poor man subframe connecters duster/demon

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Screw poor. Those are better than the ones on my Scamp. Previous owner prolly bought them out of a catalog. Keep up the great work, Keep the pics comin'.

Take it easy,

Bad Shrimp
 
Wow, they look amazing, great work. I'm going to be making some sub frame conectorsfor my 72 Duster in the near future, these are a really nice design. Anyone can throw down cash and buy something, no fun in that, just like the guys that pay to have all the work done to there cars. Building is the best part of the hobby, I cant stand when people tell you to just go out and buy instead of fixing or building something, those are the guys too scared to try anthing themselves, keep up the great work.



Butch
 
old thread, but these frame connectors are great! just the kind of idea I was looking for. thanks for sharing
 
Wow these look great. I am using 2x3 1/8" tubing for mine. I decided to cut the floor, and lay them in sideways 2" tall 3" wide. I did this so i didnt have the tubing sit so tall in the rear footwell. It only sticks up 1/2" above floorpan, i will use extra carpet padding on either side before i lay the carpet.down. I also had an issue with the parking brake cable in the front crossmember. By putting the tubing on its side and moving the cables hole up in the crossmember it clears my subframe connectors.

With tubing on its side it overlaps outside the framerail. Mine will do the job, and are good enough for an autocross special, but yours look like they are factory installed.

If you would like to see and comment on mine go to the new thread in the chassis forum called subframe connectors redux, and check em out. The tubing in pix is thin wall .087" scrap tacked together to make a template out of. I have $27 invested in the thicker tubing, and $34 in a can of 3M weld thru ll primer. I love modifying, making my own parts, and swapping stuff from other applications to my car and making it work. Im a junkyard hound too

Again awesome job.
Matt
 
thanks. yours look nice too. i cut mine down in the back all the way so i wouldn t have to cut the floor pans at all. then put a flange on them so i could weld them to the floor. probably not as strong in the back as yours but they re thick walled. i can t remember for sure but i think they re 1/8" thick walls. can t beat nice homemade parts. lol
 
Since im going super heavy duty on the suspension i have to really reinforce the frame. I will be adding torque boxes front and rear, as well as a tubular radiator lower crossmember. I'm using a 74 dart v8 k frame on this car, so i ground down all the crappy factory welds on it, bolted it back into the chassis usingit as a jig to keep from warping the k frame, then i rewelded everything. Also added a 1/8" thick stiffening plate to the center bottom of the K frame. Tried to semi duplicate what firm feel does with theirs. My friend has a mandrel tubing bender and fabs race cars, we will be making the radiator stiffening bar copying the one uscartool makes, prob copy their torque boxes too LOL this will prob be it for the welded on chassis mods for me.

Matt
 
very nice work, build it if you can! If you want them to look even more factory - put a couple of holes in the bottom, like the factory rails.
 
evil 340 said:
thanks. yours look nice too. i cut mine down in the back all the way so i wouldn t have to cut the floor pans at all. then put a flange on them so i could weld them to the floor. probably not as strong in the back as yours but they re thick walled. i can t remember for sure but i think they re 1/8" thick walls. can t beat nice homemade parts. lol
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The us car tool ones are 1/8" and are cut to go against the floor, they follow the contour all the way forward, similar to yours. However you did something extra, adding the flat strap to box yours in. Theirs are open at the top. Id say yours are plenty strong, prob stronger than the us car tool ones because you boxed em in, and put them inside the rear framerail pretty far back. The car tool ones dont go that far back.

It takes a lot of force to twist 1/8" steel tube, plus yours are tied into the floorpan almost all the way forward. If anything i "tim taylored" mine and kinda over did it LOL. I really love the factory look yours have. Add some evenly spaced 3/4" drain holes on the bottom and the average joe could never tell the difference.

I love the factory appearance, great for the resto you are doing. My car started out pretty much a total mess. The project morphs weekly, as funds and tastes change. It will be autocross capable, that has not changed. But colors, wheels, and other ideas do quite a bit. Mine will be more modified hot rod, than restoration.

Matt
 
Very nice!!
I'll be building some for my dart sometime in the future.was looking at using 1x3, but love how yours look factory and will be using your idea instead lol
 
bamacuda said:
You know, because of the way you made them, they will blend in a have more of a factory look than the stuff you buy. Not to offend anyone, but if you buy all the parts, isn't that like a 1:1 scale model? Building a car is more gratifying than assembling a model! By the way, that contour gauge is kick-butt cool!
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But, we're not all guiness'
The problem with me doing something like that is, I'd like it to be right when it's finished. All I lack is talent!!
 
pyrojim said:
But, we're not all guiness'
The problem with me doing something like that is, I'd like it to be right when it's finished. All I lack is talent!!
Click to expand...


Very well said. Not everybody has metalworking skills. I learned a lot from my dad when i was in my early teens. For this i am fortunate, i developed my welding skills on my own with some practice. A wire welder is like soldering, but with steel so i picked it up pretty quick.

My brother jokes that he makes arts n crap, he is an exellent mechanic, but a bodywork, sheetmetal fabricator, welder he is not. Thats why he had me weld in new floors in his monte carlo SS.

If you are not capable of fabricating these parts there is no harm or shame in buying something already made, or paying somebody to weld it up for you. This hobby is unique as you can get into it as deep as you want and build up a.shell into a complete and running car, or buy a nice clean one and update it a little at a time,.or anything in between.

Hell if i could make up a jig to build up and sell parts for these cars i would. Obviously some people did so others that dont have the fabrication talents can do the same things to their cars. That my friends is free market enterprise at work.

Matt
 
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