[russosborne]

One of the things on my list to do before I get the car on the road(may be a year or 3 down the road) is to add subframes. I can't weld, (no equipment and no skill), so are bolt on ones going to be ok (street driven, mild 302 and C4) for now? Also, I have seen prices range from $59 to over $100. Again, for my purposes how do I tell what is good enough and what would be overkill? If welding is really that much better, what could I expect to pay, realising that this is very dependent on location, etc. Just looking for some ballpark numbers.
The same questions go for a Roll Bar. 4 point.
Yes, I hope at some point to maybe be able to take a community college type course on welding, but that is several years away at this point.
Thanks.

 

[TheShagg]

If you can afford a good welder, you can teach yourself for free. I taught myself and im confident in 90% of my work now.

 

[RaSMG]

the best is probably to get the bolt in ones for now and then if you ever have access to welding you can weld them in later. i use a set of competition engineering 'bolt in' subframe connectors i got from summit for like $90. there are other brands and such, i heard someone sells some on [censored] for cheaper too. be sure not to actually buy ones that are 'weld in' cause those require you to move the leaf springs in and new rear frame rails and cutout the floor pans and crap, just get the bolt in ones and weld them in if you want. as for a roll bar, the common 4 pt roll bar for our old cars are made by autopower. there are lots of places that sell them but the guys at www.streetortrack.com have the bset prices and the best service, good luck.

 

[Lightning]

Ive got a set of weld in connectors stashed on a shlef in my garage, theres no cutting, removing the leaf springs or any other crazy stuff to install them. Just get them located where you want and weld them in.... Id let them go for $50 + the cost of shipping if someone were to want them..theyre just taking up space. I know this isnt the classified board.. just trying to help fellow vmf'er.

 

[Joelcooze]

I am very happy with the sub frame connectors from Canadian Mustang/American mustang these were about 80 bucks and can be bolted or welded (I chose to weld) very good fit and no significant loss of ground clearance. I would use them again in the future. They came with bolts included.

 

[maddhatteroo7]

honestly...go out, find a good honest welder or a friend that knows how to weld very well, and let them do it if u can afford it....because IMO...over time those bolts could get a little loose if u dont tighten them or anything or keep an eye on it....but the welds can crack if u have a bad welder...there's both pro's and con's to it....but id have to go w\the welds

 

[sharkmouth]

In your shoes, I would probably buy the bolt ons.......once their fit and finish was assesed, I'd remove them, treat the parts of the unibody where they attach for corrosion protection, and get a muffler shop to weld them.

 

[twotoots2]

Sharkmouth has a good point. Get your connectors and have a muffler shop weld them on. They have the facilities and the lift to do it. And its a simple welding job. Wouldn't take them over an hour.

I welded mine on in the belief that I needed extra strength and rigidity in the floor pan area as I replaced my floors. Bolt ons, IMO, would tend to pivot or hinge at the bolt connections, therefore negating the benefits of having a rigid 'frame' underneath the car.

 

[gp001]

make SURE the friend/family member/ or person you pay KNOWS how to weld. When I put my TCP subframes on I had just started welding and wasn't confident in my welds. My friend says his brother is a good welder so I let him do it. When my friend and I return the welds looked like....well.... poop. My friend offered to buy new subframes and pay a professional to install them. I laughed and said if they break I would weld them back and clean it up when I paint.

As far as the roll bar I second the recommendation for an Autopower setup from streetortrack.com. The roll bar is a simple enough install. You can read about my install (complete with a Bill from StreetorTrack install tip) on my website

www.2mfffabshop.com