Is it worth it for me to fab up some sub frame connectors for my 49? The frame is in good shape and the floors are good other than some small spots on the front that I will repair but while I was under the car I was looking at the frame and thought it would be pretty easy to put some on there. thoughts?
Those Hudson frames are pretty stout as I recall. If the frame is in good shape and you're not running a torker then why would you need the subframe connectors?
If you mean what I think you mean, there is nothing to be gained. Hudson had the stoutest unibody made, with frame rails running along the outside of the body. Anything you did to stiffen it, would make no difference to a car that is plenty stiff to start with.
Well I don't know or think I "need" them, I was just throwing it out there for some feedback and thoughts.
Well...maybe you should look some more, esp. in the vicinity of the floorboard rust. If you are going to do a 'repair', rather than duplicate the original integrity of the floors, it is probably wise to retrofit some subtle bracing where you make the repair. Hope this is in line with what you asked. (otherwise, it could be misconstrued as a Florida question with a California answer!) Getwhadimean?
Dear (insert name here) Am I reading this correctly? Are you saying you want to connect the front and rear sub-frame to make it one continuous frame like I did? See photo! Peace, Chaz
Thank you that is the info I was after Wouldn't "duplicate the original integrity of the floors" be repairing them? Not sure where you are going with that.... Nice work. What is/was your motivation for doing that? I think I might be over thinking this, the car is a 308 and is not high horsepower so I probably don't need to do anything.
If you got it apart, it can't hurt to do it. To me, doesn't matter if it needs it, its the satisfaction of knowing its done right, you can only make it stronger. If you got the time, for satisfaction, do it.
Hi, The reason for doing the connecting the frame was to strengthen this area because I installed a Camaro front clip and an LS1 engine in it. I will also be chopping the top and making it a 2-door coupe rather than a 4-door sedan. FYI, you may want to check out the rear outer frame integrity from the rear wheels back. The frames were filled with impregnated horse hair. No kidding. The logic back then was that it would reduce sound on the interior since it was a uni-body. The problem was that the horse hair retained moisture and made an excellent place for rust to form. Repair photos upon request. Over all it's a wonderful car and i would not trade mine for any other car. I have photo of different stages of early construction though it is not finished at this time. See photos, Peace, Chaz
Fantastic!!! I have an extra LS in the garage but I LOVE the sounds and looks of the 308 so I will have to find something else to put it in. Do you have a build thread? Somewhere I can read more about your car?
Sorry, no thread but I can send some photos for you depending on what area you want. I was going to keep everything original but when I started digging into the project it seemed that the only thing holding the car together was paint. The engine was also rusted out from the inside so no 308. The firewall was rusted out too. The car had been sitting out in a field on a farm in rainy Oregon since 1974. Peace, Chaz
Here is the projected end result. I don't know when though. I am recovering from open heart surgery and am on Warfarin (rat poison) which is a blood thinner so no cutting or injuring myself right now. Peace, Chaz
WTF??? Why not keep the 308 in the Hudson and put the LS in something else? Save yourself a lot of time and money. If you wanted a real expert answer on the frame reinforcement question could you find a board with real Hudson experts? From all I have heard the Hudson was really over engineered and very strong, since it was their first unibody they did not take any chances. But there could be some way to improve it I never heard of.
Don't worry the 308 isn't going anywhere. After re reading my comment above I can see out that might have been confusing. I meant I will find something else to put the LS in.
Well here's to quick healing. Good luck on the project. Please feel free to email or pm me updates on the build. I'd like to see this one done.
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