanted to make a crazy race car for the street, but you just really dont need all that stuff. Average street driving and the ocational bashing really only needs some SFC and a few points. Good luck with building it all up. I am a huge fan of chassis stiffening. I am about to try and fit/ mod my old TPI STB on my car with the carb motor.

later

-Dennis

 

Edelbrock has a three point strut tower for TBI. I have one and it is great. Really easy to install and worth the 150 canadian I payed for it. You probably know about this already I just thought id let you know if you didnt. TBI and carb have the same clearance issues.

 

Thanks man. you are right. I am aware of the part allready and it looks great. Thing is I allready have the TPI one cuz my car used to be TPI. Thanks for the heads up though.