ponch0v wrote:

I built a set of Daze connectors and really like them.

After looking at the prices of subframe connectors, I'm considering doing the same.
How long did it take to fabricate them?

seems like the Tinman are a lot like Daze's

Toploader wrote:

BobE wrote:

Suggestion - paint (or coat with something to prevent rusting) at least the top of the subframe connectors prior to installation.  While there is some room to do so after installation, it gets complicated, and one can't see if you've gotten full coverage. 

Good point Bob and I've already been thinking about this one. I would want to coat them in something all over and inside as well. When it came to welding time, this would upset the coating a bit in the welded areas, but I would just re-coat those areas.

The connectors I have did have some coating on them.  After installation, I wiped them off w/alcohol and paint prep, painted them with Rest-Olium brush on.  I did not do the internals.  
 

i also used Daze' diagram to make my connectors. Been a while, just remember cutting the angles, tacking it together and test fitting before i welded them completely. I did it before i got my lift and the leathers woiuld have been a blessing. Nothing like hot berries landing on you when welding on the cement under the car.

Last edited by Alan (3/24/2024 1:11 PM)

I've seen subframe connectors done some interesting ways over the years.  The Maximum Motorsports ones on my '89 GT directly support the rear mounting points of the seats.  This corrects/prevents the rear floorpan from being torn due to seat movement.  Obviously this won't work on an early Mustang due to the seat riser at least not without considerable work.

I've seen subframe connectors where there is an X brace between them.  I imagine this adds some additional stiffness, but in the end everything is still being done more or less in a flat plane.  The ultimate chassis stiffener in the end is a roll cage.  Its the only way to truly triangulate all mounting points.

I will say, years ago I read an article where they cut channels through the floorpan and installed the connectors half in, half out of the floor, and tied the floor to the connectors.  The article swore by it, but I doubt its veracity.  Even if it is somewhat better I don't know that its worth all the extra work. 
 

BobE wrote:

TKOPerformance wrote:

I will say, years ago I read an article where they cut channels through the floorpan and installed the connectors half in, half out of the floor, and tied the floor to the connectors.  The article swore by it, but I doubt its veracity.  Even if it is somewhat better I don't know that its worth all the extra work. 
 

We did this on a 70 Maverick drag race car and tied in the 6-point roll cage.  We did not include an X-brace.  However, I agree this work is likely not worth the effort, especially for a street car.
There is a company that makes a full frame conversion for early Mustangs, I'm not sure if that it is worth the expense either.
 

I've seen similar things on some of those car shows on Motor Trend TV for other makes and models.  My thoughts are that if the car is going to have the kind of power and/or handling ability that requires something like that it needs a roll cage, and renders such a thing unnecessary.  A properly designed cage is going to provide far better bracing that any flat plane frame, AND probably for the same or less weight.  At some point in drag racing you back half the car, but that's mostly for tire clearance and to run a completely different style of rear suspension.  If you need anything beyond that its tube chassis time.  A back halfed car is probably barely streetable and a tube chassis car is likely not legal for street use, so at those points you're pretty far removed from anything like what all of us are driving.  Race cars are fun, but they're single use vehicles and IME everyone I ever knew that had a dedicated race car that wasn't a die hard racer parted ways with it in 5-10 years. 
 

BobE wrote:

TKO - “dedicated race car that wasn't a die hard racer parted ways with it in 5-10 years.”.  That’s what happened to my partner and I.  Blew an engine, got kicked out of the garage we were renting; and well, life got in the way.  Sold the car and most of the spare part and moved on. 

Yep, a buddy of mine had a Nova with a 409 SBC in it that ran 10s.  He had the opportunity to buy a rolling chassis seized by the police.  It was a '92 Firebird, well the roof and maybe the quarters were from a '92 Firebird, the rest was a door car certified to run in the 6s.  Easily $30-$50k in the chassis, he paid $3k.  Dropped the 409 and glide from the Nova in it and went 8s as easy as mowing the lawn.  Sold the Nova and open trailer, used the funds to buy an enclosed trailer.  Hurt the engine.  We tore it down and I found a half dozen cracks in the deck.  He found an uncompleted project engine (632 BBC) and bought if for $6 or $7k, easily $15k worth of parts.  Trouble was going from 600-700HP to 1,500HP required changing a lot (trans, etc.).  In the end, it was in the garage apart for a decade as his business, kids, etc. took precedence.  Ended up selling it for a song with the trailer.  Falls into the category of "fun while it lasted".  The only way I'd do a dedicated race car now would be if one of my kids was super into it and wanted to race.  Otherwise if I can't drive it to the track and drive it home I'm not interested. 
 

Yep, its an expensive hobby, and that's all it ever amounts to for most guys.  Dirt tracks are big in southern Delaware, so every machine shop owner has stories about the local legends that were car builders or drivers.  And yep, guys still cheat in claimer classes where you can buy a competitors engine for a set fee (usually like $5,000 to discourage cheating).  Of course if you've got the money to cheat you don't care about taking a loss on the engine you might have to sell. 

I remember Smokey Yunick talking about how it didn't take any skill to spend a pile of money on a winning car that had all kinds of illegal stuff going on.  At first they had no way to check displacement, so guys would just bore and stroke the heck out of the engine (even going so far as to sleeve every cylinder).  Porting, bigger valves, bigger cams, etc.  Eventually they got wise and figured out ways to test everything, but guys like Smokey still got creative (no porting didn't mean no painting & sanding the paint smooth, and 30 coats later the heads were ported but still technically legal at least in Smokey's eyes!). 

Truth is for most guys it becomes frustrating and expensive.  Gong fast is fun.  Breaking expensive parts every trip to the track less so, especially since it usually means a DNF. 

It's looking more like I will need to go with the Tinman subframe connectors, so I will look at options with these.

Last edited by Toploader (3/30/2024 5:26 AM)