The US Cartool ones are total crap!

Barely ANY of the ridges/troughs of the edges that go into the floor pan valleys fit.

After trimming and trimming, I would stil lhave to "build-up" some of the HUGE (>1/4"!) gaps on one side towards the front, otherwise I'd have to reshape and cut down the whole thing 1/4".

I'm tempted to just slice through the floor pan and have the edges of the connectors drop through and weld. Then slice through the excess.

I SHOULDN'T have to do this crap! Why can't stuff just work after spending $200!?!?!

So...I'm wondering whether the XV ones are any better than the US CAR Tool ones.

I could spend another 10 hours or so (thank GOD the car's on a rotisserie!) but why should I? W/such huge gaps, the welds will not be pretty.

???

I remember from some Keisler threads that there were two different floor pans for 70 E-bodies. Is that correct?

BUT it sounds like the edges are close, but just not close enough. Your floor pans are all orginal I assume too?

I wonder if factory tolerances are just to variable to get things to line up perfect with a pre cut connector.

I have them on my Challenger and they are awesome. John did a lot research on them before they put them out. You cannot see them at all unless you look very hard kneeling on the ground.

Im interested in intalling these, too. How hard were they to install? Any photos? Thanks.

Isnt it generally accepted that the production tolerances were that loose and its next to impossible to manufacture precision parts that are precision from one car to the next?

I too, have tried to put the U.S. Tool connectors on my 70 Challenger convertible (with mint factory floor pans), and had the same problems. Not even close!!! I spent about 20 hrs trying to make them fit, and finally cut them up and threw them away!! I have just ordered XV Motorsports' connectors, but they are on backorder right now. Should ship sometime next week? I'll let you know if they fit any better. They list a separate part number for 70 Challengers, unlike U.S. that only lists one number.

I'd be sure to get in contact with John about your concerns. He seems to be very helpful. Check out his post about half way down this page, looks like he'll give you a refund if you cant get them to work.

http://www.bigblockdart.com/index.php/topic,21437.msg217557.html#msg217557

talked to a friend of mine on friday and he said the USTOOL ones arent even close to fitting his original floor pan 70 Cuda as well. bodyman says 20hrs to fit them properly.

wonder what they do fit?

Well I hate to tell you but the XV ones arent fitting my '70 Cuda very well either.

They are being installed at the shop that is working on my car in Oregon, but he told me the pass side fit pretty good... the driver fits like crap. Same thing...areas of 1/4 gap.

I was starting to think I should have ordered the US Cartool ones..... I guess it really doesnt matter.....

I've never done this so I'm just thinking out loud (on line). Could you take the same size chanel 2x3 without the contours and cut slots in the floorboards then install the conectors weld them in then grind off the extra material sticking up through the floorboards?

I installed US-cartool connectors on my 1968 Coronet, and 1973 'Cuda. Coronet connectors required some minor modifications, but ones for 'Cuda were almost perfect. Took me couple of hours to install + some time to get the parking brake cable to go thru connectors.

Some people expect every car ever made to be the same and never vary more the 1/32 of an inch
That’s not how they were built. Either modify the connector or do what any normal person would do and grab a hammer and massage the floor pan to fit. You can move a floor pan ¼ of an inch in 2 blows.

Sigh.

Not sure why folks choose to not ask the guy who makes the stuff before deciding it doesn't fit, then complain about it. Try asking me first, you would be amazed at how we can help.

I've personally installed them on a lot of cars, including 70 Challengers. They fit.

Yes, every car is different, some are way different - even those with factory original floor pans. Lets face it, the floor pan position was not a quality checked item at the factory 40 years ago so there is no way they are all in the exact same location.

The difference in the 70 floorpans is an extra kickup (for lack of a better word) in the front floor pan section near the torsion bar crossmember and different ribbing in the area near the drain plug. When customers call me and ask about 70 floorpan issues, I have suggestions and answers for them.

Ultimately, if you are unhappy with the frame connectors I will take them back. Period. I am quite a bit happier about it if you talk to me, rather than complaining without giving me an opportunity to help, but I still do it.

Take some pictures of the fitment of the floorpans and connectors and post them here - lets have a look at the fitment issues, I'll try and help.

John Pasemann
www.UsCarTool.com
919-855-8200

John,

I appreciate your offer to buy them back, but I was so disgusted that I cut them up and threw them away (after spending about 20 hours grinding on them). I am only stating how they fit on my vehicle with factory floor pans, and obviously others have had the same problem. I was one of, if not the first to get the Challenger connectors from you at the NATS a few years ago when you came out with them. As a matter of fact, you sold them to me for $100 because they were one of the first three sets you received from your supplier. At $100 it was not worth my time or expense to send them back to you.
You state they fit on a 70 Challenger. If they still have the exact contours of the ones I got from you, then they will not fit on my car - period! And, it doesn't have to do with production tolerances or factory fit at all. It has to do with the fact that there are bumps on the connectors where the floor pan has none, and visa versa. If you have a pair EXACTLY like the ones you sold me a few years ago, and you come to my shop, I guarantee they will not fit.

OK - now we have even more facts. The Challenger sets I sold at the Nats that year where called "blems" by me - the first pattern cut by laser cutter was incorrect (they used an older pattern by mistake) and rather than throw them away, I sold them at a reduced rate ($100) and told folks they where blems and would need more fitment work.

The down side of this for me is folks seem to not recall the blem part, so I no longer sell blems of any type.

The upshot of this is you could have gotten a replacement set from me had you called and mentioned the fitment issues. I take back sets (even if they are cut in half) and would have sent you another set if you wanted - maybe someone else will chime in here that was refunded??

I rechecked my current Challenger connectors (yesterday) on a '70 Challenger that we are doing a body-in-white program to right now (it is listed on my web site, a 70 R/T). The floors are pretty rusty and ugly, but they are original and the frame connectors fit. I will soon have a new 70 Challenger (goodmark) floor to compare that pattern to.

I have seen so much variance in floors that I'm not surprised by anyone who claims the connectors do not fit. I always ask for pictures and placement details, some times it is a placement issue, some times it is tactics (moving the floor a 1/4 inch is doable by simply standing on the floor).

And really folks, 40 years of driving, twisting, running things over, standing on the floors - just how close is the floor to its original contour?

I'm so confident in fitment, I install them for $75 per side (free if we are doing other work, like the body-in-white program). I do that because it will not take me 20 hours to install them, it takes about 1 hour per side for the welding and another 30 minutes for a helper to grind and touchup the seams. Take a look at the set we just installed on a Mike's 71 Cuda (again - on the web site) and you will see an example. Mike paid $75 to have his connectors installed by us.

I'm OK with folks who want to voice a dissenting opinion about my products, that's one of the reasons behind offering the refund. Another is I want to treat folks the way I would like to be treated, and the refund bit plays into that.

So complain about them etc., all I ask is that you be fair to me about it. Let me know if you believe they do not fit - I have been able to resolve many fitment issues without you having to throw something away you paid good money for.

Hope that helps. There is no place like Moparts where we can share collective experiences about what works and what does not. I use the tech archives often and am thankful we have this venue - Moparts Rocks!