I am debating whether to get MAC or Alston bolt in subframe connectors. Word is that the $189 Alston bolt ins are made well, and don't have any fit problems. MAC connectors (don't remember if they are bolt in or weld in, either one I get will be welded anyway) are ~$90--I'd like to save the 100 or so dollars (duh) if I can--from those with experience I'd like to hear did how they fit? Anyone know if the Alstons are worth $100 more? If so I'll save up for those but I'd rather not spend more than I have to. I know about the $90 Alstons, but heard they don't fit as well.

Thanks

 

I have the Alston weld-ins (same as bolt ins), and they fit GREAT! The welder did not have any problems putting them in. Cost me about $100 to have them put in, but he had to move the aftermarket cat due to it being too far back on the pipe. I will post pics later when I get home (I am at work). The fit is the best I have seen. I think I may have lost 1/2" of clearance at the most. They are very thick and make a world of difference. My vote goes to the Alston's.

 

...I just want to make sure I understand--did you get the $89 (weld in only) ones http://www.alstonracing.com:8080/cat...kernelGroup=21

or the $189 (bolt in) ones? http://www.alstonracing.com:8080/catalog.agent
(for this link you must click the 'bolt ins' button, then the 'general motors' button on the subsequent page. I couldn't get a direct link to paste)

I ask because in this thread https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=156558

someone mentioned the weld in ones are different; the website does say the weld ins fit stock floors though.

Not disputing your word, I just want to make sure I understand--I had a similar experience with Competition Engineering--their weld in SFC's were ~$90, but basically just straight 2X2 square tubes that went straight back (thru the floorpan) and were meant for LCA's that were relocated inboard, whereas their bolt ins required no such mods but were about twice as expensive. Being short on funds, I made extensions out of the extra lengths of 2X2 and joined the rear subframe to the connector with a 90 degree elbow. I know I should have just returned them and spent the extra money then, it was pretty ugly--such is the price of not doing your research!! Just trying to avoid that now. I'll also try calling them but I value the word of those who have used the product more; after all they are trying to sell me something!

Help!!!

Thanks

 

Sorry to tell you, I got the bolt-on's and welded them on. They fit the floorpan perfectly. They hug the body and attach the rear of the front subframe to the front of the rear subframe. Hope you understand that. I would never go with anything else. I dont like the other SFC's that weld to the pinch welds. I have ridden in cars with those kind of connectors, and I dont feel that they were as sturdy. The difference with the Alston's is just like night and day. I noticed it right after getting them welded on. I will try to get you some pics later tonight. Thomas

 

i have the MAC sbfc's but they look nothing like what i see on the internet. although mine were supposedly made through mac they were subcontracted through southwest.

welded is the only way to go....beyond that just make sure they fit your application. they are all similar, if i had to choose a preference the kenny brown is the only one i would really like to have; but they aren't practicle for 3" larger exhaust systems for some reason.

 

what about the spohn tubular SFC's? no opinions on those?

 

Ok, here are the pics of my Alstons installed. I had to shrink them to post, so if you want bigger pics, just let me know and I will email them to you. Thomas

 

And the drivers side.

 

Awesome, thats exactly what I wanted to know. Like I said, I would've preferred to not have to spend the extra $100 on the ones like yours but I definitely will if thats what it takes to ensure a good fit. I have never even seen the $89 Alstons, and don't know how they mount--so the fit question is heresay at this point but I'm not taking the chance. I think the terminology (bolt in/weld in) is confusing to some; bolt ins can always (and should be in my IMO) welded in.

Thank you for the pictures, these are the clearest I've seen of Alston's installed. The car these are going on is a '91 T/A convertible; I also have a set of Kenny Browns that I will also install. I was looking at MAC and Alston as the way they mount will not interfere with the Kenny Brown's.

I had started another post regarding convertibles & unique mods to stiffen but didn't get too many replies; it seems that most convertible people have just installed connectors of one sort or another and were done with it (A particularly encouraging post was about KB SFC's on a convertible, and the guy was gushing about how much better it made the car). Both are not that heavy, so I figure it cant hurt.

 

Another vote for the Alstons (bolt ins-then welded)...I have personally installed five sets to date and refuse to use any other subframe on a third gen.They fit perfect,look good,and perform great..why switch?I recommend them highly to anyone that asks.Well worth the $189 IMO.

 

I have a set of the Alston's and am going to get them bolted in, then welded in the very near future.

From the pictures posted, the question I have is since the drivers side is so close to the fuel line and fuel filter, did either of you do anything to protect the fuel line from heat before welding them in?

 

Alloy,
But of course! The welder pulled them away and wrapped the lines with a wet towel. He also only welded about 2" before stopping and letting the metal cool down. He would go side-to-side welding a little on each. This also helped to not catch the carpet on fire. I did not pull anything out. HTH. Thomas

 

hey how much were the bolt in ones from alston again. after seeing those pictures it looks like cake to put them in and then i can weld them in and have no problems.

 

whats the average price to have them welded in, and also will the alston's fit on a vert?

 

The ones in the pic are $189 and fit all body styles. See links in my above post, they are to the Alston site. Don't know how much the welding in will cost (got a welder )

 

hey for those who have boughten these. how much is it shippened to ur door? i just want to know that so i can get the money together.

 

The Alston bolt in connectors were $189, plus $12.89 for shipping.

 

thanx

 

Just as a reminder, when the SFC's are welded on, the vehicle must have a full load on the suspension. You have to do it on a drive on style of lift or 4 of those ramps that you can use to change your oil, etc. You might be able to do it another way, but you risk your car sitting off to one side.

It cost me $100 to have mine welded on, but he did some other work for me as well.

 

yea i know , i work at pepboys and after i get these and the day is dead ill throw my car up on the alignment rack and test fit and then weld them in.

 

Ive got the MAC weld in SFC in my Convertible and from thoes pic's they look identical to mine. I also have a aftermarket cat and the MAC's still fit. In time, if I wanted, I could add Spohn's thirdgen convertible SFC's to my exsiting MAC's for double the strength. (Alston's too) If it were me, Id save the 100 bucks and get the MAC's. I bought mine in 98 for like a 100 bucks and still have them with no problems.

 

where do you get the MAC subframes?

 

Does anybody have a link to a vendor that sells MAC's? I can't seem to find anyone who sells them.

 

When I bought mine in 98 I think I got them directly from MAC. Hope that helps.

 

Are the Alston bolt on's and weld on's the same as far as the way they are configured or shaped?
If the weld ins are the same other than beng able to bolt them in...Heck I would much rather get the weld ins and save the $100.00 anyone know?
Also I see that the Alstons dont have a cross brace that ties into the tranny area...
how bout Hotchkis subs, are they anyone good?

thanks

 

Wishmaster check out those two links that 377Z posted. The Alston bolt ons look like they fit a hell of a lot better than the weld in ones. That's probably why they cost more. These are the ones I'm considering.

 

The alston's don't need a brace to tie into the tranny mount area because that is their main front attachment point. It's the spohn's and others like them that need the extra bracing. Look at the pics in this post of the installed alstons and you will see what mean.

For my money (and I've already purchased the alstons) I'd go with the alstons only, since they tie the front and rear subframes together directly. They aren't a perimeter type bar at the rocker panels that needs any extra supports to tie in. Not to mention I haven't seen anyone talk about fitment problems with the alston's even on a vert.

 

Just wondering if anyone else is having trouble finding the Alston website. I've seen links posted here but none of them seem to be working any more. Also for those of you who have them installed, do you think that they will cause any ground clearance issues on a slightly lowered car (Hotchkis springs)?

 

Hey...I got into this one a little late. I have a 91 convertible and went w/ MAC style SFC's ($150 from restoreclassics.com + $40 for the install).

Love them. Definately the first thing you should do to your suspension, followed by upgraded LCA and panhard rod.

Oh and my MAC look exactly like the Alston ones posted above. I may have rubbed on an extra tall speed bump or two, but beside that no clearance probs.

Only complaint I have is that while the MAC's do a great job while being centrally located on the subframe, I still have issues w/ a lack of support under the door sills. I'm trying to figure out a way to assess this.

I think all that need to be done is run tubing from the front subframes, where the MACs attach, laterally to the sills.

Anyone else have this problem?

 

Wouldn't the set Spohn offers fix that problem?

 

Yep...I can't get the links to work either. I just ordered a set of Spohn's today for my Iroc, but I'm looking for a cheaper set for my RS, and a set of $100 SFCs fits that bill.

Anyone got a link to Alston or Mac? I'm heading over to Google.


Ed

 

I've heard the IRS Terminators from Internet Racing Supply are Alstons. I've also heard they fit dual cats. Am I corrrect?

 

After looking at pics of the Alstons and the Macs, it looks to me like the Alstons (bolt in) use either 'U' or 'L' shaped brackets at the ends. The Macs appear to only use a flat sheet of metal, so that leaves me thinking that the Alstons have more material to weld to!

 

The Alstons do use a "U" shape. The guy who welded them in my car said that he thought they were the strongest he had seen. He pretty much got a full weld on all 8 sides of each end, except for the one by the fuel filter. Missed about an inch.

 

Thats what I thought, anyone with comments about the Mac mounting pads?

 

Lon at TDS offers the Alstons for $198. That's the only place I've found them and the only price I can find. The main Alston website seems to be AFU.


Ed

 

Since the sites are down and TDS doesn't say, does anyone know what size and thickness tubes Alston uses? I'm also looking at the S&W, if enyone is interested.

http://www.swracecars.com/f-body.html

They send pics of the set up installed, just email them and ask!

 

As far as I am concerned MAC is out of business can't find a web site can't find anyone who sells their SFCs. Same goes for Alstons their web site is dead.

But if I could find some Alstons does anyone know if the weld in Alstons will fit dual cat cars ? What about the bolt in Alstons will they fit fual cat cars ?

BB

 

I went through the same crap. It took me a while to find out that MAC's site is incorrectly listed as macprod.com--what it REALLY is:

www.macperformance.com

download the .pdf catalog, the connectors are on pg. ~93 or so if I remember correctly.

As far as Alston's site being down, thats weird. I got lucky because I know they are here in Illinois. So I looked them up:

Heres a number: (877) 647-2246

I spoke to a guy named Kile and he was a pleasure to deal with. When I called they didn't have any made; I waited about 2-3 wks and then they sent them. Don't know what their batch size is, but hopefully they have many more. I am impressed with how they look and maybe we could get a group purchase going? I would like another set for my Z28. Just a thought.

Lastly, there is an outfit called Pro Chassis in Hacienda Heights, Ca. they have ones basically identical to Alstons, but I forget the price and can't comment on their quality.

Hope this helps.

 

The mac's look nice, only 150 shipped also. So does anybody have these, or pictures of them installed?

 

A couple of comments I can add. First, since I live in Hacienda Heights I was surprised that I wasn't aware of a company locally called Pro Chassis. I did a quick search of both my local phone book and www.switchboard.com and came up blank. I suspect that 377Z is relaying old information.

FYI, Alston USED to be located in Hacienda Heights, borderline with the City of Industry. If there was a company locally making SFC's that look like Alston's, I'd strongly suspect is WAS Alston. They may have gone by the "Pro Chassis" name back then. I wasn't a customer of them back then. My knowledge of their prior factory location locally came about from conversation with the owner when I purchased my first stocking order of SFC's earlier this year.

Alston SFC's do fit all thridgen F-bodies (convertibles & coupes) including those with dual catalytic converters.

From the picture on their web site the MAC SFC's do indeed look very similar to the Alstons which I sell, use and recommended long before I ever sold them. There are some differences though. I see the MAC SFC's have a flat plate that is welded to the front and rear sub-frames of the car. I prefer the design Alston uses, which is a cradle or saddle that surrounds the transmission and rear LCA subframe points. There are a couple of advantages to the saddle or cradle. It helps to positively locate the SFC's in the correct place. It also provides a more positve connection to the car and more weld area. The MAC SFC's advantage is price. If your budget is tight, then that would be more of an advantage. I can't comment on fittment of the MAC SFC's, since I've never seen them in person, nor installed them.

Lon Salgren
Top-Down Solutions

 

Wow, I'm really thinking I'm going to pick up a set of those Alstons, along with a wonderbar assuming funds allow me to this summer I bought a set of Competition Engineering bolt ons a while back which I haven't installed yet (these are the ones that will fit with the stock exhaust and without floorpan mods). I really don't feel confident in them, although they would add that framework under the door sills, but that's about it. Anyway, I was thinking, to address the question earlier in this thread about not having framing under the door sills, why not throw in a second set of SFCs in conjunction with the Alstons? Sure it might add another 10 or 15 lbs to the car, but then you'd have your frame under the rocker panels and the way the Alstons fit it seems like you could have both sets in there. Correct me if I'm wrong or being stupid, but what do you guys think of that idea? I'm personally considering it assuming I get the Alstons, because I have that set of CE SFCs that will just be sitting around

-Paul

 

The info I have is from a few years ago so they may very well not exist, sorry! Here's all I had:

Pro Chassis
141821 East Clark Avenue Hacienda Hieghts, CA 91474
818-961-5207


However, the more I think about it the less sense it would make to go with anything but Alstons if this type of connector is what you are looking for--even if Pro Chassis still exists its obviously not the better mousetrap as no one has beat a path to their door. Even between MAC's and Alstons, I have chosen (and will buy again) Alstons--its only a difference of about $50 and their quality is great--when I received them I knew I didn't do wrong--and every comment I've seen about them is positive.

 

hey everyone looking for mac/alston:

http://www.restoreclassics.com/images/4892.jpg


this is where I got mine. Good for both coupe and cconvertible. Weld in $150.


They fit great. NO install prob. And installation was only $40

 

Great record keeping! But as I said previously old information. First, our area code changed from 818 to 626 in 1997-98. Also, this location matches with where Mike at Alston told me they had been located when they were in Hacienda Heights. Mystery solved!

Lets not confuse the discussion by referring to the SFC's as "Mac/Alston". MAC and Alston are two different companies making SFC's of similar design.

Thanks, Lon.

 

I'm diggin up an old one here. So no one has pics of Macs installed?

I really like the ease of installation on the Alstons. Looks like you only need to weld in 4 spots. Clean and simple. These will be going on my RS.



Ed

 

I have read this a few times and I thought I should include that I chose the alstons over the MAC's. I didn't really want to shell out the extra dough, but the design of the alstons looks so sweet. I just really think it is a nice quality piece.

If any of you are curious about what sfc to get take a look at my thread where we have debated the pro's and con's of the different brands https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...87#post1343287


Listen to me.. DO NOT PUT THIS OFF!!!

If you have the cash then put a set of sfc's on your car. V8 or 4 banger, you will like the difference...

While you ignore those squeeks and rattles of your thirdgen, your passengers do not and they think that you have an old car that is falling apart. The nice exhaust and detailed engine do nothing for you when the girl is worried that the car is going to break with every pebble in the road.

Trust me, I speak from experience. A 21 year old t-top car isn't the quietest to ride in...

 

After thinking on this a while longer, I think I do prefer the Spohn SFCs. They tuck up under the edges of the framerails and the Alstons run under the floorpans, cutting into your ground clearance. Spohns don't have this problem.

For the same price, I'd go with the Spohn SFCs again.


Ed

 

Thank you for your post on the Spohn sfc's. I was vascillating between the Alstons and Steve's sfc. I'll go with a sponsor and count the ground clearance the extra. Dave

 

im looking to get the alston weld-ins just cause i want to save myself the extra ca$h and my neighbor said he'd weld them in for me but i was wondering what the best way to get it up in the air and level, cause i dont want to have them welded up and then find that the car wasnt square and a door wont shut or something to that effect. he doesnt have a lift or anything so it would be up on ramps and/or jackstands. would that be sufficient to keep the car square?