US CAR TOOL Frame Connector Questions

[longarm]

I bought US Car Tool connectors and will be installing them
in the near future.
I will be fitting these then bolting them in until I can get it
to a shop for final welding.
Any advise on brake cable and lines, fuel lines and exhaust
problems that will arise.
This is a 70 Dart, stock fuel tank, Hooker headers, H pipe with
full 2 1/2" exhaust and a driveshaft loop.
I have not ran the fuel/brake lines or installed the exhaust although
I do have it all.

I also added some pics of MP connectors that I returned to Jegs
for reference between the two different types.
The return was because the MPs looked anemic and the welds
were not good and some were missing altogether.

 

[Rbob]

I marked where the lines will cross the subframe connectors, drilled some big holes for the cable to go thru and stuck a round pry bar in the hole and changed the angle of the hole. Also had to re-route the fuel line.

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[Moparnutt340]

^^^^^ Like he said, and great pics
In mine I made the holes oval about 1" high and 2-3" long
Prepare to do a ton of grinding to get them to fit flush to the floor. I spent hours getting them just right.
On the driver side I notched out a 1" space where the brake line passes through and just left the line in place
Pass side I put a hole through cross frame straight off the end of the frame tie and ran fuel line straight through, clipped to inside of frame rail. I think there may have even been a small hole there already but I'm running bigger steel braided fuel line
Also, make sure the full weight of the car is on all 4 wheels when welding them in, otherwise the chassis will warp quite easily.

Once they are in you will love them. Really stiffened up my car a bunch

 

[longarm]

Thanks guys!!
Great pictures and sweet install.
I knew there would be mods to fit the floor
and have not run any lines or exhaust yet
because of all the unknowns.
Hoping to get them installed pretty soon so
I can do all the rest.

 

[jefflock]

I installed a piece of tubing at an angle in the cross member for the emergency brake cable to pass thru. On the fuel and brake lines I ran new ones along the new frame connectors.

 

[longarm]

I'm about ready to weld in the US Car Tool frame ties.
A couple of pics of the fitment.
These ties are being held in place by a single metal screw
at each end.
No grinding, fit perfect.
I need to run a wire brush along the weld site seams
to make sure everything is shiny clean and its off to the welder.

 

[dartnabout]

I see some have welded these on while the car is on a rotisserie. Has anyone had issues and if the car is currently on a rotisserie how can I make sure the doors will shut? I can't take it off but with the whole bottom clean I would like to install these.

 

[FJ5]

These connectors stiffen the car soooo much I wouldn't consider welding them on without the weight of the car on the suspension and the car level. I can jack up one corner and the whole car lifts up on that side. My floor pans were replaced and must not have been in the exact spot they were supposed to be in, because I too spent hours grinding and fitting them

 

[76orangewagon]

I see some have welded these on while the car is on a rotisserie. Has anyone had issues and if the car is currently on a rotisserie how can I make sure the doors will shut? I can't take it off but with the whole bottom clean I would like to install these.

I installed mine on the rotisserie and reinforced the door opening, my rotisserie came with bolt in door bar reinforcements but you could tack weld some 1" square tubing also. Everything fit like a glove during assembly.

 

[jbc426]

I welded mine on with the car on the ground using 4 jackstands. One pair under the rearend and the other under the front K-member attaching bolts.

My car has the 4 torque box plates from the factory. I had to slot the rear ones to fit the US Cartool frame stiffeners up onto the frame and then welded them closed.

Make sure you mark a line where the e-brake cable runs, so you can drill a hole like the first responding poster did. The fuel lines can pass through the connectors at the opening near the front of the connector. I had plenty of room for feed and return there. I also made a custom cross-over using the Summit exhaust kit.

Obviously I removed the front seats and carpet, ground down to clean metal along the underside of floor pan where they would be welded, and did about an hour of grinding per side to get them tight up against the floor. Once the bars are tack welded into the correct place, saved myself a lot of time by using a large rubber mallet to close up some of the remaining gaps by pounding the floor down a millimeter or two along the sub-frame connector. Once welded up completely, I used 50 year black roof flashing caulking to seal the welds on the underside. It was the paintable type.

Do yourself a favor and at the least add the front frame logitudinal brace. The one that goes just under and behind the radiator, but before the swaybar. Once you add that, you'll want to add the under fender shock tower braces and weld your shock towers solidly to the inner fenderwells.

Adding the subframe connectors is the best bang for the buck. However, if you are in a position to add the entire frame stiffening kit from US Cartool, go for it. It totally transforms the entire car and eliminates cowl shake.

 

[72bluNblu]

I see some have welded these on while the car is on a rotisserie. Has anyone had issues and if the car is currently on a rotisserie how can I make sure the doors will shut? I can't take it off but with the whole bottom clean I would like to install these.

I installed mine on the rotisserie and reinforced the door opening, my rotisserie came with bolt in door bar reinforcements but you could tack weld some 1" square tubing also. Everything fit like a glove during assembly.

Ross is right on. :thumbup:

There are dozens of people on this site and others that have installed these, and other, frame connectors with the car on a rotisserie. I have yet to see anyone that's done it that way say they had issues with body fits, alignments, etc. With appropriate precautions (door bars, etc) it shouldn't be an issue. Same goes for the car not sitting on it's suspension for installation. If you don't have the means to weld the connectors in with the car on it's wheels, level the car and support it near the suspension points. Check to make sure your door gaps and body fits are what you want, then weld away.

I would always recommend using some kind of door reinforcement while the car is on a rotisserie anyway, just like I would always recommend making sure your door gaps/body fits are right before installing any chassis reinforcements. But honestly, I've never seen a thread or talked to anyone that messed up their body fits or alignments by adding frame connectors, regardless of the method of installation. I'm sure it can be done, but I think it's probably harder to do than most folks seem to think.

 

[rod440]

I just got my US Cartool connectors and have a question about where they weld to the rear of the torsion bar crossmember. The inner sides of the connectors angle back leaving a big gap between the top of the connector and the crossmember. Are these screwed up or am I missing something here?

 

[76orangewagon]

I just got my US Cartool connectors and have a question about where they weld to the rear of the torsion bar crossmember. The inner sides of the connectors angle back leaving a big gap between the top of the connector and the crossmember. Are these screwed up or am I missing something here?

If you look at my pictures in post #9 it should give you an idea of exact location, they should go inline with the factory frame rails. I also cut the tab off mine.

 

[76orangewagon]

Here's a few more pics I found that might help you