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Weld In Sfc Problem

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Old Feb 22, 2006 | 09:37 AM
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Default Weld In Sfc Problem

I Installed My Bmr Subframe Connectors (weld In) And Now The Car Sits About 1 Inch Higher On The Drivers Side And About .5 Inch Lower On The Pass Side. Has Anyone Had A Similar Problem? Any Info Helps.
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Old Feb 22, 2006 | 10:26 AM
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ooo that sucks.......
how the **** does that happen?
u have the chassis twisted when u welded it?
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Old Feb 22, 2006 | 10:27 AM
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Originally Posted by STANG KILLA SS 2
ooo that sucks.......
how the **** does that happen?
u have the chassis twisted when u welded it?
makes me think about welding mine up while the cars on the ground.....
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Old Feb 22, 2006 | 11:11 AM
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Dats Kinda What I'm Thinkin. I Had A 150 Shot And Pulling 1.7 60 Ft's Beford The Sfc Install But I Never Thought It Could Twist The Car That Bad.
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Old Feb 22, 2006 | 12:10 PM
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i think all the cars sit lower on that side, maybey you just never noticed it before.
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Old Feb 22, 2006 | 01:15 PM
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a car RAISING 1" on one side is NOT normal......
this happened right after the install?
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Old Feb 22, 2006 | 01:20 PM
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I Dunno. I Noticed It Leanin Lower On The Pass Side About 4 Yrs Ago So I Replaced The Shocks And Seemed To Even It Out A Bit. Now The Driver Side Looks Like It Lifted Up An Inch But The Pass Looks Good.
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Old Feb 22, 2006 | 03:11 PM
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post pics of your rear fender well gaps on each side......(top of tire to bottom of fender)
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Old Feb 22, 2006 | 03:24 PM
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I'll Post Some Pics Tonite
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Old Feb 22, 2006 | 09:07 PM
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here r sum pics
Attached Thumbnails Weld In Sfc Problem-trans-am1m.jpg   Weld In Sfc Problem-trans-am-002.jpg   Weld In Sfc Problem-trans-am-003.jpg  
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Old Feb 22, 2006 | 09:47 PM
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I hate to ask the obvious, but ... you did have all four wheels on the ground and the suspension fully loaded when you did the welding, right?
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Old Feb 22, 2006 | 09:52 PM
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Yeah that needs to be done on a 4 post alignment or ramp lift. The car needs to be exactly as it is on the street, weight on the suspension and no body flex/twist.

Sounds to me like the chassis flexed and you welded it in the flexed/stressed position....but they are doing what they are meant to do and not allow all that flex....sad but you might have a lot of grinding in your future!!
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Old Feb 22, 2006 | 09:57 PM
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well.. one thing left to do.. cut em off and see if it goes back to normal..

i'm also wondering how you installed them.. it sounds as if the guy who welded them used a the kinda racks that lift the car by the frame instead of being seated on the wheels under its own weight.
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Old Feb 22, 2006 | 10:01 PM
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There is a debate on whether the suspension should be loaded or not during installation, and guess what? It's been done both ways by many members here with no problems, however if you are to install a part that will modify that chassis dynamics (to a very minimal extent), a question to bear in mind is, "how does an automobile, any automobile operate on a private or public road?" On it's suspension would be the correct answer, so if you installed your SFC's while you loaded your suspension correctly (on all four wheels, and not with jacks resting on the axles), you must also make sure that it is of course sitting level as well.

Also you should have the vehicle looked over before installing a "permanent modification" to the car just to rule out any other problems like you have displayed in your pictures. Whilst it can be expensive, getting a body shop with a cheetah frame machine (or similar) is a wise thing to do, just incase your vehicle may suffer from the dreaded "extreme factory tolerance defects." Believe it or not they have happened while the 4th Gens were built. The suspension should as well be considered, since it's practically the most important component keeping the vehicle on all four wheels. Tyres and wheels are pretty much considered "de facto" parts of the susepension, believe it or not, so tyre pressures should be considered. As outrageous as it sounds, better safe than sorry.

I understand that you may have performed all of these steps, however when I had my SFC's installed (multiple times with different sets), I followed these steps just in case, so I mention them just to serve as reminder.
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Old Feb 22, 2006 | 10:13 PM
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Originally Posted by onsracing
Dats Kinda What I'm Thinkin. I Had A 150 Shot And Pulling 1.7 60 Ft's Beford The Sfc Install But I Never Thought It Could Twist The Car That Bad.
In that case, it's very possible to inadvertantly twist the chassis, but for things such as daily driving, no where near as possible. As pretty much stated, if you are able to, get the vehicle examined by a body shop with a machine that checks chassis geometry. It certainly helps to spend money on a diagnostic before going through lots of PIA labour to remove them (grinding, plasma cutting, etc.). If it is then determined that the SFC's have reinforced a warped area, then you can attempt to remove and reattach.
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Old Feb 23, 2006 | 10:14 AM
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yea, my car was on a drive on alignment lift at the time of install.
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Old Feb 23, 2006 | 11:52 AM
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Excellent, now the alignment lift is only one part of the task. While I will now assume that you had your suspension alignment done, was it done before the SFC install, or after? The reason I ask is that if you had suspension alignment specs from before that run and one right after, but again before the SFC install, that can serve as crucial information. I stress to many F-body people that install SFC's to absolutely make sure that the chassis is well aligned, and not to just go by suspension alignment, because when those SFC's go on, and the chassis measurements aren't very true, then the SFC's are just bracing a crooked chassis.

If the two alignment specs are very different, it will usually mean that the suspension had moved and rarely mean that the chassis shifted, but let's not rule that out. My suggestion would still be to visit a body shop, and have the chassis geometry examined, and leave alignment temporarily out of the picture. You may not want to spend the money on it, but the hassles of grinding off those SFC's will certainly be a much more aggrivating experience, especially if you discover that your initial problem may not be the chassis, but actually the suspension. That will certainly help to rule out more possibilities to then decide if you need to remove then reinstall the SFC's.
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Old Feb 23, 2006 | 12:18 PM
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When I Said The Car Was On An Alignment Lift I Ment Dat We Did The Work On That Style Kind Of Lift, But No, Never Had The Chasis Aligned Or Inspected.
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Old Feb 23, 2006 | 12:19 PM
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What about global warming; I heard that causes major problems? ..apparently,the earth's electro-magnetic field shifts and casues weird stuff like this to happen.
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Old Feb 23, 2006 | 12:36 PM
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