US Cartool subframe connectors!

[dkn1997]

After having these laying around for 2 years...putting them in the trunk to take to my buddies for a test fit...and promptly wiping out the front end of the car, then the body shop puts them on the scrap pile outside and I don't get them back for 6 months..... the install has finally begun.  I took the seats out and rolled the carpet back last night, then dropped it off today.  almost done, he's finishing tomorrow and he's also going to cut the rear wheel wells from the inside to make some more room for my 295/45/18's which rub a bit.  I am ordering sound deadening and already have a new carpet...then I will put my sebring convertible seats in. 

I'm thinking after all that, it should be like driving a different car.  here's some cell phone pics, not the best quality.

[dkn1997]

last one for now

[charger2fast4u]

looks good hows the fit against the bottom of the floor? take some pics and post them of it when it's finished.  also some of the wheel wells and tire clearance if you don't mind

[BigBlockSam]

i just finished installing these in my 69 daytona . i was surprised how much my  floor had sagged in the middle . down about 3/4 of in inch . the frame connectors fixed that .they did need some trimming to get them to fit right .  make sure you check the fuel line.  it goes through the front of one of them .i  think it's the rt one .mine was real close to the metal . i wrapped the metal fuel line with a cut rubber hose and some plastic straps . just to be safe .
  the charger feels a lot tighter on the road now when i change lanes at high speeds .  good luck with your install. Rene

[dkn1997]

fit ok I guess. every bit of 7-8 hours for an experienced fabricator...he had to sand them because they got left outside by the body shop, cut/fit, weld, seam seal and undercoat needs to be factored into that timeframe.

haven't driven the car that much but it's different.  I just ordered a bunch of sounddeadening and that combined with these subframe connectors should make it a different car.  I'm also riding on 10 year old kyb gas adjusts, worn out rear leafs too.  front suspension is pretty good with some older poly bushings and very low mileage "r/t" spec torsion bars.  forget the exact size on those but it's the same as a stock 440 car would have gotten. 

My ultimate wish is to put in hotckis rear leafs and swaybar with an alterkation in front.  I think that with the SBFC's and sound deadening will bring the car to about as modern a standard as I'm gonna get without dropping some ridiculous money. 

They look so factory.  I know they were a lot of money, i'll have about 800 into them by the time I paid for them and someone to do it, but I love that it's not such an obvious modification.  I was lucky to have such a rust free car.  The floor pans are near perfect and original. 

[dkn1997]

couldn't get any wide shots, lighting was shit and my Blackberry phone wouldn't flash when I got far away to take them.  

here is another pic.  

My friend is a chevy guy and he couldn't believe the amount of undercoating on this car, you can really see how they globbed it on in this pic.  good for me.  I'd have an orange pile of dust if they didn't

[ChargerST]

7-8 hours? Hmm, wouldn't it take less time to have them custom made? I mean you could make a cardboard model (1 hour?) and have it laser cut later?

[dkn1997]

ask yourself how long does it take to torch/scrape away 40 year old undercoating off the floor?  sand the connectors and prime?  paint when done? seam seal? then throw in the time it takes to weld them in cut/fit?  don't think that if you make them custom with cardboard that you won't be cutting fitting. 

[kab69440]

That is a beautiful install! Kudos to your fab guy. Given my experience with sheetmetal stitching, I'd say that 8 hours for that complete job was FLYING! I hope mine look half that good when the job is complete!

[charger2fast4u]

looks good i might be buying these for my charger. 8 hours doen't sound bad at all i was thinking it would take alot longer to do that from start to finish inmo. did they get welded to the floor the whole way from front to rear?

[dkn1997]

the whole way.  there's way cheaper options out there but the look was important to me and there's no denying that these look the best.  I won't debate the merits of strength because I see when that comes up it's a knock down drag out.  I won't say these are stronger than the home made ones or the MP ones bolted/welded in, but I am comfortable with them being welded to the floorand the strength that they provide.

[BigBlockSam]

they look great! i didn't think of seam sealer  i rust encapsulated mine , satan black and sprayed the inside of them with Rustoleum spray  paint before installing but i'm gonna seam seal them now and repaint them . i believe these are stronger than the ones that just get welded to the front and back . i'm happy with them . it took about 6 hours to install  but my car didn't have a lot of undercoating . Rene

[Highbanked Hauler]

couldn't get any wide shots, lighting was shit and my Blackberry phone wouldn't flash when I got far away to take them.  

here is another pic.  

My friend is a chevy guy and he couldn't believe the amount of undercoating on this car, you can really see how they globbed it on in this pic.  good for me.  I'd have an orange pile of dust if they didn't

Is that undercoat or truck bed liner?

[dkn1997]

couldn't get any wide shots, lighting was shit and my Blackberry phone wouldn't flash when I got far away to take them.  

here is another pic.  

My friend is a chevy guy and he couldn't believe the amount of undercoating on this car, you can really see how they globbed it on in this pic.  good for me.  I'd have an orange pile of dust if they didn't

Is that undercoat or truck bed liner?

the factory stuff is definitely undercoating, that's never been touched.  the stuff my friend sprayed might be bed liner.  it sure looks like the spray on bedliner that I have used before. 

[charger2fast4u]

how did you have them installed did you have all the weight of the car on the tires? or did you have the suspension unloaded and have it up on a lift at frame lifting points? what is the proper way to install these? i'm thinking of installing them when mine go's back to the bodyshop

[BigBlockSam]

how did you have them installed

this is how i did mine .  i have no lift so , i put 4 jack stands under the car . front suspension and rear end  just like if it was on the ground . then i used two hydraulic jacks . one on either end of the new connectors. i used some wood where the jacks hit the connectors . to spread the pressure . then i snugged them into place a little at a time . aways checking that the doors of the car would open and close . the floors on my car are great . so is the frame but the center of the unitized body had sagged about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch . to be expected of a 40 yr old car . i'm 52 and i know my body has sagged more than that 
then we welded them in . we had to repeat this several time . because the rt one needed some trimming to get get it to fit correctly and i big f-ing hammer to  bend the ends down . they look better like that .

hope this helps . 

[FLG]

Did you install them like that with the car resting on its frame rather than the tires?

It really needs to be done with the car on its wheels becasue when its put up on a lift it sags quite a bit and the connectors dont sit as they should.

[BigBlockSam]

Did you install them like that with the car resting on its frame rather than the tires?

man didn't you read what i wrote "just like if it was on the ground " under the rear end and front suspension . you know the stiff that holds the wheels on the car and to the ground.

becasue when its put up on a lift it sags

again, i wrote "i don't have a lift "

[PatrickPeeters]

Nice job done!