chassis strengthening

[Mycreation68]

Hey guys. new here. I am building a 68 Dodge Dart GT and had been asking questions on another board and was referred here. I'm going to be installing subframe connectors and was thinking while I'm at it I could instead of the standed front to back connectors I could install them in an x style from the front driver side to the rear passenger side and the same for the opposite. crossing and connecting in the middle. I'm going with the independent rear suspension out of a 89-97 ford thunderbird so my driveshaft won't be moving up and down it will be in one continuous position so I won't have interference with the connectors.

I just figure that connecting front and back and opposite corners of the frame should add some nice structural integrity.

[MrQuick]

Hey guys. new here. I am building a 68 Dodge Dart GT and had been asking questions on another board and was referred here. I'm going to be installing subframe connectors and was thinking while I'm at it I could instead of the standed front to back connectors I could install them in an x style from the front driver side to the rear passenger side and the same for the opposite. crossing and connecting in the middle. I'm going with the independent rear suspension out of a 89-97 ford thunderbird so my driveshaft won't be moving up and down it will be in one continuous position so I won't have interference with the connectors.

I just figure that connecting front and back and opposite corners of the frame should add some nice structural integrity.

Yes it would. If you had on planning installing a roll bar/cage it would help just the same. The cross bracing would have to ride low or raised with an exhaust and drive shaft tunnel.

[chicane67]

I would entertain the thought of using both parallel... and an X.

While the X by itself will do wonders for tortional ridigity... it lends to weakness in longitudinal stiffness... because the X acts like a hindge in its center. So... the though of adding the 'standard' longitudinal support will only help to add additional stiffness to the unitised chassis.

[Mycreation68]

Thats what I coworker brought up to me today. I was chatting with him about the structural rigidity of my car. I would like to avoid adding a rollcage as much as possible because I still want to have my rear seating and putting in a cage would eliminate all the headroom and then having a rear seat would be pointless. I'm going to reweld all the factory spotwelds and I think the plan will be doing the conventional set of frame connectors and the "X" connectors just purely for strength. I think I'll modify the trans tunnel to accept the driveshaft and the exhaust(one single 2.5" exhaust pipe so with the IRS it should have enough clearence)