US CarTool applications

[Jsand73440]

Shout out to the US CarTool folks. I just got my frame connectors for my Challenger and i plan on getting them installed this coming weekend. To great being able to get US made products and in a timely manner. So far i have installed the Torque boxes, inner fender braces, and the core support stiffeners. everything has fit well with some minor adjustment. I fully recommend their products.
I don't have my engine or transmission installed, so i plan on using 3 jack stands on each side measured to match in order to support the frame uniformly. Any other suggestions before i start installing?

[Dmod1974]

Have a good grinder with lots and lots of flap discs and wheels ready.  Make sure you have good PPE too; respirator, glasses, ear muffs, etc...  Mine took a ton of grinding and time to get fitted.  Well worth the end results for sure though.

Also, you generally install the connectors before the torque boxes, but nothing more cutting/grinding/welding won't fix.

[jordan]

I installed a similar frame connector from another company.  Same stuff in general.  I tried the grinding and fitting and grinding and fitting.  Took forever.  I rented a plasma cutter for a few hours.  Made quick work of the fitting part.  Once i got it really close, I held the connector in place with a bolt and nut to do the final welding.  Looks great and works even better.  If you dont have a rotisserie, and have to do overhead welding, dont forget to turn up the wire speed, keep most of your heat in the connector, and travel fast to keep from burning a hole through the floor pan.  Totally worth the work. 

[70 Challenger Lover]

What I did was minor grinding to get a halfway decent fit, then weld a few spots to the floor. After that, you can hit the floor from the top side and gently move it to the new cross member your welding in rather than spend hours grinding the new beam to fit perfectly. I think they recommend this method and it works great. Grinding the new piece to fit would not be fun.

I love their products too! They make nice stuff and like you, I love that I'm supporting a US company.

[MoparLeo]

Just a note to other guys out there getting ready to do it too.
Make sure to remove the carpet and insulation. Always have a properly sized and type of fire extinguisher handy. A bucket of water with a towel soaking in it also helps to quickly knock down heat. If possible, do it outside of your garage. Don't want to lose it and your house just in case. S**T happens.

[Jsand73440]

I installed a similar frame connector from another company.  Same stuff in general.  I tried the grinding and fitting and grinding and fitting.  Took forever.  I rented a plasma cutter for a few hours.  Made quick work of the fitting part.  Once i got it really close, I held the connector in place with a bolt and nut to do the final welding.  Looks great and works even better.  If you dont have a rotisserie, and have to do overhead welding, dont forget to turn up the wire speed, keep most of your heat in the connector, and travel fast to keep from burning a hole through the floor pan.  Totally worth the work. 

Just a note to other guys out there getting ready to do it too.
Make sure to remove the carpet and insulation. Always have a properly sized and type of fire extinguisher handy. A bucket of water with a towel soaking in it also helps to quickly knock down heat. If possible, do it outside of your garage. Don't want to lose it and your house just in case. S**T happens.

Have a good grinder with lots and lots of flap discs and wheels ready.  Make sure you have good PPE too; respirator, glasses, ear muffs, etc...  Mine took a ton of grinding and time to get fitted.  Well worth the end results for sure though.

Also, you generally install the connectors before the torque boxes, but nothing more cutting/grinding/welding won't fix.


Great ideas, Thanks

[Dmod1974]

What I did was minor grinding to get a halfway decent fit, then weld a few spots to the floor. After that, you can hit the floor from the top side and gently move it to the new cross member your welding in rather than spend hours grinding the new beam to fit perfectly. I think they recommend this method and it works great. Grinding the new piece to fit would not be fun.

I love their products too! They make nice stuff and like you, I love that I'm supporting a US company.

Agreed.  I didn't grind mine to perfection before tacking in spots; it was that far off that it needed a lot of work to get even close.  I did install AMD front and rear floors though so that may have had something to do with the fitment being off.

[Jsand73440]

Holy crap! What a gut workout. Laid on my back, doing crunches for hours while getting the underside prepped. This is not an easy project, and i sure wish i had done it years ago, when it was on a rotisserie. My fitment is terrible, as I had to replace the original driver side floor pans. Im hoping when i get to the passenger side that it is easier. It's going to be dang awesome when its done, but it sure feels like its going to be 800 milligrams of Ibuprofen  for a while. I'm really tempted to go an buy a cheap Harbor Freight plasma cutter, just to make my adjustments a little easier and faster. Anyone else use a plasma cutter? I have long bolts through the floor holding up the pieces as close as possible, while making my adjustments.

[Jsand73440]

I have the driver side welded on. Half a day just getting  good fit with no gaps. Welding is a mother bear! Laying on my back side doing gut crunches for a couple hours. Blew a few holes through the floor, but otherwise not too bad. I intend on spraying Raptor Liner over the the welded areas and the frame connector. I will grind it some, just to clean up the welds a bit, but it is not going to be easy to get in there and grind. Would it be a good idea to use seam sealer or a product like all metal to cover and push into the welds? The Raptor will cover things up nicely, but using something to smooth out some of the rough welds, would help the appearance some.

[jordan]

If you are building a show car, by all means, grind those welds.  If it is just a car you are going to drive and not stare at the underside for a long time very often, just cover it up and move on.  If you have a big ol booger, clean it up and spray over it.  Usually you wont be staring at the underside of your car too much to make it worth the work.  Just my opinion.  I thought the same thing with my job when i did it.  I haven't thought about it ever since. 

[Dakota]

I have the driver side welded on. Half a day just getting  good fit with no gaps. Welding is a mother bear! Laying on my back side doing gut crunches for a couple hours. Blew a few holes through the floor, but otherwise not too bad. I intend on spraying Raptor Liner over the the welded areas and the frame connector. I will grind it some, just to clean up the welds a bit, but it is not going to be easy to get in there and grind. Would it be a good idea to use seam sealer or a product like all metal to cover and push into the welds? The Raptor will cover things up nicely, but using something to smooth out some of the rough welds, would help the appearance some.

My welding skills are not great, so I used carbide burrs in a die grinder to clean up the welds that my angle grinder couldn't reach. The burrs generate lots of little metal slivers that will stab into your arm if you happen to be working in short sleeves and lay your arm down on top of them.   Ask me how I know. 

[Jsand73440]

Not a show car, but I'm the type that if i could have done it a bit better and use a little more time, i will. I'm going to grind the best i can and then throw some epoxy primer on it and see how it looks after that. Thanks for your thoughts guys.

[Jsand73440]

 Working on the other side now. I did run 2 bolts through the floor to hold the peice up tight against the floor, everything fitting together a lot quicker this time.

[Jsand73440]

Got the sub frame connectors all cleaned up. I was able to grind my welds down somewhat smooth, after that i hit everything with epoxy primer. I even used Eastwood's subframe material to shoot inside for rust prevention. I prepped everything and then shot my raptor liner to match the rest of the floor underneath. Except for the shiny new raptor liner on the frames, you would think it was a factory job. I'm impressed that i was able to do it.
I also bought and installed the small front frame rail support peices. They fit very well with a little work with clamps and welded up very easy.