frame bracing

[Vandal1987]

man that sucker must stop pretty good I bet. I wanted to get a disc brake for the back but gonna run the aluminium drums for the time being till I get the $$. But ordering a set of wilwoods for the front, just the dynalites nothing to crazy still up in the air about going with the slotted and vented ones.... I can be a bit of a form over function plebeian like some many others in my area,(not saying where ) when it comes to some parts that can be easily seen from outside the car.

 

[ALBERTAN]

Just welding the seams up and putting the pipe across the rear cross member makes a huge difference Dean. Chuck and I both contoured the pipe to wrap partially around the spring pocket so it would have a good mount. I've thought about triangulating the rest because I want to do a notch in the frame for tire clearance but just haven't made up my mind yet.

I'm having second thoughts about the rear notch to be honest. I wouldn't personally notch to the inner rail...more likely to the seam in the middle of the frame. That'll give me maybe another inch. That's roughly the difference between a 295 and maybe a 315 tire. And now I'd need a roll bar for peace of mind with the structural integrity out back. Is it worth it? I'm not sure at the moment. I've thought about having the entire frame rails moved in, like what Justin is doing. But that's beyond my skill level. So again it becomes a question of whether it's worth the money. And then there's the suspension geometry issues of moving everything inboard. Analysis paralysis. lol.

 

[charlief1]

The rears are off a 2000 F body and you can get the parts out of a yard. It does require some fab work but I spent around $160 for all the parts. You do need to get all the parts off the rear for the brakes except for the cables.

The fronts are my own conversion using the Blazer brake upgrade. I made my own bracket out of 1/2" plate and am using the 12" 4th gen F body rotor. The caliper is the same size as the A/B body GM front but is wider and has a much larger caliper than the stock one. This is a pic of the bracket mounted to the knuckle and the three different brakes. Stock, Blazer, and the 12" conversion.

 

[charlief1]

I'm having second thoughts about the rear notch to be honest. I wouldn't personally notch to the inner rail...more likely to the seam in the middle of the frame. That'll give me maybe another inch. That's roughly the difference between a 295 and maybe a 315 tire. And now I'd need a roll bar for peace of mind with the structural integrity out back. Is it worth it? I'm not sure at the moment. I've thought about having the entire frame rails moved in, like what Justin is doing. But that's beyond my skill level. So again it becomes a question of whether it's worth the money. And then there's the suspension geometry issues of moving everything inboard. Analysis paralysis. lol.

I'm only looking for one more inch of clearance so it shouldn't be an issue. I'm also planning (if I do it) on adding some 1/4" plate on the back to stiffen it up some.