summit brand

[fordmuscle395]

Anybody here familiar with Summit racing brand subframe connectors? They sell em for a really good price...i dont really see how you could screw up subframe connectors, well i take that back, i guess not fitting right would be slight problem, hah. you get what you pay for. is this true?

 

[Gearbanger 101]

For the most part....sub frame connectors are sub frame connectors. As long as they're weld in and full length, I doubt you'll ever notice a difference between them and the high dollar brand. Not sure if they come with cross bracing or not? Cross bracing adds another measure of strength by tying them into the floor plan...but my guess is that the major difference lies in the finish (ex powder coat vs. paint, or bare finish), more than anything else.

 

[fordmuscle395]

i know BBK has a set that has welding points directly under the seat...something to look at i guess

 

[LiquidGT]

Summit doesn’t actually ''make'' parts, their thermostat is a Stant for example; the Summit SFC should be fine. My buddy got some generic sub frames from Blue Oval Industries and they looked pretty good, we bolted them to the seats and welded the ends. The cross brace just bolts to the studs on the rear seat bolts to reinforce the seat and stiffen the chassis a little more.

IMO I would look for a set of "full length" sub frames, especially for a fox.

 

[NIKwoaC]

Finish, tube geometry, material and gauge all affect how well a SFC works and how long it lasts. Personally, I wouldn't skimp on something you permanently weld onto your car. Look into good aftermarket brands like Maximum Motorsports or Steeda.

 

[Gearbanger 101]

Finish, tube geometry, material and gauge all affect how well a SFC works and how long it lasts. Personally, I wouldn't skimp on something you permanently weld onto your car. Look into good aftermarket brands like Maximum Motorsports or Steeda.

While I agree with you in terms of over all, all out strength and quality, the differences between them is still going to marginal at best. It’s not like we’re talking about an intricate functioning piece of equipment with multiple mechanical moving parts here. A square peg in a square hole is always going to be a square peg in a square hole, no matter what it's made out of or how well it’s polished. Spending the big bucks on a high end set to me is like trying to kill a house fly with a sledge hammer. Sure it gets the job done, but you could have done it just as effectively with a rolled up newspaper.

He (or anybody for that matter) is never going to realize the difference between a generic set made in a local welding shop and a high end set (assume they both utilize the same relative design) once they’re welded into place. And those who really want to get serious about road racing, or drag racing skip the sub frame connectors altogether and go with a 6-8 point cage to improve the over all integrity of the chassis anyway.

 

[NIKwoaC]

I guess my biggest concern with SFCs would be resistance to rust, longevity and fit. While I agree with you somewhat on the flyswatter analogy, cheaply made parts have a tendency to fit poorly. Also, a cheap grade steel with a weak coating (or none at all) is going to rust out and possibly fail over the years. One thing I noticed is some SFCs may not be sealed at both ends, or have cupped bends, which could cause them to collect or pool moisture and accelerate corrosion.

Of course, half the battle is having a good welder do a good job putting them on. I paid 200$ to install my MM SFCs, and I was less than thrilled with the speed and quality of the shop that I went with.

 

[Gearbanger 101]

For reffernce sake....I made the SFC on my old LX with some 1 1/2 x 3 1/2 12-gauge mild steel square tubing. They were full length, cross braced and welded in. Cost me all of about $40 to build. I cleaned them up, gave them a coat of green zinc primer and a couple of coats of gloss black and never looked back. The car was stiff as a board the whole time I owned it and six years later when I sold the car they still looked like the day they did when I installed them.

Really, really cheaply made SFC's (like the stock ones on the SN95 Verts) with poor welds and/or thin wall tubeing might flex or crack over time, but can be spotted fairly easily. But if they look and feel fairly well built, there's a 99% chance that you're not going to have any issues with them.

 

[fordmuscle395]

hell, i reckon i could fab 'em myself. When I still had my Fairlane i couldent buy squat for it....had to make everything. Even though, I looked at maximum motorsports full lengths and they sure look like they would be nicely built. I appreciate all the feedback!

 

[squeak93]

Blue oval industies. 50 bucks, well made, nice and heavy. Bolt to the seats as stated above. My car with a 351 and no front sway bar has great corner characteristics...... Oddly enough.

 

[orangecapri]

I have a set of the summit brand sfc's sitting in my garage waiting to get welded in. The quality looks good. Their heavy so their not cheap thin metal. They are painted gloss black(really thick) so it may be powdercoated. They are full length also. Only thing I wish they had was the seat bracket so their easier to weld up.