Well, sort of. I was putting on my new LCAs and when I unbolted the old LCA, the subframe connector fell down in the back. They are by SSM and I had them welded, or so I thought. Apparently they were only welded up front. Now before I go bitch out the guy who did my welding, someone please confirm that these are supposed to be welded in the back as well as the front.

 

I always weld subframe connectors at the front and back, and at several places along their length to the pinch weld of the rocker panel (or at least the floor pan depending on SFC design). I weld on the outboard and inboard side of the back of the subframe connector
(On the outboard side at the plate that the LCA bolt passes through the SFC)
(On the inboard side where the SFC shaft contacts the thick metal of the LCA mount & the front of the rear subframe area)
I also weld a small gusset plate of 3/16" steel horizontally from the bottom of the SFC across the LCA mount and the bottom of the front of the rear subframe beam to reinforce the front LCA mount. Cars that launch hard tend to bend this area if not reinforced well.

Just relying on the LCA bolt to hold the rear of the SFC in place does not take full advantage of the SFCs potential benefits, even in a car that is not particularly powerful.

At the very least it should have been welded with a small stitch or two on the front LCA mount. Sounds like your welder may have been a little lazy that day.

 

Definitely not good! I weld a 1" long bead every 4"-6" the entire length of the SFC.

Steve

 

SSMs instructions specifically state that there should be a SOLID weld around the front and rear attachment points in addition to the bolt in the rear. There should also be 1 or 2 inch STITCH welds along the length of the rocker panel.

 

I would also take a look at the weld in the front. If he did that one right, the back wouldn't have moved much if at all when the bolt came out.

 

Thanks guys, this is exactly what I was figuring. I sure hope it doesn't fall down in the front while I'm cruising down the road. I think I'm gonna find a new welder.

 

take it to a chassis guy that builds cages and stuff like that, he WILL do it right,