Frame Conectors instructions

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Cudafever

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I have a set of MP "Bolt on" Frame Connectors.
They have been setting in the corner of my garage for many a years. Pulled them out the other day and there are no instruction with them.

It says bolt on,(comes with a bag of bolts) but it look like I will be make some holes in to these to make them bolt on..........Am i missing something?

How have you Installed these?
 
Bolt on is just adding weight......they will be tight for a short while and then provide less stiffness than you hoped for.
Weld them in , or have it done.
It shouldn't be that expensive or difficult if you have to farm the job out.
I used 2X3 .125 wall tubing and tied the rear foot wells ( floor ) into the connectors where they came through the floor......they T at the torsion bar crossmember and slip into the rear sub frame rails.........just doing that made the car so tight that when I put my floor jack on the spring perch in front of the rear tires , the whole side of the car comes up.
The reason for installing them gets lost with a bolt in application.

Edited to add........you can use the kit , but just have it welded in in addition to or instead of the bolts. You won't regret it.
 
If you fit them up you will be able to see where the bolts need to go, and you can mark for the holes.

If at all possible it's way better to weld them in.

Oops, we both did it. :)
Mine are 2x3x.085 wall laying flat, and fitting over the rear subframe sections.
 
Cudafever said:
I have a set of MP "Bolt on" Frame Connectors.
They have been setting in the corner of my garage for many a years. Pulled them out the other day and there are no instruction with them.

It says bolt on,(comes with a bag of bolts) but it look like I will be make some holes in to these to make them bolt on..........Am i missing something?

How have you Installed these?
Click to expand...

I would do as suggested and weld them, much less flex factor, IMO.

First order of business is to make sure the car is LEVEL. Place jack stands safely under the LCA's or blocks under the tires or both. Place jack stands under the rear end. You will want the full weight on the suspension.

Level, level and level! After you have the car level make sure your doors open and close the way they are supposed to.

Clean the areas on the frame where the holes are and plug weld in that area and then around the outside edges.
 
I'm not a fabricator, but it look like i will be doing a lot of cutting and drilling just to get them to fit the sub fame in the rear.
Driver side will have to be notch to clear the e-brake bracket and the passenger side will have to be notched to clear the brake line bracket.

Well i do know how to us a die grinder and a drill. Been putting this off for to many years now, just going to have to do it!

What confused me the most, was the flat plate with the two holes drilled in it. I though that it bolted to the leaf springs front bracket, but the holes didn't line up.:violent1:
Turned it around and it makes a little bit more sense.
 
Bad Sport said:
I would do as suggested and weld them, much less flex factor, IMO.

First order of business is to make sure the car is LEVEL. Place jack stands safely under the LCA's or blocks under the tires or both. Place jack stands under the rear end. You will want the full weight on the suspension.

Level, level and level! After you have the car level make sure your doors open and close the way they are supposed to.

Clean the areas on the frame where the holes are and plug weld in that area and then around the outside edges.
Click to expand...

Level i hadn't thought much about. Jack stands are on the rear axle, but front ones are on front sub frame. Not the suspension.
 
Cudafever said:
I'm not a fabricator, but it look like i will be doing a lot of cutting and drilling just to get them to fit the sub fame in the rear.
Driver side will have to be notch to clear the e-brake bracket and the passenger side will have to be notched to clear the brake line bracket.

Well i do know how to us a die grinder and a drill. Been putting this off for to many years now, just going to have to do it!

What confused me the most, was the flat plate with the two holes drilled in it. I though that it bolted to the leaf springs front bracket, but the holes didn't line up.:violent1:
Turned it around and it makes a little bit more sense.
Click to expand...

Jegs has a few different sets and if you look at the product description they have instructions.
Just select the kind you have and look at the product details page.
 
Well it has been kicking my ars. The rear sub frame is bent out and cause my front attaching point to point directly over my torsion mount. Something is going to have to be bent to make the connector fit.

I took my jack stand off of the front segment and us a smaller stand under the lower control arm, but didn't help much. I'm having my son bring back my car ramps so i can support the front end as if it was on the ground.

Hopefully thing will fit a little bit better then.
 
Evanston Wy

I haven't had a chance to do a thing with it. Past two week, to much work. and today......a family party i didn't know anything about.

The rear sub frame rails really are bent into the center of the car. I can't decide if it was this way, from me racing it all these years, with out, a frame connector(low 14 sec car, can't image my little o'l 340 do this damage)

Or it happen from all the off road damage i see (NOT FROM ME, and i have owned it for almost 20 years now)

Or the rear sub frame was just spot welded together like this on the assemble line?(both sides are shaped the same way and no spot welds cracked or pulling apart.

The car goes straight down the road Never had a problem with it being able to be aligned. No buckled quarter panels.

The only rust on the car is in the lower quarter panels, and rear of trunk.
 
I just made my set from steel tubes and welded them on, piece of cake and have about $20.00 invested...I wouldn't mess around with trying to fit one that was bent....too bad you're not near Az, I'd put it on the lift & do it for ya!!!
 
Cudafever said:
The rear sub frame rails really are bent into the center of the car. I can't decide if it was this way, from me racing it all these years, with out, a frame connector(low 14 sec car, can't image my little o'l 340 do this damage)
Click to expand...

Post a couple of good pics of what you got going on. It would be easier to give better advice.
 
lol, no i actually installed c clamps to the sub frame connector at the rear segment and them poled on the connector, until it was in a place that i could attach it to the from segment.


At that point i stopped, and got on here for some advice before i really f it up.

I will try and get some pictures and post them up later on today or tomorrow.

varmintjcl, i wish you were close as well.
 
well i hope these pic show up!
This first one is with a floor jack holding it in place at rear segment. It point right over the torsion bar mount.
IMG_000010.jpg
The 2nt and 3d show how much i had to bend the rear to make it fit on the from segment.
I held the rear segment of the sub frame in place with several C clamps and then pulled the front part outward, to clear the torsion mount. That's how much i had to bend it to make it line up, up front.

IMG_000008 (2).jpg

IMG_000014 (2).jpg

I can't get a pic to show the bow but this one can kinda show how the sum frame tips to the center of the car.
IMG_000015.jpg
took a pic from the rear of the car forward but don't show the angle either

IMG_000012.jpg
 

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Yes, your rear sub frame is bent if you put the connector on the back and this is how it lined up at the front?

attachment.php


Time to go to a good bodyshop that has a frame machine.
 
the only other thing you could do is put a cut in the tube at some point to put a v-notch so you could pull the tube back to the outside of the torsion mount. then weld up the cut you made.

but you really need to get the frame straight. because any other work you do will have the same outcome
 
I would have to travel at least 150 miles to find a frame shop.

It would be in SLC Utah, any one know of a trusted one.

And how much money would it cost to do this.


It don't pull going down the road, or pull on the steering wheel when i launch, at the starting line.

going to crow all over the undercarriage and try to make a decision..................
 
Cudafever said:
I would have to travel at least 150 miles to find a frame shop. ...going to crow all over the undercarriage and try to make a decision..................
Click to expand...

Do you have the Factory Body Service Manual? If not you need to get a copy for your year and make/model. In the back of the Body Manual there are body and frame alignment dimensions. You can use these to determine if you're frame/body is out of spec. Park your car on a flat level surface (your garage), use the reference points in the manual, use a plumb bob and mark points on tape stuck to your garage floor.
 
you can get the frame spec sheet off Ebay I bought one and it covers alot of A-body year models.

if I can find mine I will try and post a pic of it.

if you have a welder and basic grinder with a cutoff wheel and some other hand tools you can make what you have work.

put the car on jack stands. put it only under frame sections not moving suspension.

using the door sil as a place to put a level front to back and see what you have.

then take a long piece of material that is straight lay it from door to door sil, you mave have to take the seats out and make sure you go over the trans tunnel and see if level side to side. that will tell you if the car is twisted.

from the looks of the frame damage it looks like it was hit in the rear.
 
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