How to Install Subframe Connectors

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual

When you install subframe connectors on your car, you increase the strength and rigidity of its unibody. The connectors need to be welded, not bolted, to the vehicle. If you don’t have the equipment and skills to complete the job, take your car to a professional to install the subframe connectors. It is possible to bolt-in the connectors, but to make your chassis the strongest it can be, welding is the way to go. Follow the instructions below to stop torque from literally tearing your car apart.

Steps

1. 1
   Check the front and rear of the car for rust or weakened spots. Repair these spots before you install subframe connectors.
2. 2
   Remove all carpeting and other interior pieces that will be near the heat from the welding process. This helps to prevent fires inside the car while you’re welding.
3. 3
   Lift the car either with a drive-on style lift or by driving the car onto 4 car ramps (1 ramp per tire).
4. 4
   Move the fuel line and the fuel tank out of the way.
5. 5
   Mark the locations where you want to weld the connectors with the white grease pencil.
6. 6
   Clean all surfaces with the wire wheel attached to a drill. Strip all mounting points on the car and mounting plates on the connectors down to bare metal.
7. 7
   Raise the subframe connectors into place and hammer them into place with the rubber mallet.
   • If your connectors have a bolt-in option, bolt one side in to help hold the connector in place during welding.
   • Verify there are no gaps greater than 1/8-inch.
8. 8
   Secure the connectors to the car using 6-inch clamps.
   • The connector needs to be flush with the inner rail, but don’t be concerned if the outer connector doesn’t align with the body of the car.
9. 9
   Weld the connectors in place at the front and back. This will take a while. One estimate suggests that it takes a welder 1 hour to solidly attach both connectors.
   • The weld needs to run around the connector mounting plates and the car’s subframe.
   • If your connectors include end caps, secure the end caps and weld them in place as well.
10. 10
    Reattach the fuel line and replace the fuel tank.
11. 11
    Replace all interior pieces that were removed at the beginning of the process.

Tips

• Some choose to paint over their subframe connectors after the welding process.

Warnings

• Wear protective equipment and follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for all of the tools used during the installation process.
• Take great care when removing oil, transmission fluids and road grime from the car as it can ignite when it heats up from the friction of the wire wheel.

Things You'll Need

• Drive-on style lift or 4 car ramps
• White grease pencil or other marker
• Wire wheel attached to drill
• Rubber mallet
• 6-inch clamps
• Welding equipment
• Subframe connectors to fit your chassis

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Install Subframe Connectors . All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.