What's new
TurboTransAm.com

Register today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

do subframe connectors lower the value of the car???

andre#4

Well-Known Member
my friend just got a tta, in as new condition with 9000 miles. No paint work or other repairs have been needed. It is very rare. There are only two of them in existence in this particular body style. The other one has over 50k miles. So my friends car is the lowest mileage one of the 2. My friend's car will always have less than 50k miles. So he does not want to do anything to it that would make the other car (his only competition) more desirable than his.

My friend wants to enjoy the car and I feel the subframe connectors (sfc's) are needed to keep the car solid and tight. I know this is true because I have owned new tta's and put hundreds of thousands of miles on them, and without sfc's they turn into flexible fliers. With sfc's they stay tight.

Do you think a collector would rather have a perfectly tight car with scf's or a flexi flier with all original parts? There is no way to tighten a car up after it has been flexed to death. Also, the buyer will have no alternative low mileage cars to consider, since they don't exist.

Would it be possible to bolt or weld on the sfc's and use the car for some years, and then have them removed and have the car fixed to look like they were never there?

It is sort of a tough call. With a car this rare you should be able to do what you want because potential buyers will have to buy your car if they are going to buy one at all. They have no choice in the matter. On the other hand you don't want to butcher one of a car that is only two of a kind. On the other hand you are not butchering it, you are trying to preserve it by improving/updating a deficiency in the original design.

I believe it would be good to do the sfc's if they could be removed later.

For example...Some hemicudas must have had ladder bars or other items that were installed in the 1960's and then had them removed prior to being sold at barrett jackson, right? They are original now, but had been modified in the past.

My friend just can't see himself enjoying this car if it means he will be ruining it by flexing out the chassis. Anyone who has driven a new tta with no miles and then driven one with 50k knows the difference. like 2 different cars entirely.

Any ideas appreciated...
 
Last edited:
TTA, two of a kind? Tell us more, is this a 1989 TTA or something else.

SFC's are weld ins on these cars (89 TTA) and once done it's pretty hard to undo without it showing.

I got them on mine (I got a t-top car) and they do make a big difference and would be highly recommended but for soemone looking to keep the car stock etc I would not recmmend doing it.

Anyway tell us more about the 2 of a kind TTA????
 
Well it doesnt matter how many there are, do you want to drive it or stick it in a safety deposit box?

If your worried purely about value it shouldnt even be driven.

To me I think its more of a tragedy to let a car rot sitting for 20 years in some garage. Cars are meant to be driven.
 
It would all depend on the new buyer of the car.
If it would bother him or not.
Me?
I want a car without them.

:beach:
 
I agree with George. On a 9k mile stock car, don't do it..You probably will not drive the car. Or if you do, get them. They tighten up the car so much.

I have ridden in a 20k mile TTA that rattled like crazy. My 60k mile car with weld in SFC's doesn't have a single rattle. Very impressive to say the least.

Jason
 
I have had South Side Machine sub frame connectors on my car for about 18 years. I bought them from Summit for about $180.00 dont know if they are still available, they are made of 1 x 2 square tubing welded together to the same shape as the floor. They have to be welded to the floor pan. I painted mine white and if you didnt know it you would think they came on the car. Did a great job in keeping my car solid through the years.
 
Well it doesnt matter how many there are, do you want to drive it or stick it in a safety deposit box?

If your worried purely about value it shouldnt even be driven.

To me I think its more of a tragedy to let a car rot sitting for 20 years in some garage. Cars are meant to be driven.

Yes, there's 2 camps there - the "garage queen" crowd and those of us that like to "haul balls". To own a car 20 yrs or more and letting it sit so that U can get $2.K more for it vs storming the roads for decades doesn't make sense to me, but then - "diff'rent strokes".
 
doesn't anyone make bolt-on applications for these? How hard would it be to do? It seems that someone with knowledge can make these fairly inexpensively as bolt-ons and then have a nice end market. Lot's of these 3rd gen cars out there need this
 
Their website says that the product may need floorpan modifications under the code C3120 there's an * which refers to the potential modifications. How could they "potentially" need floor pan modifications ... either they do or they don't.

I will call them up ... if they don't need modifications why would anyone NOT want to bolt them on?
 
I have sout side machine subframe connectors on my GTA, weld in without floor modification and very strong but very heavy (though I dont think they are made anymore). On my 4th gen I have been buying UMI chassis and suspension stuff, their quality seems very good and from what I've seen at the track on friends cars UMI stuff works very well too. If I had to get them for a thirdgen I'd most likely go with these

1982 - 1992 GM F-Body Boxed Style Weld-In Subframe Connectors [2400] - $199.99 : UMI Performance, Inc.

UMI Performance 2400-B - UMI Performance Boxed Weld-In Subframe Connectors - Overview - SummitRacing.com


HTH,
Steve
 
My car has about 24k miles. It did not have SFCs when I bought it, but now I am using the Spohn weld-in SFCs since they don't reduce ground clearance. I wrestled with the decision a while and came to the conclusion that the rigidity/straightness of the car and drive quality (for me anyway) out-weighed the need to keep it 100% stock. I don't plan on making it any sort of driver, but I do storm the roads on nice days - that's why I bought it. Like El Dee Bee said, different strokes.
 
Your best bet would be to buy bolt ins. If the car is sold then the new buyer has the option of taking them out. If no one sells bolt ins w/o having to modify the floor pan try to find a shop that will fabricate it for the car.
 
Back
Top