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Stage 2: K-Member Brace
Continuing on with the objective of transforming the front-half of the unibody
into a rigid box, we turn our attention to the under side of the car. The
K-member is a major chassis component to which the engine and all front
steering and suspension is mounted to. As a result it also take quite a
bit of abuse and is subject to twisting and flexing.
Aftermaket companies, such as Maximum Motorsports, have developed a simple
brace to help strengthen the K-member. A "four point" tubular
K-member brace is the best bet, but clearance with aftermarket headers could
limit you to a two point brace.
This Maximum Motorsports photo shows how the
4-point brace mouns to a K-member.
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The tubular brace utilizes existing holes in
the K-member. |
On cars with the factory h-pipe in place, slight
grinding of the heat-sheild is necessary for clearance. |
Once on the car, the K-brace
fits close to the chassis and does not decrease ground clearance.
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Stage 3/4: Subframe Connectors and Torque
Box Reinforcements
To really have a stable platform in a unibody car the front and rear subframes
need to be tied together, and if you intend to go that far in FOX bodied
Mustang then you should address the torque boxes as well.
Torque box reinforcements by Wolf Race Craft. |
The attaching points for the rear axle control
arms are called torque boxes and they are simply bent pieces of sheet metal
pinch-welded together and to the body. Once power is increased and the chassis
starts enduring dragstrip launches or road course g-forces the torque boxes
can bend, crack and even tear if you add sticky tires to the equation.
After over a hundred hard launches on sticky tires the torque boxes on GMII
surprisingly showed no signs of major distortion, but, as the need for speed
mandates more power we thought it'd be a good idea to reinforce them now
rather than later. Furthermore because subframe connectors weld over part
of the torque box, it makes sense to weld up the torque boxes at the same
time. More
Subframe connectors from Maximum Motorsports.
Made of 1” x 2” rectangular tubing, with .120” wall
thickness. The cross bar serves to reinforce the crack-prone area
of the floor pan where the seats attach. MM also makes a longer "full
length" connectors that extends farther up the firewall. |
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