Weld In Frame Connectors

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jefflock

jefflock

69 Dart 408 10.08 best pass so far
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I have a pretty nice 68 GTS. I was wondering if it will hurt the value of my car if I install a pair of those 3 sided frame connectors that weld directly to the floor pan? You don't have to notch out the floor pans with these. I'm not a purist but I think they will help the car in the long run retain it's structural integrity. I do run it at our local drag strip and attend lots of area car shows.
Thanks Jeff
 
I dont think it will hurt the value.... Do you have a link of those frame connectors?

Jason
 
You are talking about the ones from US cartool?? Dont think it would hurt the value anymore than running it at the dragstrip......j/k
 
I would think that giving the car more structural integrity would be a plus, maybe not on paper, but in the mind of any buyer
 
I can't see them hurting anything either. I have a set from Chassis Engineering ready to be welded in. They are made of heavy tubing. Mine are also contoured to fit without cutting the floorpans.
 
Woodys_Cuda said:
I can't see them hurting anything either. I have a set from Chassis Engineering ready to be welded in. They are made of heavy tubing. Mine are also contoured to fit without cutting the floorpans.
Click to expand...

Do you have a link... I'd like to get some that contour to the shape of my Dart as well.

Jason
 
I figure anything you can do to improve a vehicle without hacking it up is a good thing. It's like adding disc brakes....good mod, and very few people will complain that you have upgraded to better brakes.
 
I would hesitate buying a car that has those installed. Begs to question the cars history just like a trailer hitch. I probably will put those on a raptop I'm restoring but to scrub away long like of factory undercoating from the my red 67 aint gonna happen. Just depends on the cars overall condition I guess.
If it already has a lot of aftermarket on it or getting a complete makeover, why not ?
 
I realize that this is about weld in frame connectors but I installed the bolt in ones from Year One and they made a world of difference in the handling of my 73 Duster. It used to kinda wander all over the road till in installed them.
The link to the ones I used is:
http://www.yearone.com/serverfiles/part.asp?pid=SFM72&c=0&e=0&cat=A&hid=A26AN55850
That's just my 2¢ worth.
Good luck on your car!
Greg.......mtn_jake
 
These cars will eventually fall apart without them, especially if they are daily driven in bad weather.
 
For a street car i would say no...but for a car that sees a lot of track time yes,they are one of the best mods you can do to your car...
 
A good question indeed.. One that I have been considering as well. Either improve the vehicle with modifications that make it better to drive, or return it to original to "maintain" it's value. Would a prospective buyer offer less with these mods, or appreciate their addition of them. I guess it really depends on the buyer, and what they are looking for in the vehicle. If they are looking to drive it, then I can't see a problem, on the other hand, if they plan to show it as original, then they might pass.

What are your long term plans? If you are not planning on selling it, then do what you want to enjoy it. If it's numbers matching, and original - maybe not. IMO, these connectors look like the factory would have done it, and they have my interest as well.

Grant
 
The car is not numbers matching. But it is a nice car with a new interior and good paint.
It has a 70 340 30 over
X heads
headers with Summit exhaust
mopar electronic dist kit
lunati cam
410 sure grip
02 & 03 springs
pinion snubber
727 full manual rev vavle body
aftermarket wheels
Yes they are the connectors from US Cartools.

Thanks Jeff
 
those look sweat im going to oreder a pair for my stock 70 340 car ill put them aside for now and put in my bolt ons first but i must say those look fat and if i had a car that wasnt some high end type those would go in in a welding minute :wav:
 
If you have concerns just get the bolt in ones......they will help
 
anyone have pictures of the bolt in ones? I like the weld ins but I dont want to mess with 30 plus year old factory undercoating that thick plus its only a street car
 
mtn are those the comp. engineering ones? I went b ack through a slew of old posts on the topic and some guys seem to claim the bolt in ones will egg shape the holes and welding is easier. Did you notice anything?

Also haveing thoughts on building my own if I can plan access to a welder I just dont want to have to open up the rear floor pans if possible.

The other bif topic of discussion was when installing do you keep weight on the suspension or the frame so the car can "un-sag"
 
I really didn't notice anything peculiar after the install. Don't really know what you mean by 'egg shape'.....sorry. I had read somewhere which way to do it.....don't remember where I had found that. I just suspended the car on floor jacks on the rear axle and on the front portion of the frame behind the radiator support. My car sit like this for about 6 months!! while cleaning the bottom of the car and other misc things under there. In the meantime, I put the connectors on sometime during the 4th month of it being in this position. I found that when i put the car back down onto the floor when all installed, the car measurements that I had noticed before starting and after finishing, were different.........better different. It straightened out the sag that my car had. I'm very pleased with the outcome of the process.
I've got a few more pictures that are more up close if you want to see them......I'll send you a couple if you want.
Hope this helps.
Greg.........mtn_jake
 
I forgot to mention that ........... yes, the ones I used were from Competition Engineering.
Also, I found the install sheet for them and it does state to support the vehicle from the frame (front & rear).
Hope this additional info helps.
Greg......... mtn_jake
 
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