Subframe Connectors
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svt4cobra6
Registered User
I went with the MM full lengths as well. Used ramps and the welding was a pain because of limited space. Recommend using at least a mig welder with the Argon gas. Much more confidence in corners now, There is no seat flex now as the subframes connect to the base of the seats. Definately a lot of welding.
cobraracer46
Banned
No, The Hans subframe connectors are NOT the best. Why? The "ladder bar" set up only adds unnecessary weight. How can I prove this point? Imagine a floor of a house or the frame work under a bridge. You can run a million 2X4's on a floor and it would never be very stiff. This 2X4 approach is the reason why the Hans ladder bar system does not work. Now next time you go under a bridge, take a look at the supporting frame work under the roadway and you will see some very deep girders. Getting back to the floor of a house example, build a floor with a few 2X12's and you will have a far stiffer floor than if you had a ton of 2X4's because the 2X12's have a deep vertical span that resists bending.
Maximum motorsports and Griggs do not make "ladder bar" style subframes because they know such a system only adds weight with no real increase in stiffness.
On a side note, the Kenny Brown subframe connectors are some of the worst mustang chassis stiffeners you can buy so avoid them.:dw:
As for the best subframe connector set up on the market, Griggs gets my vote. I have welded in a set of Maximum Motorsports subframes and I recommend them, plus they will work with the griggs upper set as well. If you buy a complete Griggs frame kit, you get lower, upper subframes and all of the bulkhead stiffening plates in one shot.
Here I am installing and welding in a "Griggs frame kit" in my 2001 Cobra convertible. Griggs is the best because a standard lower subframe connector(my cobra already had a set of Global West lower subframes without the ladder crap) is welded in the middle to a set of upper frame rails complete with bulkhead stiffeners. This system is more like having a set of 4X12's instead of a bunch of 2x4's and adds a ton of stiffness.
Bulkhead plates welded in to the B pillar and rear seat area.
Completed install, only the rear portion of the upper rail of the Griggs frame kit is visible from inside the car.
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No doubt that's a very nice setup but you have admit it is a whole another level of installation/fabrication.
those are definitely the funk. how often does anyboby ever ride in the back seat anyway?? I'll either get MM or Steeda Full lengths and call it a day. it's just a street car, my see some time at an SVTOA event here and there that's about it. don't think i'll need more than either of those 2 brands.
I have the Hans in my vert, and after extensive research, came to the conclusion that they are the best for my needs. As to the guy making the comparison with the Griggs setup... well, if you are building a full-on track whore, then the Griggs is definitely the best, but for an all around great setup, the Hans is hard to beat. I get the point about the orientation of a truss-type design (I am a design engineer). The part that you are not looking at, though, is the Hans truss design is not intended to add strength in the same manner as your example of a bridge truss. There are other forces at play, where this design will be very beneficial - namely, twisting/torsion. If you have these installed with the rear STB, and a good front setup, you have a fully connected perimeter frame that will work as a "unit". It is more the sum of the parts, than the individual rails that make the package complete. Like JymBart pointed out, just the extra bracing along the rockers makes them worthwhile, even if it didn't help with the torsional rigidity at all!
I have a large Miller 251 Mig w/ a huge tank of 75/25.
No, The Hans subframe connectors are NOT the best. Why? The "ladder bar" set up only adds unnecessary weight. How can I prove this point? Imagine a floor of a house or the frame work under a bridge. You can run a million 2X4's on a floor and it would never be very stiff. This 2X4 approach is the reason why the Hans ladder bar system does not work. Now next time you go under a bridge, take a look at the supporting frame work under the roadway and you will see some very deep girders. Getting back to the floor of a house example, build a floor with a few 2X12's and you will have a far stiffer floor than if you had a ton of 2X4's because the 2X12's have a deep vertical span that resists bending.
Maximum motorsports and Griggs do not make "ladder bar" style subframes because they know such a system only adds weight with no real increase in stiffness.
On a side note, the Kenny Brown subframe connectors are some of the worst mustang chassis stiffeners you can buy so avoid them.:dw:
As for the best subframe connector set up on the market, Griggs gets my vote. I have welded in a set of Maximum Motorsports subframes and I recommend them, plus they will work with the griggs upper set as well. If you buy a complete Griggs frame kit, you get lower, upper subframes and all of the bulkhead stiffening plates in one shot.
Here I am installing and welding in a "Griggs frame kit" in my 2001 Cobra convertible. Griggs is the best because a standard lower subframe connector(my cobra already had a set of Global West lower subframes without the ladder crap) is welded in the middle to a set of upper frame rails complete with bulkhead stiffeners. This system is more like having a set of 4X12's instead of a bunch of 2x4's and adds a ton of stiffness.
Bulkhead plates welded in to the B pillar and rear seat area.
Completed install, only the rear portion of the upper rail of the Griggs frame kit is visible from inside the car.
Now THAT looks like a fun project! nice work man! Do you have a link to that kit? I don't want something prohibitively expensive. :beer:
I was wanting to install subframe connectors and also IRS shock tower brace, but these pics make it look like the connectors hang down pretty far. Are there any ones with better clearance?
also, how much do these things weigh? I want to stiffen the chassis, but I don't want to be adding weight.
also, how much do these things weigh? I want to stiffen the chassis, but I don't want to be adding weight.
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