Frame connectors

-
Mouse action

Mouse action

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2019
Messages
536
Reaction score
1,131
Location
Brooklyn
I’m trying to come up with a simple frame connectors that I can bolt in a 1965 valiant.
The car is not a race car ,I’m just trying to stiffen it up a bit.
Any suggestions from those who have crossed this bridge ?
Thanks.
 
I have done this to all my early a bodies. They are not bolt on but definatly an easy modification. here is what i did. I purchased my first set from laysons restorations, they had to be welded in, but boy do they make a difference.I have front and rear sway bars and .98 torsion bars on a v8 car. i took the car to a local muffler shop and they installed them for me. However after looking over the ones i got from laysons i went to a metal guy near me and bought the same tube steel they used .I thin the tube was 2x3 i then took the steel tubing back to the muffler guy and brought him one of my other early a's and had him cut to fit and put them in, i used the intial set from laysons as my guide on how to cut them to fit. I think i paid 300? for laysons and less than 15 bucks for the same steel at the local metal yard.
 
FWIW, I installed some prefabbed ones, and next time I think I would just make my own. The prefab ones were really nice. But with all the little contours along the bottom of the floor pan you end up grinding the hell out of them anyway.

If you search this forum, you'll find pictures of what others have built.
 
^^exactly what J Glenn says here I just used the USCT ones on my 65 Dart. Had to grind off most of contours and beat my floors to close half inch gaps. I’d just build my own or if you want bolt on I think Mopar Performance has some. Dustin
 
I’m planning to use 2x3 square stock for mine. They’ll be welded in. I don’t think you’d get the real benefit by bolting them in.
 
For my 64 Valiant, I purchased a set of Mopar Bolt in for a 72 Duster. Had to do some trimming, on the rear mounts, but bolted them in....after bolting, I ground the edges and welded them in place.

Found them on special and its a lot less fabricating than just going down and buying square tubing.

sb
 
I used a set of Competition Engineering once on a 72 Demon race car. Bolt in style but you had to weld the bushings into the frame. They worked good but that was 25 + years ago. I’m sure the weld in style are better.
 
My 1964 Barracuda has the US Cartools weld in and we put a set made with rectangular tubing (welded in)in a friends car. I doubt anyone could tell the difference without looking underneath the car. The cars were equally improved with the different styles. I would recommend to weld and not bolt subframe connectors. They make such an improvement when everything is solidified. The US Cartools look a little nicer installed, the rectangular tubing is less expensive.
 
I've seen it too many times.... People pay hundreds of dollars for what turns out just to be a straight bar of metal...
I went to the steelyard and bought a 10-foot stick of I think what was 1 and 1/2 by 2 and 1/2... I had them cut it in two to four foot pieces with a 2ft piece left over that I used on other projects later...
I bought a $89 Harbor Freight flux wire welder. I bought a $14 four and a half inch grinder with a couple cutting wheels a grinding wheel and a flap disc wheel Alfred probably $10 or less... I also bought a decent $29 helmet and some $5 welding gloves.....
(Those two things with their accessories have saved me thousands and made me thousands LOL..)
You can see here where I took the $14 cutting wheel and made a slice at the top and two slices down the side of the front of the rear frame box... And shoved the bar inside there... Oops.. actually that's not my car that's a picture of the car that I got the idea from...
quickndirtysubframeconnectors02.jpg
here you can see where I took my sawzall with a metal blade and cut a notch out of the front of it so I'm not only budding it into the front frame but welding it to the bottom of it as well getting six sides instead of just four..
Once that's welded up just swelled up around the back...
20151206_113919.jpg

20151206_112859.jpg

This time this is an actual picture of my car LOL and the back part. Not only did I weld up all around but I welded in that little hole on the bottom as well...
This car has been on the track and pulled its tires off the ground and they're still no cracks or problems with any of the welds with the Harbor Freight $89 welder...
If you don't know how to weld then cut that 2 foot piece leftover in half and put it on top of itself length ways and get some practice.... Watch some YouTube videos... I remember it's under the car nobody's ever going to see your funky welds especially after you sand them well and rattle can them black... Ask me how I know....
20151206_114104.jpg
 
I had a muffler shop weld in some US Car Tools. Came out nice but overall, it was an expensive addition.

The one problem I had was routing the parking brake cable. We drilled a hole thru the left frame connector and was able to rout the cable that way, but I would like to adjust the cable tighter for a more positive brake feel when I set the brake, but I am out of adjustment due to the limitation of the connector.

Maybe someone here has figured an alternative. I can’t be the only one.
 
Factory added whats called torque boxes to convertibles and some others. They tie the frame horns to the rockers. About the same as full frame connectors, just not a straight line connection. Those would be welded in also.
Long ago, maybe in a different forum, a owner posted pics of distorted bolt holes where his bolt in frame connectors had moved. If my memory serves, he found this looking for a intermittent noise. I dont recall was this a race car or how long these connectors had been installed.
So whats a plan? Bolt in initially. When you're at a shop that welds mufflers, etc.., geter done.
 
If you go the make-your-own with square tubing route, I don't think you'd need to re-route the parking brake cable. That can be a PITA because there's not perfect solution....
 
Bought tubing and welded in. also plug welded to rear floor pan but mine was a 68 Dart.Also had to be creative with Emergency brake cable. I welded a tube through the connector but don't have pics of that.

8.jpg


10.jpg
 
I’m not looking to rip out the interior,and at some point the floors were replaced but not with actual floor pans so bolt in would work best for me,the car is no race car just a driver so I’m not worried about to much abuse.just trying to stiffen it up.
The magnum force brand looks to be the easiest way to get some results???
 
Mouse action said:
I’m not looking to rip out the interior,and at some point the floors were replaced but not with actual floor pans so bolt in would work best for me,the car is no race car just a driver so I’m not worried about to much abuse.just trying to stiffen it up.
The magnum force brand looks to be the easiest way to get some results???
Click to expand...
"Rip out" the interior???.. lol...
 
Yes a search on here will show many opinions of how to build the connnectors. Dragcarwill usually be built different than a street car. I like the 2 x 3 tube weld to ends of subframe, NO welding to floor pan. If someone was to pay a mff shop $300 to do this, he could buy a small mig welder and a hack saw! Welding ain't hard to learn.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top