shock mount bar weld?

[HeavyFuel]

My '68 is on a rotissarie right now, and upon close inspection of the rear shock mount, it is only attached to the frame rail by welds on the tab.  There are no welds anywhere else, although the mount has contact with the frame rail and other parts of the floor in several places.

Is there a reason for this?  I don't know, maybe expantion or contraction is needed, maybe some sort of flexablility is needed?  I might weld that thing on a little better, as long as we are under there.

[tan top]

i thought the same , must be a logical explanation, why it is not welded to any thing else
         
           

[Chryco Psycho]

i wouldn`t weld it to the floor , the mount probably flexes & could cause tearing of the floor pans , more welds to the frame couldn`t hurt though 

[is_it_EVER_done?]

I always weld the shock crossmember if possible (meaning no fuel tank in the car, or on a rotisserie). It's ridiculous how much flex it has without additional welding and brackets, plus I have never had any problem with it being welded to the trunk floor (and frame rails). I also make up a few small brackets to bridge the points that the trunk floor is to far away to weld to.

As long as you have it on a rotisserie, weld it to the frame also for added stiffness, of course I also stitch or seam weld every seam in the car to the tune of many hundreds of stitch welds (actually into the low Thousand plus). The stiffness of the car ends up better than any new car could ever be, and dramatically improves the drivability, feel, and handling. It's really amazing how few spot welds were put into these cars, how sporadic they are, and how much flex they allow.

Don't forget the torsion bar cross member. It also is poorly secured, and a couple dozen stitch welds really help. Then of course you will want to do the roof pillars, quarter pillars, floor seams (inside and out), seam weld the frame rails, add sub frame connectors, torque boxes front and rear and .................. Please keep in mind that I am quite possibly insane when it comes to stiffening (at least that is what I've been told many times). In my 69 Charger, I used over 12 pounds of .023 wire, and about seven pounds of steel (cut into many dozens of brackets), so you may not want to take my advice, but to me the work is worth it by producing amazing results in ride quality and a "precision" feel that is unobtainable otherwise. If you couple that with equally obsessive sound and heat deadening, you will be truely amazed at how good these old cars can be.

[tan top]

i should of done that then to the shock cross member Damn    ,too late now. i was  more intrested in stitch welding  the factory spot welded joints in the floor frame rails to trunk & floor pans etc , & welding in chassis connectors  ,torque boxes, leaf spring reenforcement  mounting plates .

[HeavyFuel]

Thanks, guys.  Everdone, I am going with the subframe connectors from US Cartools, the ones that are cut to fit the floor, and I have also picked up the torque boxes from Auto Rust Tech.

On that subject, how should I have my car positioned when installing the connectors?  US Cartools says to have the car loaded on the suspension, with the doors closed, and weld it up from under the car.  Well, my car totally apart now, and on a rotissarie.  How do I duplicate a load on the unibody, with no engine or suspension on the car.

I don't want to get 'em welded in, and then have my car react in negitive ways once it is back together.  Maybe it won't matter much since the body isn't supporting anything but itself right now.