I am really surprised this didn't kick up
An A body is built the same way as a B body.
So stretching the B body car doesn't allow "too much" flex in a B body between the front and rear then?
If a car has frame connectors there is more holding the front and rear together than just the rocker panels.
Would I go to the trouble of adding them to my daily A body?
Probably not just because of down time and work.
But if I've already got them in a B body, I'm leaving them in.
The car is almost 50 years old.
It's flexed enough over the years already.
That's the way I'm going to look at it.
You're already making assumptions. You have no idea if an A-body is stiffer than a B-body. Yes, they're both unibodies. But let me ask you, which one has the longer span between the frame rails?
On my '72 Challenger, the length between the frame rails is almost identical to the length on my Duster. And you know what that means? It means that the span on my '71 Dart is longer. That's right, my '71 Dart has longer frame connectors than my '72 Challenger. And even longer frame connectors than a 70-74 Barracuda, because their subframe connectors are even shorter than the Challengers.
And what's the width? Well, the B and E body cars have wider frame rails. Which completely changes the math. The frame rails don't have the same cross sectional areas either. Which changes the math again. You can't say that a B or E body has more flex just because the car was bigger. Roof height and length make a difference too. There are too many variables to make basic assumptions like that.
I'd put subframe connectors in ANY Mopar I intended to drive.
This stuff is all way over my head but it brings to mind a test i read in the late 90's involving pick up trucks.They put a brick under the right front and left rear of each Ford, GM, Mopar and Toyota.At the time the Toyota was the only one with a boxed frame AND the only one they could open and close the tailgate on. None of the big three had any concerns about frame flexing. You could put a canoe on racks in the box and watch it move independently of you in the cab.Those trucks were used and abused and were probably all fine for years i'm sure.
You're right, this is all way over your head.
Even in your own comparison, you don't have nearly enough facts to have an informed opinion. You don't even know that the big three didn't have concerns about frame flex. I'm sure they did. But more than likely, they decided their product would last long enough that they wouldn't get sued to the point of not turning a profit. They figured the truck would last long enough to be replaced by the next one, not necessarily that they made the best product.
