XV Chassis Stiffening - Video shows how Mopars FLEX

[dqhemi]

We put together this video which really shows how much flex there is in stock Mopars and how much our stuff reduces that flex. 

The video was shot while the car was on a 4-post rig running opposite corners of the car in pairs at the same time - i.e. Front Right and Rear Left wheels get lifted, then the opposite - Front Left and Rear Right.

It's pretty interesting stuff. 

Click here for the video:  XV Chassis Video

Here's some pics of the pieces that we developed.

Lower Radiator Support - ties frame rails together:





Inner Fender Braces:





Sub-Frame Connectors:





Engine Compartment Brace:



Here's how they were developed - full torsion tests:



You can get more info and pricing on our website: www.xvmotorsports.com

[Brock Samson]

    Yummie! Nice Music too...

[Rack]

Yeah I was looking at that site the other day. Very interested in the radiator support and the Engine compartment brace.

Question: Do you have to cut out the existing Radiator "Support" to put the new one on, or does the new one go "over" the old one?

[dqhemi]

    Yummie! Nice Music too...

Thanks!

[dqhemi]

Yeah I was looking at that site the other day. Very interested in the radiator support and the Engine compartment brace.

Question: Do you have to cut out the existing Radiator "Support" to put the new one on, or does the new one go "over" the old one?

We've installed the lower rad supports in a couple of different ways. 

The pic on the yellow car we replaced the existing one as you can see.

Alternatively, it can be mounted behind the stock support as there is room to place it on the frame rail and leave the stock one in place.

[terrible one]

Very nice pieces, everything. When I can afford it, I'm looking to XV!

Great video too.

[ChargerRT440]

not to be rude but I honestly think you guys charge to much I could make alot of your parts on my own in my garage with a grinder and a manual pipe bender. I can understand for the people who just an to buy a ready built turn key car besides anyone spending that much money can  spend a couple hundred more on ready built parts. I do like your ideas tho. I love the bolt in 3 point seat belts but thats really all. Out of respect for you I won't mention anything competitiors make because I'm not trying to be an @$$ but my car will end up being a mixture of all things. I do respect what your trying to do tho. make parts and cars that are ready for people who ether don't have time to fabricate/restomod or don't have the ability. It's a great business if you have the coin. good luck.

[Rack]

Gotta agree with ChargerRT440. I think you guys could do just as well if you lowered your prices. It would attract more customers (if you get your prices down within their price range). Less money per product, but more money overall.

This "hobby" and getting "the good stuff" shouldn't just be for the rich. Of course you designed the product and you make the product so you shouldn't give them away, but a little lower price would be nice.


One more question, will any of these parts be incompatible with other makers products? For example, would the radiator support cause any problems for someone with an alterktion kit? Or maybe the fender supports with an alterktion/magnum force kit? Stuff like that. Just curious.

Thanks

[BrianShaughnessy]

Yeah I was looking at that site the other day. Very interested in the radiator support and the Engine compartment brace.

Question: Do you have to cut out the existing Radiator "Support" to put the new one on, or does the new one go "over" the old one?

We've installed the lower rad supports in a couple of different ways. 

The pic on the yellow car we replaced the existing one as you can see.

Alternatively, it can be mounted behind the stock support as there is room to place it on the frame rail and leave the stock one in place.

I heard awhile back from Ehrenberg just how much the radiator support helped and I was very interested.    Unfortunately by putting it on the back side of the radiator support it effectively reduces the choices of radiators that are able to be used to a short crossflow type as best I can tell.   Obviously that's what type of radiator you use in your XV cars and that's great... but some people will not be able to use it if they are going for the stock downflow type radiator.   I use the Mancini downflow deal myself.

If there was an additional / alternative brace that could be mounted forward of the rad support - possibly even a bolt-on using the front bumper mount bolt locations then you might be able to sell quite a few of those too. 

Thanks for your time and your efforts developing these parts. 

[dqhemi]

not to be rude but I honestly think you guys charge to much I could make alot of your parts on my own in my garage with a grinder and a manual pipe bender. I can understand for the people who just an to buy a ready built turn key car besides anyone spending that much money can  spend a couple hundred more on ready built parts. I do like your ideas tho. I love the bolt in 3 point seat belts but thats really all. Out of respect for you I won't mention anything competitiors make because I'm not trying to be an @$$ but my car will end up being a mixture of all things. I do respect what your trying to do tho. make parts and cars that are ready for people who ether don't have time to fabricate/restomod or don't have the ability. It's a great business if you have the coin. good luck.

It's always cheaper to make parts yourself because the labor cost is free. 
So assuming you have the tools and ability, yes you can do it cheaper for sure.

Having said that, we sell a lot of this stuff to shops and professional builders because it's cheaper and faster for them to use a ready made part.
A custom builder from CA flew in last week to spend time with us and they want to use us as their primary source for their Mopar builds.

We're actually going to drop prices on some of our stuff shortly - the Level I suspension and sell the individual parts from it, not just the complete setup.
Just need to finish going through all the prices on that.

We've also been looking to offer more products at different price points - the 3-point belts and billet pedal kits for example.
We're also finishing up a couple of 4-wheel disc brake packages that will be much more economical than the over the top brakes we've done so far.

I understand where you are coming from and we will definitely have more offerings at lower price points.  Part of what effects our ability to price things is the volumes, which will never be where say the late model Mustang market is.

Part of the reason we entered this business and specifically focused on Mopars was because no one was offering any high end pieces for them.
We'll have more on that side as well - for example we've finished up billet hood hinges, which won't be cheap, but again no one has been making them.
We wanted them for some of our our builds and we've already had other builders wanting to buy multiple sets as soon as they saw them.
Makes more sense to me to offer them to others as well, but they clearly won't fit everyone's budget (and/or tastes).

Everyone has different budgets and objectives for their rides.  We see lot's of things that no one has really addressed or offered for these cars and will continue to make up things as we see opportunities.  We also spend alot of time and resources developing this stuff - case in point, when was the last time you saw someone in the aftermarket do actual torsion tests to develop their products and ensure they do what they are supposed to.  Virtually, every product we develop, including all the one's you see on the chassis stiffening, have CAD drawings done for each component and then they are built to those specs.  We also use everything we offer on the cars we build, there hasn't been any of it that we just put out without using it as well.

We've been rolling out more new products than anyone for these cars and have quite a few more things on the way.  We come from a pretty hard core racing mind set where quality and performance are the primary requirements and it's more important to us to make things that really work as they are supposed to than bang out something real cheap we could in theory sell tons of while sacrificing quality and/or performance, or that doesn't really work. 

Anyway, ideally we'd like to have something for everyone, and that fit's everyone's budgets.  But at the end of the day, when we have something produced to sell we can only price it at a point where we have the ability to make reasonable money on it.  We spend quite a bit of time pricing jobs out to multiple vendors to get the best price on it, but part of the reality is that much of this stuff can be quite expensive to produce. 

Our primary goal from the outset was to take it to a level never done before, which we have in many ways.  The value proposition and/or the budget won't be there for everyone.  However, as we offer more and more products at different price points the same commitment to quality and performance gets carried over to everything we do.  You may think that's fluff, but it's reallly where my head is at (for better or worse!). 

[dqhemi]

One more question, will any of these parts be incompatible with other makers products? For example, would the radiator support cause any problems for someone with an alterktion kit? Or maybe the fender supports with an alterktion/magnum force kit? Stuff like that. Just curious.

Thanks

Rad support should be no issue. 

Inner fender brace is the only one that may pose an issue - it's a question of how high the shock mount is located on the Alterkation setup. 
We haven't tried it, so I don't know for sure. 

Magnum was using the stock shock mount location so it would work in that configuration.

[Charger74]

Well, as expensive as they are, I think you guys are doing a awesome job providing a service no one else has bothered to do yet.   You products are proven and look great.  Hope someday you will not forget about us 3rd gens (73-74) or later.  Even though I can't use most of your products on my car, you have given me some really great ideas for it...  Keep up the good work.

[dqhemi]

I heard awhile back from Ehrenberg just how much the radiator support helped and I was very interested.    Unfortunately by putting it on the back side of the radiator support it effectively reduces the choices of radiators that are able to be used to a short crossflow type as best I can tell.   Obviously that's what type of radiator you use in your XV cars and that's great... but some people will not be able to use it if they are going for the stock downflow type radiator.   I use the Mancini downflow deal myself.

If there was an additional / alternative brace that could be mounted forward of the rad support - possibly even a bolt-on using the front bumper mount bolt locations then you might be able to sell quite a few of those too. 

Thanks for your time and your efforts developing these parts. 

If you notice on the pic up above of the rad support there are two small sections of square tubing separate from it. 
These were added in to address just what you are asking about. 
They allow the support to be dropped to clear radiators that have top/bottom mounted tanks.

We include those pieces with every one of these we ship.

[Charger1973]

Well, as expensive as they are, I think you guys are doing a awesome job providing a service no one else has bothered to do yet.   You products are proven and look great.  Hope someday you will not forget about us 3rd gens (73-74) or later.  Even though I can't use most of your products on my car, you have given me some really great ideas for it...  Keep up the good work.

  100%

[TUFCAT]

I think I heard that same music track on a porno video 

[dqhemi]

I think I heard that same music track on a porno video 

Oh Man - Busted!   

Just kidding - it's some royalty free music I grabbed.

[41husk]

will the sub frame connectors fit 3rd gen chargers, I have a 73 I would like to firm up a bit?

[Charger74]

will the sub frame connectors fit 3rd gen chargers, I have a 73 I would like to firm up a bit?

No, Husk, floor boards are different for our cars that pre'73 cars.  If you want something like that you will probably have to make them yourself, like I plan to do.

[Big Sugar]

Hey dghemi..."John"

  I've got to say , That was a Classy reply to ChargerRT440 "s Remarks on your product line. When I first read the post.

not to be rude but I honestly think you guys charge to much I could make alot of your parts on my own in my garage with a grinder and a manual pipe bender. I can understand for the people who just an to buy a ready built turn key car besides anyone spending that much money can  spend a couple hundred more on ready built parts. I do like your ideas tho. I love the bolt in 3 point seat belts but thats really all. Out of respect for you I won't mention anything competitiors make because I'm not trying to be an @$$ but my car will end up being a mixture of all things. I do respect what your trying to do tho. make parts and cars that are ready for people who ether don't have time to fabricate/restomod or don't have the ability. It's a great business if you have the coin. good luck.

I thought you were going to fire back with a Strong Sarcastic reply , But instead you took the time to lay out the cards and remain composed. 
I have the utmost respect for people like that ! 

Cheers John.

Ron

[TUFCAT]

That was a Classy reply to ChargerRT440 "s Remarks on your product line. When I first read the post.

....But instead you took the time to lay out the cards and remain composed. 
Ron

I TOTALLY agree... Very professional company you guys are running!!  In fact, for my two cents, I prefer to pay more and get a quality part that has been tested - and researched...rather than something that was made in homeboys garage. I'm not arguing with guys who make stuff in their own garages    - that's fine - but not for me.  Its great for those who have the talent. But when I buy something, I research the product and buy the best parts for the money. Yes, its true, I may pay more. But sometimes, a good deal is sound piece of mind. I'm not rich, but I have been known to pay extra for quality - - - especially when it comes to my cars.

Good selling 

[moparguy01]

cant view the video. crap.

[bordin34]

Pretty cool video. Any trunk shots?
As soon as I get a title for my 74 3rd gen I will try to bring it in, if the front end isn't too bad. It just might take awhile because NJ hates people without titles. And title companies don't work with NJ because of new title laws, which no other state has that borders NJ.

[41husk]

Are there any plans to produce 3rd gen sub frame connectors?

[Chatt69chgr]

Did you have videos that show the effect of each individual part you are selling.  For example, the lower radiator support alone----or that part along with the inner fender braces, etc.  Folks could evaluate which parts would help them achieve their specific objectives that way----for those of us on a budget.  Thanks. 

[dqhemi]

Did you have videos that show the effect of each individual part you are selling.  For example, the lower radiator support alone----or that part along with the inner fender braces, etc.  Folks could evaluate which parts would help them achieve their specific objectives that way----for those of us on a budget.  Thanks. 

We didn't do each separately, the goal was to develop a package.

In any event, if you're looking to do it in steps, you'll get the best results doing the subs first, then the lower rad support.  After that inner fender braces and engine compartment brace.

[dqhemi]

Are there any plans to produce 3rd gen sub frame connectors?

We really need to get our hands on a car or two to do an inital eval. 
Not sure until we see a car up on a lift.

[bordin34]

Like I said before if NJ ever lets me get a title I will bring it in.

[bull]

I have to ask. What does it hurt to have some flex unless you're bracket racing every weekend?

[dqhemi]

I have to ask. What does it hurt to have some flex unless you're bracket racing every weekend?

Well we're primarily focused on making cars handle (not just in a straight line) and the more rigid the overall platform is the better the car will handle.

Also, the noise, vibration and rattles side improves. 

For example, when we ran that car in other modes on the 4-post rig at certain speeds the steering wheel would bounce around like crazy.
After we put the stiffening pieces in, it all went away.

[Charger74]

I have to ask. What does it hurt to have some flex unless you're bracket racing every weekend?

None really, but stiffening up the chassis helps the handling of the car, helps you to feel road better and in the end, helps to keep your car from sagging so you don't have to re-align the doors every few decades.  Just my opinion, but some are proven.

[Charger1973]

Are there any plans to produce 3rd gen sub frame connectors?

We really need to get our hands on a car or two to do an inital eval. 
Not sure until we see a car up on a lift.

Its too bad you guys arent closer to Iowa, I would let you borrow one of my parts cars for as long as you needed it.   Surely there is someone who could get their car in for you guys to look at.   

[41husk]

yep if you were near Illinois, I would let you use mine as a model.