Bolt in frame connectors
So am I going to get this right? You buy the ones that bolt in and then cut the front off because it doesn't bolt on right and then weld it all in? How much are those things again? This is the piece of rectangle iron with ends welded on correct?
There's nothing wrong with the front mount, it works just fine as a landing plate although it is a little small. On some cars you might need to drill a hole in it for the parking brake.
You have to keep in mind that not everyone has fabrication skills, or a welder, or can weld. Sure, you can make a set yourself for well under a $100 in material costs depending on the metal you use, what you have available locally for sources and how you do the landing plates. That's what I did. But it also took me the better part of a couple days to measure everything out, get the metal, make all the cuts, do the welding, get them fit and trimmed etc. and do the installation.
So, if you're considering your labor time to make a set of subframe connectors and you consider "paying yourself" more than minimum wage, buying a set of connectors for a couple hundred bucks that you can just bolt in and be done with in an hour doesn't look so bad. If I picked up an overtime shift at work instead of building my own connectors I could have probably bought connectors for
several of my cars. I fabricated the set of for my Duster, and I was glad I did. I bought the set for my Challenger (hotchkis), and was glad I did. The Hotchkis ones are definitely prettier than mine, although I don't expect they actually work any better.
Lots of different ways to do this stuff. If you're money poor, time rich, and can fabricate then building your own is the way to go. If you're short on time and have some extra bucks, or can't fabricate, there's nothing wrong with paying someone else the money to do the fabrication work and install.