Of course it made a big difference!You just tied the rockers in and they are boxed,and very strong!
As for welds tearing at the floor pan Id simply add a flange at the top of a weld in style frame connector. This will increase the contact area between the floor pan and connector and allow for some nice big plug welds at the top of the connector. Also increases the thickness of the contact area.
IMHO,this is how it should be tied to the floor pan.Also the butt ends of the connectors should really be sleeved inside both the original frame end and the new connector.Again this increases contact area and allows for some extra nice big plug welds.
And in the end the frame connector will have a nice flush appearance and be VERY strong!
