1) I didn't like the clunk I got going from acceleration to braking.
2) I always dragged my tunnel mount cross brace on speed bumps.
3) I wanted to reduce vibration under my seat for daily driving.
4) Most important was to strengthen the points where the tunnel mount cross member bolted to the car.
5) I did not want to remove my existing welded in subframe connectors.

I made this Torque Arm Cross Member up out of 4130CM.

It uses a Spohn Thrustator rotation joint, and there spherical delrin rod end.
It also uses a poly transmission mount.

Well I will let pictures tell the rest.

I gained 1.375" of ground clearance.

 

if you dont mind me asking.. what size are the bolts that hold on that mount.. the ones that bolt to the underside of the car

 

pretty nice setup.. has this solved all of your issues? does the y pipe bang on the brace at all?

 

The bolts that go where the cross member bolt to the old tunnel brackets are the factory 8mm? but the end clamps are 3/8 grade 8. But they take no direct stress as the primary force is up and that is taken up by the 4130 pipe cut in half.

I still haven't lowered it down from the lift but the y-pipe doesn't move andwhen banged doesn't touch the brace. I am worried about the top of the Dog bone brace if hit multiple times will ring the drive shaft. Those transmission mounts allow flex in what if used in the original intended use would be back a forth. It will depend if the force of the rear end is straight up or not as to wether I will have issues.

 

Hope that solves all your probs, but even with the isolaters on the bottom of the fram rails, it would still seem that you are going to have the vibrations. Pretty good engineering too. At first it seems like once you got on it and the tq arm put any stress on it, it would try to come thru the floor board and rip it in half, but after looking at it closer you have those inner mounting points and rubber isolaters, so it should equally distribute the stress from the tq arm....Good job

 

Thanks, I agree about the coming up through the floor boards. I was talking to Sam Strano about I wanted to fabricate and his comment was that he would never even drive a car that had a tunnel mounted torque arm that did not connect to the sub frame connectors. I have to agree the original design connects to those tunnel mount brackets on the bottom of the car that are not designed to take that kind of load. My design diffently distributes most of the load to the subframe connectors. I hope the can take it?

 

Nice piece of home-engineering! Let us know how it works, it looks like a very good solution to a very frustrating problem.

 

Just got back from the test drive. I couldn't be happier. I can't even tell I've got a rear end. No clunk on braking , no vibration in the seat what so ever. No exhaust rattle.

 

As an x-welder, I like projects like this. Good job making your car exactly what YOU want it

 

Let me know how it holds up when you go to the track andreally beat on it with the dr's and some VHT

 

Good idea. The only thing I would add is some gussets to these areas. I would be paranoid about the torque arms up and down force would snap the welds at the plate without them (maybe even with them).

 

Well it takes 5500rpm clutch dumps on DR's and holds up fine.