I have been thinking of adding sub-frames for my next upgrade.

The issue I have with the Tin Man ones is I am not a big fan of chopping up my front rail.

 

my front framerails were already in rough shape from years of being jacked on. Inserting the Tinman square tubing and working it into place actually straightened them out. The only point being cut is the end cap, and drilling spot welds.

 

Now that you mention it...mine have a few "dents" where it appears someone through the years went a little crazy with the floor jack.

Adding the Tin Man helped straighten them? That could well be a selling point for me.

 

While the tinman SFC do get welded around the trans cross member in the front that only starts the front connections. You also drill 3 to 6 holes in the front trans cross member to plug/spot weld through into the tinman connecters where they slide inside the rails. This makes for a very strong front connection. This information is included with their product on an Installation Sheet.

There is no need to chop up the front rails. The tabs that most people cut off are actually just bent in ends of the rails. If you don't want to cut them off just bend them out straight. Really though.. your about to weld non-original parts to the car.. worrying about cutting off these small tabs shouldn't bother you.

 

You can see how mine was welded around the perimeter as well as 4 spot welds in the frame rail.

 

Super64, if you want something "that looks like it has always been there" you might want to check out spintech. They make a subframe connector that is 'U' shaped with flanges made from stamped steel and looks like it should have been put on at the factory. They fit over the front and rear sub frames and are welded to them as well as the floor. They are more expensive than most. I can't comment on its rigidity since I have nothing to compare it to and my project is in the paint stage now. I suspect other manufactures have a stronger subframes but I won't be racing mine and suspect it will add a fair amount of stiffness.

http://www.spintechmufflers.com/spin...ntechindex.asp

 

Cruzzar,
That's exactly what I'm talking about! Could I get a muffler shop to weld those on?

Is your car a convertible?

Seriously, Thanks!
Brian

 

I have been looking at the Spintech SFC for a while now as I am running side exhaust supposedly are made for that sort of application. Did you notice any difference in rigidity after installing them? Was the difference worth the hassle? Do you have any additional picture, namely closer to the front of the rear tires? Thanks in advance!

These were the pics I was able to find online:

 

Super64, a muffler shop could weld them on. No more difficult than a tube type connector. I did spend a little time making sure I got a tight fit onto the bottom of the car. I chose to do a series of rosette welds, some from the bottom up to the original sub frames and the others from inside the car to the flange on the new subframe. My car is a '70FB, not a convert.

Sentipede, I have not driven the car yet, it is still in the construction process. Here's some more pics.



I added the angle plate to the back of the connector to close it off.

 

The spin tech ones have a drawback in there design.Its a u shape not a box which makes it weaker they are only good if you want side exhaust.Most of us like the tinman ones because they are square tubing and once you weld them in they look stock to most.The rest of the aftermarket ones are round tubes the best of those are global west they sell a outer rocker support kit which stiffens the hell out of a unibody car.If you have a convertible car double check any before you buy the floor pan is different on a convertible then a coupe/fastback.