New Jersey shops that do Mustang mods

Just curious...

Are you having a problem with body flex or is this an attempt to improve launches at the strip?

Cheers,

I have a '00 GT convertible (stock). "Experts" keep telling me that connectors will improve handling and extend the life of the car. I use the car mostly to commute to work and don't plan to take it to the track. (There was a post a while back about a guy with the same '00 GT that put on Global West connectors and was very impressed. I want to give this mod a shot since it seems pretty simple once I find a good shop).

Mark

Ah. They should stiffen the chassis a bit and help in the squeaks and creaks department. You'll probably also notice the car being a little nimbler in the twisties. Otherwise, it's not going to do a whole lot for you other than increase weight. You could probably get similar results with strut tower braces (which are a bolt-on affair) and not have to pay someone to weld more weight onto the already hefty car. 8-)

Cheers,

The strat tower brace can be done without a mechanic? What brands are good?

It's a good mod. Make sure the car is resting on it's wheels during the weld up.

I haven't owned a Mustang in a couple of years so I'll defer to some of the other posters on a brand recommendation. And yes, a strut tower brace can be done at home in your driveway/garage all by yourself in under an hour. If you need help, shoot me an email.

Cheers,

Ritz wrote in news:WIlWe.2877$ snipped-for-privacy@fe10.lga:

ummmm assuming the holes line up, right?

Yes, assuming the holes line up. That assumes that you haven't been taking your Mustang to yoga class with you, the car hasn't been in a serious accident, and that the manufacturer of the strut brace is competent....

I've only had one situation where a strut brace didn't line up and it turned out to be a defective strut brace.

Cheers,

Ritz wrote in news:NIfWe.620$ snipped-for-privacy@fe08.lga:

Utter nonsense. Welded subframes are mandatory for any kind of handling response.

Welded subframes along with a g-load (bottom) and strut (top) brace will make the car feel like a slot car. Doing only some of the aforementioned will give you mediocre results. To get maximum handling, rigidity, and longevity, you have to do all three. Once you do all three, you'll wonder how you ever drove the car without them.

Joe Calypso Green '93 5.0 LX AOD hatch with a few goodies Black '03 Dakota 5.9 R/T CC

Just goes to show ya...opinions are like anuses. Everyone's got one. The guy said he wasn't going to track the car and just wanted to tighten up the handling. For a street car, subframe connectors are overkill and a waste of cash if you're going to have to pay someone else to do the welding. Why don't you recommend a 9 inch locker rearend too while you're at it. *shrug*

Ritz wrote in news:RmpWe.7034$ snipped-for-privacy@fe12.lga:

well, here's something to consider.. especially if you're going to have the car a while.

The rigidity added by the strut braces keeps the 'doghouse' area from torquing overmuch, but that torque is not just stopped, it's transferred.

Where? Back. So if you want to do the strut brace and the K brace, you're better off just going on to do the whole welded sub-frame bit.

OTHERWISE the rocker/floor separations are going to appear before they normally would and you'll probably find more stress cracks around the subframe mounting that you would otherwise.

Now while I havent got a degree in that field, I have seen the results torque-stressing and it's only common sense.

So either go the whole nine yards or dont start at all.

I believe this is for a relatively recent Mustang. This isn't the Fox days where the frame would twist when you passed wind. Subframe connectors are overkill for a plain ol street car. But hey, if the guy has money to spend and wants "the best" then who am I to argue? If it was MY car (and I'm the type that would throw a supercharger on it), I'd stick with the easily installed (and easily removed...if you want) strut tower braces.

Cheers,

My '00 GT convertible really became a different car with the addition of decent subframe connectors. Ford delivers these cars with feeble, sad, little bolt-on connectors installed. The addition of a beefier weld-in connector will enhance the vehicles handling, and the integrity of the unibody, as well. It's certainly not overkill for a street car. Ford recognizes that these cars _need_ connectors, but the beancounters won that battle, apparently to save $0.75 on steel.

This is what I was told as well. When I go over bumps in my car, man does it feel like the whole car needs to be tightened up quite a bit. I have a

2002 GT vert. The guy I talked to said the sub-frame connectors on the car from the factory are crap and one of the first things to do would be to put much better ones on. I want this car to feel great when I go over bumps, not like it is about to fall apart.

So back to the original post, does anyone know a good shop in NJ that can do the welding for this mod. I tend NOT to trust any mechanics in my town since pretty much they all screwed me at one time or another. The only shop that I ever trusted was near DC (when I worked there). I think it was called Springfield Motor something. These guys only did Mustang mods. Up here in NJ, I haven't seen any Mustang specific shops. Only fuckheads IMHO. Last thing I want to do is let some HS kid have fun with the acetaline torch under my car :-(

Ritz wrote in news:RmpWe.7034$ snipped-for-privacy@fe12.lga:

You too.

Exactly. Thus, my response.

in _your_ asshole, uh, opinion.

Because that's not appropriate. My advice was; yours was not.

How about on 60s cars? There are few cars that benefit from this modification more than a 60s Mustang, especially a convertible, and especially 65s of any kind.

I6 cars of those years were marginal, but V8s literally cave in on themselves as time passes. The shock towers and the firewall all converge, and the entire car becomes like a hammock. As you get closer to 1970, they got better, but the torsional rigidity of 60s Mustangs is generally piss poor. For any of them, they need the export brace at very least, triangulation with a Monte Carlo type bar is better, and that plus subframes is the best.

Why don't you recommend a 9 inch locker rearend too while

Apples and oranges.