Subframe connectors

alf44

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2011
Messages
592
Reaction score
15
Location
southern MN
if you have enough ground clearance i think using 2x3 would be better and should cost about the same, 20-30 bucks depending on where you buy it
 

alf44

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2011
Messages
592
Reaction score
15
Location
southern MN
i plan on installing subframe connecters in spring. my car will be a small block-stock-. i just want that added stiffness to a car with rust issues
 

Mr.Lopar

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2011
Messages
594
Reaction score
56
Location
sticks of WI
got 2x3 in my 5th, wish I woulda went with 1x3.
my dad used 1x3 on his challenger, and I plan on using it on my dart, and any other car I get
 

Locomotion

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2012
Messages
147
Reaction score
16
Location
Florida
With 2x3 frame connectors, you can use something with a wall of .060"+ or .080"+. No need to go to .125".
Butt it up and spot weld it to the floor, or better yet, cut out the floor in the low areas and tuck it into it and weld it shut. Just make sure it's all square.

The 2" width will make it easier to tie in a roll bar if you ever decide on one. Do that with inboard bars from the main hoop.
 

greymouser7

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2011
Messages
1,079
Reaction score
90
Location
31547 off of I-95 near I-10
Dear Mr. MiradaMegacab,

( typed thru a phone just now)

Drive it 2-3days a week to work, full insulation & yet framed, high-speed car. -no drag because we don't have a track nearby. I have two old civics as drivers and a 1973 Road runner that remains stock for basic driving duties for now.

I had 2.5 76'-77 F bodies that I have collected between 20 deployments and now that I can go thru them on shore duty, I found a less rusty starting point a few months back from Colorado.

For now, I have to choose between two 360's ( temp motor while I save on a stroker 4.25" crank build/1970 block, Indy-Brock heads)

A 76' 833 fourspeed ( while saving for a T-56 ) a volare road runner axle - for now,
but I will, in the long term, run highway gears:
Either the 2.45 a-body 8 1/4 axle I have or the 2.76 geared 8 3/4 disc brake rear end I have. If I could find an 1980-81 2.25 gear, I would run that. Much Further down the road some 'green-brick' mopar-action magazine article - firmfeel-suspension for some long trac/silver state classic time...

I have been buying up stuff for this car for almost ten years to restomod my first Mopar/car.

Volare tailights, vertical side louvers, the single piece spoiler, torque thruster d's ( for now, ansen sprints as I can afford them) super stock leaf springs, a bushing kit, torque boxes (don't remember which one as I am digging out rooms of amassed parts from so many deployments) new chromed bumpers ( with no bumper brackets), 3 speed wiper&switch, rear defrost, speakers like its the 80's again with 500 watt amps...

I eventually wanna reshape the front to look like the first late model chargers with black and red 'hell' paint job {did you know they sell paint that sort of changes into a diecast chrome?} and a T/A-Aero hood scoop for my tunnel ram.

I have most parts but the stroker and high-end suspension & paint so I am trying to gather up that stuff.

The 8 1/4 trax lock up seems different than the 8 3/4 eaton Detroit true trac between the two axles.
I dont think I want allota horsepower from the stroker build, just low end torque for highway gears-like the two barrel 360/383/etc. C-bodies Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth had-maybe a max of 5500 rpm in the cam-more like a tractor engine when the final gear ratio for 70mph would put me a few tens over 1000 RPM

No doubt my eyes are bigger than my stomach but, isolation breeds patience.
 

MiradaMegacab

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2011
Messages
1,847
Reaction score
753
Location
Long Island NY
Awesome build!!

Insane engine build. To quote a movie (Dirty Mary Crazy Larry), "My top end is unlimited"

I understand you want the lowest gear ratio possible but, I would run the 8.75 as they are stronger and it's easier to change gears. Perhaps at some point you might want to drag race, a simple pumkin swap is a benifit. And as being that you are going for top end blasts, the disk brakes currently on the 8.75 will help slow you down. The 8.25 will hold up, but with the torque of the stroker and the shock of the manual trans (even on the 1-2 2-3 shifts) I would just start with the 8.75. I have used the PowerTrax LockRight diffs and didn't like them on the street. They chatter, lock and unlock is not smooth or predictable. I actually prefer a spool on the street over the PowerTrax. However, I would recommend an Auburn diff for your application, no violent lock and unlock conditions.
As LocoMotion suggested, run the 2X3 connectors. If you do compete in drag or top end races a roll bar/ cage might be required. Plus the roll bar will give you a place to mount a 5 point seat belt harness. I suggest following LocoMotions advice on cutting and welding to the floor boards. Thats the ultimate in structural rigidity.
www.alsacorp.com has a chrome wrap and chrome paint that works well.
www.firmfeel.com has EXCELLENT customer service. I would suggest you run solid K-Frame mounts as they tie the frame rails together for rigitity.
Best of luck on your build.
 

greymouser7

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2011
Messages
1,079
Reaction score
90
Location
31547 off of I-95 near I-10
Do you think that the Volare Road Runner rear axle has: A. a sure grip, B. 3.55 gears?

" I would suggest you run solid K-Frame mounts as they tie the frame rails together for rigitity.
Best of luck on your build. " -Why do they use two aluminum bushings vice polyethelene or steel on the K-frame mounts? I live in a part of the country that has enough alkaline in the air's moisture that would create Galvanic corrosion between the bushings and K-frame. It's bad enough that my foundation is a '76' Aspen R/T rolling chassis here on the coast.

I had the poly bushing in my road runner and it did not bother me at all for the stiff ride but that car weighs another 500+ pounds more

-60's B body 2.76 geared 8 3/4 disc brake rear end - what do I do for the alignment of the axles?

someone said that JC whitney has heavy duty leaf springs for F/M/J bodies -Do they? Can't find them.-firmfeel's are expensive, so can I make my super stock springs work for now?, I hate the look of a flattened leafsprings.

I am gonna use the addco front and rear sway bars from summit for now as well. I am begining to wonder if bigger is not necessarily better on some of this suspension stuff.

thanks everyone for the input, logging onto here from work is great!
 

My imp

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2012
Messages
1,102
Reaction score
32
Location
Brunswick, Ohio
When you say for rust repairs, how are the floors to begin with? Do you need floor panels as well? Are the sub-frames themselves rusted? Rockers?
 

MiradaMegacab

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2011
Messages
1,847
Reaction score
753
Location
Long Island NY
Only way to be sure whats inside the housing is to jack it up, spin the tire one revolution while counting how many times the yoke spins, spin the tire two revolutions if its a peg leg.(chock the other tire in this case)
Im using Mopar Performance 454/455 SS springs with longer front hangers.
I bend the pass side, crack the drivers side springs from ESPO Springs and Things. Laura(ESPO employee) has an F body. Stock springs dont last long for me.
I live on Long Island and have seen many K frames rust out from water collecting between the rubber bushings. Perhaps a healthy coating of POR-15 will help you.
The B body rear has the perches 44" on center where the stock FMJ axle is 44.46"(of the top of my head)
I simply do an isoclamp delete and bolt in the B body axle, spreading the springs roughly 1/4" per side.
If your running aluminum or nylon spring bushings, or if the spreading is a concern, the perches can be relocated.
 

greymouser7

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2011
Messages
1,079
Reaction score
90
Location
31547 off of I-95 near I-10
Nothing on the surface appears very rusty except passenger side tailight area, and under the drivers fender on the body- so much better than the other 2 cars i have, and the "1/2" E58 Volare road runner-stripped, with MANY goodparts on it was too far gone for low dollar budget vice body work while deployed. I can do a bit of it now and am wondering if a little cut and wire feed mig welding can solve most of my problems, (the wife blew my savings for a welder, but last shore duty i went to tulsa welding school in jax-it's a crying shame i haven't welded since, but they let you weld for free 3 days a month at the school to brush up..)

from pictures of the sale and mere quick glances, the car's floor pan appears to be mostly intact-i have not found any significant rust. one of the other two cars HAD an intact floor pan, and in 3 years where the windshield seals to the car, it leaked and killed the drivers feet area under the pedals-not to big, but i looked elsewhere

The axle is out of the volare and on the garage floor so i will have to lift it and put it on some jack stands to check the sure grip.

I found LONG-front-bracket-hangers yesterday in one of the other cars (two rooms in the house were just too hoarded up with car parts-crap) and i have the ?45?-degree-angled rear portion of the leaf spring hangers-will that make the b body axle work?

Will rustolium work for nowon the lower suspension pieces?-vice powder coating or Por15 application to these pieces? The money is gonna be tight for 6 months and I would like to get it together and drive it for a while.

On the Road Runner i tried to make the 454 455 SS springs work, ended up with just two of the same #/kind and put over 6 coats of rattle can 'flexible paint' and primer {not knowing exactly what to do i flash rusted them with dish soap, & then Ospho'd them, then 4 coats of primer before the flex paint.-those springs have held up well}

I will try to load up some pics from my phone on sunday of what I have and listen to your suggestions, this isn't typical as I am working from the middle both directions out-life has been cut short between deployments-sorry to whine the theme song, but it's hard to stay organized when someone else sets many of the priorities in your life.

currently, our shore duty shop is waiting on the unorganized ordinance movements so we can go down and work some ICBM/SLBM silo tube conversions-i still love where I am at though-not handling ordinance this particular shore duty!! I feel guilty being a gov worker and just waiting, but for now that is the job-this is a great place to hang out.
 

My imp

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2012
Messages
1,102
Reaction score
32
Location
Brunswick, Ohio
You can go either way as far as material, whether AutoRust, or tubing. Are you confident in your fabbing abilities? If so bulk. If not buy. Welding is welding. I prefer Por15 over Rustoleum. It's much cheaper than powder coating, but probably not as durable. I did mine with Por15. I pressed in my urethane bushings, screwed in my ball joints, rebuilt the torsion bars, sway bar brackets & links, etc. I then touched up any blemishes incurred during assembly. I, like you plan on a more thorough resto later, but for now, it's fine.
 

Mr.Lopar

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2011
Messages
594
Reaction score
56
Location
sticks of WI
I've heard rustoleum is just as durable as por15and it's more readily available as it's at any hardware store and even walmart
 

My imp

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2012
Messages
1,102
Reaction score
32
Location
Brunswick, Ohio
I used to use Rustoleum, until I used Por15. IMHO much better product. I also don't like wasting money. Por15 is a lot more expensive, but worth it. You can top coat it with anything, unlike Rustoleum. I didn't properly seal a can one time & the remainder in the can solidified. It was a little thicker than a hockey puck. I couldn't chisel it out of the can. I had to cut the can off of the paint. Try that with Rustoleum.
 

Bryan M.

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2012
Messages
236
Reaction score
5
Location
Kentucky
If it weren't for "shore leave" I'd swear you were the parts NCO I worked with who had a Volare RR. Sounds like a badass build.
 
Back
Top