Tack welding subframe to chassis. Tell me why this is a bad idea

[dslocal]

Like the title says I've been thinking about tack welding my subframes to the chassis. This is strictly a weekend warrior car and I can't see a reason not to do this. If I need to remove them I could easily cut my tacks and it would bassically remove any flex I'm getting from my bushings... Anybody have better insight on this idea?
Happy to be a guinea pig

 

[Poodles]

Would be safer to just use solid aluminum spacers to solidly mounts the subframes. Tack welds won't have the same suface area and if/when things move, the tacks might tear holes in stuff imho.

 

[Canuckrz]

Yeah, solid spacers are the way to go if you want to eliminate the bushing factor altogether. They're pretty dirt cheap as well compared to the poly bushing alternative that I got for my DD Supra.

 

[suprajztwenty]

its not "unsafe" imo as long as you use the bolts to back it up. i dont like the idea of welding thin metal like that, you would have to do perimeter welds on the outside and this would let the frame flex a bit and may cause frame cracking (reading back, its basically what poodles said, you need surface area to weld and make it ridgid)

i used the DM rear spacer kit and love it. i would have done ronnieK's poly subframe bushings but the wait was too long i think.

 

[dslocal]

Thanks for the input guys I'm going to go ahead and give it a shot. If they tear out pieces of the frame then I guess it will just be a reason to reinforce that and modify it in some other way.

 

[A. Jay]

http://www.supramania.com/forums/showthread.php?132581-Solid-subframe-bushings
PM Albert and see if he's got a set available.

 

[suprajztwenty]

http://www.supramania.com/forums/showthread.php?132581-Solid-subframe-bushings
PM Albert and see if he's got a set available.

^^^this

its gonna be your safest bet. if the chassis/body tears like i fear it will, mending it wont be an easy task.

 

[AnubisMK3]

Avoid welding the subframe to the chassis, the welds won't hold very long and you'll tear up the undercarriage. Beech performance has a nice set of spacers for our cars.

 

[Mr Bojangles]

Feel free to weld it up, and your answer to welding it a lot should be even funnier when it rips itself apart. The frame of any car is rigid, but it's also designed to flex. As the frame flex's and your subframe doesn't, something is going to give and the more welds you make, the more places will fail. Good luck!!

In for carnage pictures!


PS...why do some many kids come to this forum, ask a question, and then think they know better than everyone and ignore what every single person tells them?

 

[IJ.]

Only thing I can add is if you go ahead make sure you have the subframes 100% square in the car before the first tack....

Would probably even go as far to do this on an alignment Jig if I were contemplating it.

 

[Janz99]

Is there anything that aligns the subframe into the chassis when you have to remove/install one into the car?

 

[Mr Bojangles]

Yes, the 6 frame bolts do.

 

[grimreaper]

You going to have to have some form of metal spacer to fill in the 1/4" gap where the rubber top hat sits. The subframe doesnt sit flush with the body of the car. The metal spacers would at least give you a larger surface area to transfer the load. Metal bushings would accomplish the desired outcome. I dont know what your going to weld to on the body that will take the load though. The clamping force of the bolt through the body distributes the load in the general area. Wouldnt welding cause single high stress load points?

 

[planemos]

You should probably just go ahead and swap the supra body onto a toyota pickup frame

 

[suprajztwenty]

lol...all the heckling aside, please post your progress if you can please.

im so sick of reading threads that just wind up driving off a cliff like...