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Sub frame connectors #1714699 12/23/14 03:43 PM 12/23/14 03:43 PM
Joined: Mar 2014 Posts: 235 Oregon D Dr Dave OP enthusiast
Dr Dave OP enthusiast D Joined: Mar 2014 Posts: 235 Oregon	I know weld in is best but the underside of my Cuda has already been painted and assembled. I have the cowl and rad support bracing welded in. Running 528" Hemi with Alter K and Tremec TKO 600, 17" and 18" wheels with good rubber. This will be mostly street driven but want to maximize the package. Currently with the car on my lift the doors are hard to open and close due to body flex so wanting to fix this the best I can. What do you guys recommend for bolt in / minimal weld in that will help without losing ground clearance? Thanks!

Re: Sub frame connectors [Re: Dr Dave] #1714700 12/23/14 05:13 PM 12/23/14 05:13 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 5,406 Pikes Peak Country T TC@HP2 master
TC@HP2 master T Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 5,406 Pikes Peak Country	Hotchkis, Competition Engineering, Mopar Performance, Moroso are all either basic bolt in kits or minimal welding required packages. Since your car is assembled, it is probably best to install them while sitting on its tires to ensure panel gaps remain consistent and your doors are functional. Normally I'd suggest putting it on 6-8 stands to get everything level, square, and plumb, but with a completed car, you've got all that paint to consider.

Re: Sub frame connectors [Re: TC@HP2] #1714701 12/23/14 06:03 PM 12/23/14 06:03 PM
Joined: Mar 2014 Posts: 235 Oregon D Dr Dave OP enthusiast
Dr Dave OP enthusiast D Joined: Mar 2014 Posts: 235 Oregon	Thank, any one better than the other?

Re: Sub frame connectors [Re: Dr Dave] #1714702 12/23/14 08:52 PM 12/23/14 08:52 PM
Joined: May 2012 Posts: 841 Santa Fe Springs, CA Dan@Hotchkis super stock
Dan@Hotchkis super stock Joined: May 2012 Posts: 841 Santa Fe Springs, CA	We think ours is the best.

Re: Sub frame connectors [Re: Dan@Hotchkis] #1714703 12/23/14 10:52 PM 12/23/14 10:52 PM
Joined: Mar 2014 Posts: 235 Oregon D Dr Dave OP enthusiast
Dr Dave OP enthusiast D Joined: Mar 2014 Posts: 235 Oregon	Hi Dan, please give me the low down on your connectors. What level of chassis stiffness can I expect verses weld in and will they be visible looking at the car from the side, will I lose ground clearance ..... Thanks!

Re: Sub frame connectors [Re: Dr Dave] #1714704 12/23/14 11:36 PM 12/23/14 11:36 PM
Joined: May 2012 Posts: 841 Santa Fe Springs, CA Dan@Hotchkis super stock
Dan@Hotchkis super stock Joined: May 2012 Posts: 841 Santa Fe Springs, CA	Quote: Hi Dan, please give me the low down on your connectors. What level of chassis stiffness can I expect verses weld in and will they be visible looking at the car from the side, will I lose ground clearance ..... Thanks! These tie the chassis together on a second plane and tie the rear subframe to the front subframe at the strongest points. They require minimal welding on the B/E cars. The lowest point of the connectors will be at the torque box, and they run about 1/4" from the floorpan. Here are the instructions for them which have a lot of good pictures that will answer a lot of your questions. http://www.hotchkis.net/_uploaded_files/4011S.pdf

Re: Sub frame connectors [Re: Dan@Hotchkis] #1714705 12/24/14 05:20 AM 12/24/14 05:20 AM
Joined: Nov 2003 Posts: 3,040 GA roadrunninMark master
roadrunninMark master Joined: Nov 2003 Posts: 3,040 GA	Hi Dan, did your team ever investigate the possibility of making true "bolt on" connectors? Using your existing rear mount, the front would slide into the back of the torsion bar hex. I think a lot of people that don't want to alter their car wold be interested in a design like that. What do you think?

Re: Sub frame connectors [Re: roadrunninMark] #1714706 12/24/14 10:12 AM 12/24/14 10:12 AM
Joined: May 2012 Posts: 841 Santa Fe Springs, CA Dan@Hotchkis super stock
Dan@Hotchkis super stock Joined: May 2012 Posts: 841 Santa Fe Springs, CA	We looked at a lot of different options when designing our connectors. I don't think that we ever considered plugging into the back of the torsion bar slot, however that would be a lot of forces acting on the one part of the forward subframe. If it just plugged into the back of the socket I don't think that you would get a lot of fore-aft "anti banana" resistance. Couple that with the inconsistent depth that various manufacturers bars seat into the socket and I'm not sure that it would work out as well. We made the forward end of the connectors modular because there are light inconsistencies on how much various cars have "settled" over the years. I've put these connectors in a LOT of cars and no two have been the same, and most require a bit of persuasion.

Re: Sub frame connectors [Re: Dan@Hotchkis] #1714707 12/24/14 12:04 PM 12/24/14 12:04 PM
Joined: Jan 2004 Posts: 6,445 Missouri 68KillerBee master
68KillerBee master Joined: Jan 2004 Posts: 6,445 Missouri	Ill be getting the hotchkis one. I decided about 2 days after they had their big sale though.

Re: Sub frame connectors [Re: 68KillerBee] #1714708 12/24/14 02:27 PM 12/24/14 02:27 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 8,089 Sorrento, BC, Canada 4speeds4me master
4speeds4me master Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 8,089 Sorrento, BC, Canada	http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=291195877364 I was considering these for the Charger... 2 Demons...no, not my kids!

Re: Sub frame connectors [Re: Dan@Hotchkis] #1714709 12/24/14 02:34 PM 12/24/14 02:34 PM
Joined: Mar 2014 Posts: 235 Oregon D Dr Dave OP enthusiast
Dr Dave OP enthusiast D Joined: Mar 2014 Posts: 235 Oregon	Can I expect my doors to open easily if parked on a bias or on the lift or is that too much to expect from a "bolt in" connector?

Re: Sub frame connectors [Re: Dr Dave] #1714710 12/24/14 03:41 PM 12/24/14 03:41 PM
Joined: Nov 2003 Posts: 3,040 GA roadrunninMark master
roadrunninMark master Joined: Nov 2003 Posts: 3,040 GA	4Speed, those looks nice... don't know how well they will work though, need some experts to take a look at them. Might even be able to make them for less.

Re: Sub frame connectors [Re: roadrunninMark] #1714711 12/25/14 01:48 AM 12/25/14 01:48 AM
Joined: Jul 2008 Posts: 240 Plano, Texas 6 68cuda440 enthusiast
68cuda440 enthusiast 6 Joined: Jul 2008 Posts: 240 Plano, Texas	Quote: Hi Dan, did your team ever investigate the possibility of making true "bolt on" connectors? Using your existing rear mount, the front would slide into the back of the torsion bar hex. I think a lot of people that don't want to alter their car wold be interested in a design like that. What do you think? Not that you asked me... but, I think the bolt in stuff is hokey. Weld them in. If you ever want to remove them just cut them out, grind the remainder back to the original frame, splash some paint on and its done. The Hotchkiss parts lend themselves well to this since you do not cut the floor pan and the rear part is bolt in. -Michael Michael 1968 Barracuda Notchback Coupe 440 EFI 6-pack, T56 Magnum 6-spd

Re: Sub frame connectors [Re: roadrunninMark] #1714712 12/25/14 03:58 AM 12/25/14 03:58 AM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 8,089 Sorrento, BC, Canada 4speeds4me master
4speeds4me master Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 8,089 Sorrento, BC, Canada	Quote: 4Speed, those looks nice... don't know how well they will work though, need some experts to take a look at them. Might even be able to make them for less. I think the seller is here on Moparts, but it's been a few years since I spent much time here... 2 Demons...no, not my kids!

Re: Sub frame connectors [Re: 4speeds4me] #1714713 12/27/14 11:37 AM 12/27/14 11:37 AM
Joined: May 2007 Posts: 952 Queens, N. Y. FASTBACK340 super stock
FASTBACK340 super stock Joined: May 2007 Posts: 952 Queens, N. Y.	Weld them in and be done with it. I had picked-up a set of Competition Engineering pieces a while ago and just installed them 3 yrs. ago. They drop-down a bit, but no lower than the exhaust. E-brake cable passes above them without being re-located. *This photo was taken before I removed those awful Flowmasters and installed the Chambered Mufflers I did it to a finished car without incident. I felt the difference making the U-turn out of the shop that did the welding�.. `68 Barracuda 340-S

Re: Sub frame connectors [Re: FASTBACK340] #1714714 12/27/14 02:25 PM 12/27/14 02:25 PM
Joined: Mar 2014 Posts: 235 Oregon D Dr Dave OP enthusiast
Dr Dave OP enthusiast D Joined: Mar 2014 Posts: 235 Oregon	Fastback, looks like yours are not welded to the floor correct? Are you able to park on a bias and still have your doors open easily?

Re: Sub frame connectors [Re: Dr Dave] #1714715 12/27/14 02:55 PM 12/27/14 02:55 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 5,406 Pikes Peak Country T TC@HP2 master
TC@HP2 master T Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 5,406 Pikes Peak Country	Mopars are so bendy by this stage of their life that even simple 1x3 units welded to just the front and rear sub frames are a HUGE improvement over nothing. Are they the ultimate, no, but they are a big step in the right direction. Quite worrying about it and put them in.

Re: Sub frame connectors [Re: TC@HP2] #1714716 12/27/14 03:37 PM 12/27/14 03:37 PM
Joined: Jan 2007 Posts: 7,664 IN A ahy master
ahy master A Joined: Jan 2007 Posts: 7,664 IN	I had ART 2" x 2" connectors installed... similar to fastback's. Below the floor. They made a huge difference in how the car drove and how doors acted when jacking. As posted above, have at it.

Re: Sub frame connectors [Re: Dr Dave] #1714717 12/28/14 09:46 AM 12/28/14 09:46 AM
Joined: May 2007 Posts: 952 Queens, N. Y. FASTBACK340 super stock
FASTBACK340 super stock Joined: May 2007 Posts: 952 Queens, N. Y.	Quote: Fastback, looks like yours are not welded to the floor correct? Are you able to park on a bias and still have your doors open easily? They connect the sub-frames together. No issues with my doors, car feels 10X's tighter. Granted, I'm not running a Hemi, but it is a small-block stick that I enjoy driving..... `68 Barracuda 340-S

Re: Sub frame connectors [Re: Dr Dave] #1714718 12/28/14 06:54 PM 12/28/14 06:54 PM
Joined: Jul 2008 Posts: 240 Plano, Texas 6 68cuda440 enthusiast
68cuda440 enthusiast 6 Joined: Jul 2008 Posts: 240 Plano, Texas	Quote: Fastback, looks like yours are not welded to the floor correct? Are you able to park on a bias and still have your doors open easily? Mine has subframe connectors (welded), torque boxes, 2x2 frame under the radiator, 1x2 frame across f&r of fuel tank for support. I have jacked up the car at the front corner and lifted 3 wheels off the ground... gaps on the doors and fenders did not move. The car is very rigid. Rust free Texas car if that makes any difference. -Michael Last edited by 68cuda440; 12/28/14 06:55 PM. Michael 1968 Barracuda Notchback Coupe 440 EFI 6-pack, T56 Magnum 6-spd

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