Hawks just quoted me $300 labor cost of installing subframe connectors...I realize Hawks is probably the best of the best when it comes to third gen, but this seems a little high. Should I just skip Hawks and try to find a local shop can do it? The only thing I'm worried about is the quality of the job...

 

That is a middle of the line price...

Some require more welding than others (Spohn vs Alston)

I think I paid $150 for Alston's to be welded in, and another shop down the road quoted me $550 ?!?!?

If you're worried about quality of jobs, pay the $300... these cars are there specialty...

Rafael

 

That's not a bad price really and hawks will do it right. You can look around and try to find another place but it will be hard to judge what kind of work they will do.

The other option some people take is to invest the money into a welder of your own. Then practice and once your comfortable, weld them yourself. A welder is a wonderful piece of equipment to have and will open up a whole new world of possibilities. Very handy to have if your into modifying cars and trucks. I did this same thing years ago and the work I've been able to do since I started welding is amazing. Brings the hobby to a whole new level.

 

Thanks for the responses, I just wasn't sure if it was a fair price, and I'm definitely willing to pay a premium to get it done right the first time. I feel I'm pretty lucky living only an hour away from the best place for third gen work in the country!

 

back in the 90s I paid $750 to have my SSM kit welded in.so $350 is not bad.

 

Seems fair. Look at it another way. If a shop quoted you a $100,you would probably question the quality of work at that price.

 

I got a local quote last year for $250, and that was with me doing the work of pulling the seats and carpet before I took it to them. So $300 for Hawks to do it does not strike me as out of line. And yes, you're fortunate to have them so close to you.

 

Depending on what needs to be welded the price could be fine.

If these are perimeter sub-frames that need stich welding along the pinch rail then that price could be justified. You might be able to make it cheaper for yourself if you remove the interior carpet. The perimeter stuff can get the carpet hot enough that fire is a risk.

 

I would have dropped my car off at their shop ten hours ago if they were local and only wanted $300 for an install lol

 

That's about right. I got quotes from 200 to 300, but I am in a big city with lots of competition.

I thought it was ridicules to pay that, so I bought a $170 220v welder from Harbor Freight and learned to do it on my own. It's not too bad once you get the hang of it.

 

While that price isn't too bad, you can easily pick up good used welder for that or less. I paid $125 for my 110v Craftsman MIG at a garage sale years ago and it came with everything I needed to start welding, including a full bottle of shielding gas. And it's easily my favorite tool I've ever bought.

 

As a fellow mig welder in the fab field i consider the price average, not a good price but not a bad price. If hawks does a good job on installing them and you know that not just assume that based of their name then i would go with them as anybody can install SFC's with a welder but installing them correctly is completely different.

Just my opinion not bashing hawks though as i just got my lower fan bracket and it fits perfect lol.

 

I welded my spohn SFC myself. would have been way easier with a hoist I will say, but wasn't too difficult of a job. Price doesn't seem bad considering the prep to putting them in (mine had under coat so I was under there with grinder cleaning lots of spots, plus welding in the lip takes some time. If you don't weld and have to take it to some one you may as well just get Hawks because they will have a better idea than just a normal welding shop. It's like getting a welder to fab up custom exhaust vs an exhaust shop doing it (it's just easier for them cause they do it all the time).

 

The welding isn't the hard part, the hard part is making sure the car is supported in the right spots to make sure you're not locking in any twists or worn suspension parts.

 

No that's about right, middle of the roadish.

 

Make sure that's the final price you are expected to pay. I've been lured in by low figures only to have the final price much higher. The reasoning- "Well what we gave you was just the estimate."

If they weld them correctly, remove parts of the interior that need removed, stitch weld them and so on, it's a fair price. $100-150 the shop probably wouldn't care about the interior at all and they might not prep the area to be welded either.

 

I've got bmr subframe connectors and my local muffler shop charged me $60.00 to do mine but I had them bolted in and ready for the front part to be welded. Took them about 20 minutes but like I said I had everything pre fitted, ground down to metal ready to weld. I had black paint ready to paint everything when they were done to stop rust. These are one of the best mods for our cars. Mine is much stiffer now and you can put a floor jack on any part of it and raise your car. I don't think I could pay $300 unless it includes the connectors or it's a different connector or something very different than what I've got. Mine was very easy, fit like a glove and aside from putting the carpet back in was no hassle at all.

 

dude if you paid 300 bucks for that you got robbed i had mine bolted welded and coated in under coating for 200 flat buy a local shop