SFC owners with t-tops post in here please!
10-21-2009, 02:24 AM
#21
you should definitley do it, from a performance point of view, if you jack up one corner of my car, two more come up with it. very solid stiff chassis, if thats what you're looking for...
10-21-2009, 09:03 AM
#22
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classing bullshit aside, ive known people who have daily driven f-bodies for 25+ years. all different years, motors, trans, etc. nearly all of them say do SFC, for the simple fact that it will help your car last longer. stiffen it up, save the body and chassis from flex and distortion.
i never had leaks, and only had rattles the few times i drove in the cold. i could tell the differance in the spring, where in NJ one day it will be 40, and within days its 70. sometimes (like today) you wake up in 45 deg. weather, and by 3pm its 65. i hear t-top rattles when cold, not when it warmed up. after doing welded SFC, i still get rattles when cold, but i never had any other noises to begin with. only having 25K miles and garage kept probably helps.
i did notice a difference at my local road course. felt stiffer, and i know it had to help flex when going around off camber turns on slicks.
i never had leaks, and only had rattles the few times i drove in the cold. i could tell the differance in the spring, where in NJ one day it will be 40, and within days its 70. sometimes (like today) you wake up in 45 deg. weather, and by 3pm its 65. i hear t-top rattles when cold, not when it warmed up. after doing welded SFC, i still get rattles when cold, but i never had any other noises to begin with. only having 25K miles and garage kept probably helps.
i did notice a difference at my local road course. felt stiffer, and i know it had to help flex when going around off camber turns on slicks.
10-21-2009, 09:17 AM
#23
Thanks for all the input guys. Truth be told if I could get rid of the creaks and rattles it would be worth the cost alone for me. Performance is one thing, but I drive the same roads every day and I definitely know when a clunk is coming up.
I've considered taking apart the t-tops and replacing the seals but I don't wanna fudge anything up since I have to park outside and its been raining HARD recently. I also read that (supposedly) if you don't replace both the body seal and the t-top seal at the same time, they will not form a proper seal to each other and leak.
I appreciate your input also... I didn't really want to go in this direction but from searches I've found that welding the SFCs was usually more noticeable than bolting them in. I actually already have Strano springs and Koni Yellows.
Foxxtron - same with the above. I highly respect your experience in this area and I've done enough reading and reasoning including the multi-page thread which I think is closed now and even threads on a certain F-Body road racing and autox forum to the point where my eyes bleed. I'm not really in it for the performance gains (if there even are any) but since I plan on messing around, it doesn't hurt that ESP now allows 2-point SFCs (correct me if I'm wrong?). Preferably I would get a cage but that is $$$$ and intrusive.
I've considered taking apart the t-tops and replacing the seals but I don't wanna fudge anything up since I have to park outside and its been raining HARD recently. I also read that (supposedly) if you don't replace both the body seal and the t-top seal at the same time, they will not form a proper seal to each other and leak.
I appreciate your input also... I didn't really want to go in this direction but from searches I've found that welding the SFCs was usually more noticeable than bolting them in. I actually already have Strano springs and Koni Yellows.
Foxxtron - same with the above. I highly respect your experience in this area and I've done enough reading and reasoning including the multi-page thread which I think is closed now and even threads on a certain F-Body road racing and autox forum to the point where my eyes bleed. I'm not really in it for the performance gains (if there even are any) but since I plan on messing around, it doesn't hurt that ESP now allows 2-point SFCs (correct me if I'm wrong?). Preferably I would get a cage but that is $$$$ and intrusive.
Hello, our boxed weld in 2 point connectors reinforce the front lower control arm mounting point and are made from 2" x 2" .120 wall steel with laser cut brackets. We also offer a tubular version if ground clearance might be an issue. Both styles weld in and they will help stiffen up your chassis and stop any flexing that you might have with the car. Please give me a call if you have any questions.
http://www.bmrfabrication.com/F-bodyChassis.htm
10-21-2009, 12:12 PM
#24
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I have Koni yellows and Strano springs as well. They make good jacking points with the car so damned low.
10-21-2009, 12:27 PM
#26
Thanks for all the input guys. Truth be told if I could get rid of the creaks and rattles it would be worth the cost alone for me. Performance is one thing, but I drive the same roads every day and I definitely know when a clunk is coming up.
I've considered taking apart the t-tops and replacing the seals but I don't wanna fudge anything up since I have to park outside and its been raining HARD recently. I also read that (supposedly) if you don't replace both the body seal and the t-top seal at the same time, they will not form a proper seal to each other and leak.
I appreciate your input also... I didn't really want to go in this direction but from searches I've found that welding the SFCs was usually more noticeable than bolting them in. I actually already have Strano springs and Koni Yellows.
Foxxtron - same with the above. I highly respect your experience in this area and I've done enough reading and reasoning including the multi-page thread which I think is closed now and even threads on a certain F-Body road racing and autox forum to the point where my eyes bleed. I'm not really in it for the performance gains (if there even are any) but since I plan on messing around, it doesn't hurt that ESP now allows 2-point SFCs (correct me if I'm wrong?). Preferably I would get a cage but that is $$$$ and intrusive.
I've considered taking apart the t-tops and replacing the seals but I don't wanna fudge anything up since I have to park outside and its been raining HARD recently. I also read that (supposedly) if you don't replace both the body seal and the t-top seal at the same time, they will not form a proper seal to each other and leak.
I appreciate your input also... I didn't really want to go in this direction but from searches I've found that welding the SFCs was usually more noticeable than bolting them in. I actually already have Strano springs and Koni Yellows.
Foxxtron - same with the above. I highly respect your experience in this area and I've done enough reading and reasoning including the multi-page thread which I think is closed now and even threads on a certain F-Body road racing and autox forum to the point where my eyes bleed. I'm not really in it for the performance gains (if there even are any) but since I plan on messing around, it doesn't hurt that ESP now allows 2-point SFCs (correct me if I'm wrong?). Preferably I would get a cage but that is $$$$ and intrusive.
I read this thread somewhat amused by the responses. They are all over, and that's basically because there is no accounting for taste, some cars are more beat than others, some owners more aware or picky than others.
I said this before, and I will say it again.... SFC's are not bad things. Are they 100% necessary? Not generally. Will everyone find the same result from them? No because both cars and their owners (and other parts) are different and that changes the percieved end result.
This is why I carry SFC's, far be it for me to tell someone that they have no use. I have some customers that saw little difference, some saw a huge difference. Some have removed them and saw no difference coming off once they had good shocks (they were installed when the car had crap shocks). This is the classis matter of opinion. Some think that 2 pts are all you need. Some, like me, think if you are going to bother adding them at all, then the trangulation of 3 pts seems silly to pass up. Some choose to compromise to save weight, which I can also understand.
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www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
Results matter. Talk is cheap. We are miles beyond the success anyone else has had with the 4th gens, and C5, C6, C7 Corvettes,
10 SCCA Solo National Championships, 2008 Driver of they Year, 2012 Driver of Eminence
13 SCCA Pro Solo Nationals Championships
2023 UMI King of the Mountain Champion
10-22-2009, 01:37 AM
#29
SFCs will NOT fix a leak.
SFCs MIGHT prevent leaks...as Sam said, this is a weatherstripping issue.
They make the car stronger, you may or may not be able to tell.
You will likely feel a difference on STEEP driveways, most won't otherwise.
They do make shocks and springs work more by reducing how much the body of the car acts like a suspension part. Depending on your shocks, this may or may not be pleasant for you.
They will probably prevent dimples and wrinkles.
They will lengthen how long your car stays straight and you can feel this all kinds of ways (doors closing, etc).
They add weight.
They are great to jack from.
They do add some strength in the event of a wreck, probably a good thing.
I do feel my car is "tighter" all the time with them, it also emphasized how shitty my shocks were back when I got them installed. I got UMI's boxed weld on units, if I did them now, I would go for the 3 point jobbies that tie in to the trans brace.
They do add structural rigidity, whether it will be worth it or not is up to you. They don't add performance at all though they may add longevity, predictability, and perhaps some precision in some applications.
SFCs MIGHT prevent leaks...as Sam said, this is a weatherstripping issue.
They make the car stronger, you may or may not be able to tell.
You will likely feel a difference on STEEP driveways, most won't otherwise.
They do make shocks and springs work more by reducing how much the body of the car acts like a suspension part. Depending on your shocks, this may or may not be pleasant for you.
They will probably prevent dimples and wrinkles.
They will lengthen how long your car stays straight and you can feel this all kinds of ways (doors closing, etc).
They add weight.
They are great to jack from.
They do add some strength in the event of a wreck, probably a good thing.
I do feel my car is "tighter" all the time with them, it also emphasized how shitty my shocks were back when I got them installed. I got UMI's boxed weld on units, if I did them now, I would go for the 3 point jobbies that tie in to the trans brace.
They do add structural rigidity, whether it will be worth it or not is up to you. They don't add performance at all though they may add longevity, predictability, and perhaps some precision in some applications.
10-24-2009, 04:17 PM
#31
Staging Lane
I put bmr weld in boxed 2pt on my 98 T/A last month. T-top did not leak before. They did help with a few creaks. They work great for jacking points. I have noticed the chassis is stiffer. Now I have a bang sound from the right rear over certain bumps. I suspect that being a shock thats may be done for. My car has 136k on it probally the shock that has been on it since 98.
I have another set for my hard top 96 Z just been to lazy to install them.
I have another set for my hard top 96 Z just been to lazy to install them.
