Frame Connectors
Nothing can make you nervous about a car more than taking one apart and seeing how simply it is put together.
The Mustang being a uni-body car doesn’t really make me feel all comfy and warm about dropping a race based engine into it and feeling certain that the body won’t twist like a pretzel if the rear tires manage to find grip during hard acceleration.
I’m feeling cocky after having spent the last couple years getting comfortable with a Mig welder. My welds are still ugly but they’re not all boogered.
I have the floor out of the car and before I get the replacement one back in, wouldn’t this be the perfect time to put frame connectors in? Yeah, I agree. I do a little research and decide on a simple set of connectors from Tin Man fabrication. CJ Pony has a video on installing these things. It’s not all that complicated.
The front of the connector fits into the end of the front floor support/frame rail and the rear section welds to the inner edge of the rear frame rail. Did I mention this is a weld in kit? Yeah, it’s a weld in piece.
I performed the usual test fits more to get a my mental image of how it will line up and check for any interference. It all lines up well so I burn through a can of epoxy primer on the frame connectors and after drying over night a can of satin black as a base is applied. I give it a day to dry. Yes, I taped off the areas I’ll be welding so as not to contaminate the weld.
Using a combination of jack stands and Vice Grip locking clamps, the frame connectors are secured in place and I do ugly things with the welder. Thank God this is under the car and hard to see. I’m also happy to be doing this with the floor out of the way. The video I saw had the guy using an automotive rotisserie. He was able to flip the car onto its side and do his welding while standing upright. Not that I had any bad experience with my welding.
I did grab a bubble level and an electronic one and checked to make sure the car was sitting level before the connectors were welded in. Fingers crossed.