i am at the point in my build where im starting to worry about chassis rigidity.,.. alot of you will reach this point before me if you are driving your cars but since i leave mine in the garage i havent really cared too much until now that i am about to start beating on it again...
I want to find the SFC that are best bang for the buck, i will post a list of all the sfc's that i am aware of with their prices and i would like ppl to chime in with their own experiences and hopefully pics of their installations so that i may make an educated purchase that i will be happy with, i am planning on keeeping my car FOREVER or until a catastrophic ending whichever comes first it was my dads its mine now and ill give it to my son someday etc... so something like SFCs that are going to be welded in place should be good stuff, i was originally just going to get some hotchkiss connectors as ive seen a few sets installed on the car and they look nice but then i started to look around these forums and could not find a "list" of other ones so im making my own and i hope all of you can help... i will now list the ones that i am aware of and their prices i will also edit this list as/if we find more.
** i wanted to add that i am also seeking the Lightest possible SFCs becuase as we all know a heavy car is a slow car, and since i did everything i could to make my car light, i dont wanna just add that weight back on. So if you know what yours weigh let us know and ill add it to the list...

Spohn $199.00 (outer) 26LBS

UMI $199.00 (outer) 36lbs

Hotchkis $210 (outer)

BMR $199(these look a little sturdier) (outer)

Jegs $180

edelbrock $275 (a few extra brackets, but worth the extra 65$???)

Chassis Engineering $115 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CHASS...Q5fAccessories

(by far the cheapest if you buy new)


Global West $195

Mac $160

Competition Engineering $280 (just remembered these anyone use them?)

Alston=Doug Herbert $190 shipped in US [paypal only online] (inner)(great value imo) *15lbs!
Hebert no longer carries these, i just tried to purchase them and found out anyone know where to get em ?

S&W $350 http://www.swracecars.com/store/82-9...70=40-600.aspx

TDS $229 shipped http://www.top-downsolutions.com/pro...products_id=90

if anyone knows of ones that i missed please list them and please post pics of your installs, thank you

 

Global West $193.34.

http://www.globalwest.net/1982-02camaro.html

JamesC

 

MAC subframe connectors (not sure if they make them anymore)..

Oh and ALSTON makes good inner ones as well. Very much like the MAC ones.

 

thanks guys! found the macs too $160 shipped look kinda like those Chassis Engineering ones

James do you have the global west sfc's installed?

couldnt find the alstons for sale somebody post a link if they know where to get them...

 

Yes. At the time I purchased, IIRC, GW was the only manufacturer to sell SFC's and Wonderbar. No regrets with either piece.

JamesC

 

Alston SFC

TDS $229 shipped
http://www.top-downsolutions.com/pro...products_id=90

Alston Racing $217 shipped
https://www.secureway1.com/alston/in...?categoryID=97

Doug Herbert $190 shipped in US [paypal only online]
http://www.dougherbert.com/subframec...?cPath=402_437

 

AWESOME gumby great info i forgot all about Heberts free shipping deals, i will make sure to check them in the future, do u have those installed? if so what sort of mods to the rear floor pan were necessary?

 

yea odd how DH can sell them cheaper with free shipping then buying direct from Alston.


Yet when you order from DH, they are dropped shipped straight from Alston.


here is my thread, no mods needed. install starts on post #24

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/susp...rs-solved.html



If I had more cash and mainly the room, Id run both the Alstons and the BMRs

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/susp...-subframe.html

 

I don't think you can go wrong with an Alston and Spohn combo. Best of all worlds. The Spohns are hidden from view. Connect the front and rear with the Alston as well as the side to center with the Spohn. Jacking up the car works well with the Spohn since it's circular rather than flat (flat tends to arch as you raise the jack.)

Install costs for Alston should be cheap. Spohn would cost more. Spohn also charges you extra for painted SFC. But if you want to keep the car forever, I don't think either or both are money wasted at all.

 

The quality of the installation is going to make more of a difference on which SFC's are "best" than the manufacturer, although Spohn's tubular design is arguably better.

Take the time to thoroughly clean the areas to be welded, down to clean bare metal on both surfaces. Also stitch weld the SFC down their entire length, using spacers between the SFC and floor if you have to. And have someone who knows what they're doing weld them... I've seen too many welds on this site that make me cringe. The preparation takes longer than actually welding them in.

 

I have had the tube type Spohn SFC's on since they first came out about ten years ago. The car is still solid and I like the way they tuck up and are not visiable.

 

all very good info guys and you have opened my eyes to the best option that i wasnt even aware of and i am thankfull... i only have a question of stock exhaust route fitment with 2 sets installed because the pics i saw the exhaust was not stock...

 

stock exhaust is in the way of everything, exhaust tube is cheap, worry about it after.

Myself, why I can't run two right now, my exhaust runs down the outter edge of the car in the valley most of them use.

[Y pipe is cut back to shoot right down the right side]

But went with Alston first like a vert car, its a real frame extension, not just a bar run beside it.

 

you've got a point there and i want my Y into 3.5" pipe eventually anyway

 

i got the bmr's and there great..have some pics if wanted

 

I vote for build your own. That is what i did...

 

Last time I looked the Competition Engineering SFC's were $99 +shipping from Summit racing.

Anybody know why they are so cheap? I assume they must take the shortest trip from point A to point B.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CEE-3046/

 

No one mentioned the S&W's... a pricey ($350) inner-style sfc, but it ties the two sides together and includes a driveshaft loop and torque arm mount.



http://www.swracecars.com/store/82-9...70=40-600.aspx

 

BTW.. to fueledsoul: Holy stiffness, Batman!

How much do those bad boys weigh?

 

46lbs

 

yeah fueled badass... i wonder how the weight stacks up against comparable aftermarket connectors...

mikey yes plz for pics...

90 thanks S&Ws added... they look pretty good and cheaper then 2 sets of sfcs, anyone know if an "outer rail" set will work along with these???

 

because you have to cut the floorpan to install them

 

ttt i guess i got all of them?

 

I'll drag my bathroom scale out and see if I can balance my Spohn connectors on it before I install them, If the darn thing even works. Been awhile.

 

I got 22lbs for my Spohn bare metal SFC's.

 

sweet! thats a piece right? so 44lbs... ill go put that in the chart up top...

anyone else that hasnt installed their's please try to weigh them, i will try to go to the manufacturers site when i get a chance for weights on all brands

 

UMI subframe connectors are closer to sixty lbs a set

 

ok i just sent them a message asking, but i will put an approx value, thank you

 

I have hotchkis and they're great, especially with ttops they cut down flex a ton. So I vote for those.

 

No. 22lbs is the TOTAL weight of all 4 pieces included when you purchase them from Spohn.



The 46lbs that fueledsoul's connectors weigh is not bad considering the amount of rectangular tubing he used.

 

I have a set of UMI's at my parents house uninstalled. I can try to get a weight off them next weekend if you havent heard anything before then.

 

I second the mac ones I have them on my car they are very sturdy and tights against the floor pan. One arm curves up against the pan around the 3 inch converter. LMK ill take a pic for you and post them. Had them on the car over 10 years already

They still make them here they are:

http://www.macperformance.com/store/...ategory_ID=568

They are beefy dont let the pic fool you, they fit real nice. and leave alot of room under if you want to run long tubes like the stainles works exhaust setup

 

23lbs a per side... 46lbs total.

 

My Alstons weighed in at 15lbs. Shipped with the box weight, packing & a few light items, the total weight was 20.27lbs, so I believe the 15lbs free on my bathroom scale weight to be correct.

 

wow both of them!?

 

Yeah, that is why there was a 's' on Alston. BOTH SFC pieces were 15 lbs TOGETHER. Couldn't have had 2 15lb pieces ship at 20.27 lbs.

 

My inner connectors (MAC) were beefier but probably lighter because they're shorter and do not have the tube that connects the outer frame rail to the frame rail by the tranny xmember.

I installed those first and noticed a gigantic improvement over stock, probably because I have t-tops tho. 2 years later I installed SPOHN's outer connectors and it improved it slightly but noticeably especially in cornering.

 

Here's mine, because of how low my car is and the way the exhaust runs I couldn't do the mac/alston sections like fueledsould did. Otherwise I would have, I have those on my 88 and it scrapes but not too badly.

 

nice man wish i had the skills/tolls to do that! are they around 65lbs as well?

 

Have to weigh but from holding them, I'd say they were more around 50

 

any pics of these custom ones installed

 

 

that was fast thanks it puts them in perspective better

 

I like what you've done. But somthing to consider. You guys should really check out the mac ones. They are heavy duty and fit very snug against the floor pan. You can run the factory 3 inch converter. Just my opinion I don't like having a lot of welds plus it would be stronger with tubular chromoly steel and you could bend some of those pieces if they were tubular, eliminating some weld points. Too bad KB still doesn't make a street cage with the low side bars def that with subframes would be all you need for anything but insane combos

 

the macs are listed, but i cant find where to buy them... do u have pics of them installed?

 

i bought the expensive comp engineering ones. there bolt ons and i welded them in.

 

did u get a weight?

 

Ill post pics tonight when I'm home from work.

 

Pics of MAC frame connectors (see the inner ones from tranny frame mount to rear subframe mount) and the SPOHN connectors (along the rocker but tie into the front tranny mount on the side and to the rear LCA mount).

 

I have those macs on my 88, they work with N10 dual cats but they do scrape.