GoHardZ28

So I installed a set on my Z28 today and took it out for a drive and it really didnt feel any difference. My T tops still rattle and the car doesnt feel any stiffer what so ever. So what are the purpose of these things, besides keeping your body lines straight?

Also, the instructions said to keep load the front and rear suspension when tightening the bolts. I made sure the rear stayed loaded but I could not load the front properly(not possible at the location I was at). I do have UMI LCA's, LCA Relocations, and and on-car adj. panhard rod. So i know thw rear-end must be loaded but why the front?

Trans Am Jam

iTrader: (7)

to be quite honest, it's constantly being questioned if SFCs are that beneficial.... if at all.

02Z28LS1

iTrader: (2)

keeping all 4 corners properly loaded when installing stuff under the car is actually fairly easy....just get some cinder blocks and/or stacks of those 12" x 12" x 1.5" square concrete landscaping blocks......jack the car up, push those blocks under the wheel, then let it down again....then repeat for the other 3 corners.

just make sure you have some wheel chocks (pieces of 2x4 or 4x4 wood should work) in front of and behind 2 of the wheels to keep it from rolling off, and engage the parking brake as well.

as for why you don't feel much of a difference with the SFC's installed....i don't really have any experience with them personally, so i couldn't really tell you. you may try making sure to load the suspension properly, then loosening/re-tightening the bolts again, then drive it again to see if it made any difference. i would also recommend that you use some type of threadlocker on the bolts/nuts to make sure they don't back out over time. and if it's something that you feel that you are gonna keep on the car permanently, i would then take it somewhere and have them welded in, to get rid of any possibility that they will ever move around on you.

Striker

iTrader: (1)

I'd get them if I knew for a FACT that they will NOT cause quarter panel dimples (or torque dimples)

02Z28LS1

iTrader: (2)

SFC's won't cause the dimples, but many people do believe that they will prevent them....in other words, other than weight, cost and time, it doesn't hurt anything to put SFC's on the car, but there is a possibility that it could hurt to not have them on.

but again, that is a pretty hotly-debated topic, one of which will likely never be settled 100%.

1BAD_LS1

iTrader: (36)

I "believe" they prevent the dimples... but not only that but if you are putting down some good power you will really notice a big difference in weight transfere and rigity of the car.

it made a day and night difference on my setup!

Breathing Fire

I have weld in 2pt UMI units. I noticed the car did feel stiffer to me. The one thing I can tell you is that I have a 97 bird that had the dimples everywhere NO SFC's on that car. Granted it has over 200K on it. My 99 TA on the other hand I bought when it had 70K on it and that is the first thing I did. Now with almost 120K on it and 4 years later and a lot of hard driving not one single dimple and no T-top rattle yet. Does it make a difference? Hard to tell yet, but I can tell you they did not hurt.

DarkJuggalo

iTrader: (6)

i had the dimples when i put mine on, had them pulled out with paintless dent removal after sfc's and they have not returned. so im happy with them, mine are weld in though, so i dunno maybe that makes a diff.

GoHardZ28

I will have to give your method a try tomarrow. I did use the red threadlock on the bolts. I dont plan on making them permanent as of right now, but I will have to see if the car feels and better with the car loaded. I was just really suprise that I dont feel a little it of difference in th car. I have a pretty much full bolt on setup.

GoHardZ28

I have to agree...
I know several people with sfc on their cars (2 point and 3 point) and they never have had a problem with dimples

1BAD_LS1

iTrader: (36)

you might not feel much difference with bolton but I am putting down over 500hp and i can deffinetly feel the difference

i can feel it especially from a dig, the car doesn't twist near as bad.

GoHardZ28

So are you saying just dont mess with it? I got the bolts tight and it is gunna be a bitch to do this in my driveway

02Z28LS1

iTrader: (2)

it shouldn't be difficult at all if you get the car high enough off the ground to work comfortably under it, especially since the bolts are already in there. you don't have to pull the bolts all the way out, just load the suspension, then loosen the bolts a little (don't pull them all the way out), then tighten them back up again.....if the SFC's were being held in an awkward position, they should re-adjust automatically as soon as the bolts are loose....then they will be in the proper position, since the suspension is already loaded, so you can just tighten them up again. should be much easier than the initial installation, because you don't have to worry about supporting the weight of the SFC's manually while trying to thread the bolts.

Striker

iTrader: (1)

Sorry, I didn't make myself clear on my first post. I meant to say that I would get them if I knew for sure that they will prevent further torque dimples.

I would also like to know if the interior pieces will start to loosen up and rattle/vibrate now that the car is much stiffer?

1BAD_LS1

iTrader: (36)

If you didn't have the suspension loaded when you installed them then i would suggest jacking it up and loosening the bolts a little and then tighten them back up...

I hear ya on the driveway issue lol... my whole build was done in my driveway! dropped the subframe and swap motors, transmissions, built my front mount turbo setup, and everything in my driveway! lmao

DRIVEWAY WARRIORS

1BAD_LS1

iTrader: (36)

I dont notice any difference from when I was stock with the rattles inside the car... but you do feel the bumps a little worse. Honestly the tradeoff for the little bumpier ride is well woth it.

It just all depends on what you do with your car... is it just a flashy ride you cruise without performace in mind??? I say dont waste your money on them.

If your race or get on it alot i say get them!

GoHardZ28

Ya the driveway is rough, but I got it up on the ramps today, took a breaker bar and loosened all the bolt and cranked back down. There is nothing like laying on the cold concrete and bustin knuckles. lol

therealcreeper

iTrader: (37)

Personal opinion here, I would NEVER get under a car supported by cinder blocks as was suggested above. I've seen them collapse. They give way without warning. There are higher grade blocks that will support the weight, but most blocks people have laying around are not these.

JD_AMG

If you want to stop or lessen rattles you need to stop them at one of the main sources: bad shock dampening. The factory (or over the counter shocks) are valved shitty at best and will wont control the car or springs the way they should allowing vibrations in the cabin and having you hitting bumps harder. If you want to see a dramatic difference in feel, ride quality and handling do yourself a favor and get some good shocks.

02Z28LS1

iTrader: (2)

it depends on which way you turn them.....if you turn the cinder blocks with the flat sides up/down, then yeah....they're likely to collapse.....but if you turn them on their side, where all the walls of the blocks are vertical, they're much, much stronger. then you can also put one or two of those flat 12" x 12" x 1.5" flat concrete pads on top of two cinder blocks side-by-side, and you should be set, since it will help distribute the weight. just use your head, and you should be ok.

then again, there's also the solid concrete blocks that you can use as well....if you collapse one of those, your car needs SERIOUS weight reduction.....