Camaro clip install tips

[hammerdog57]

Looking for some tips on squaring and leveling a camaro clip in a 57 3100. Truck frame is already set level. Here is my plan tell me if i am on the right track. Going to set a laser chalkline on outside of both frame rails running parallel front to back and center clip shock holes between lines. Also measuring foreward from reference point to front edge of shock holes to establish axle centerline. I am going to set angle finder on upper A arm mounts at 8 degrees to set anti dive angle. I am also going to level upper A arm mounting points side to side. Any thoughts? Using the no limit video as a reference but when it came to squaring the clip to frame video didnt show much detail.

[mr48chev]

Here are some photos of one my buddy did a while back.
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w...pu%20subframe/
There may be better ways to do them or cleaner ways to do them but he has done about 25 of them in the past 20 or so years and most all of them are still on the road.

The one thing that I want to point out is that the bottom (or theoretic bottom) of the frame rail on the stub is exactly parallel to the trucks original frame rail. No matter what height you set the stub on the 56 frame that has to remain true or the truck won't be right.

The best way I have found to get static ride height right is to block the crossmember up at what the original stock ride height would be with your choice of wheels and tires. That may take sliding under a similar Camaro with a tape measure and getting a measurement at the bottom of the crossmember. Then mate the trucks frame up with the subframe at the height that you want the finished truck to ride at.
I did my old 51 Mercury that way and it turned out exactly the way I wanted it to.
These photos were taken of it with the 70 Nova subframe under it with stock springs in front and a 350 Olds under the hood.

We put about 90K on it in that configuration including one trip to Texas towing a trailer on the way down.

My buddy said that the subframe in the photos was a Trans Am and that the truck was going to be quite low when finished.

If you have the subframe square and parallel to the truck frame your caster will be correct or easily set by your alignment tech.

Having it in square should go without saying. Plenty of tape measure work before you weld, tack it and then measure again before you weld it up.

[Coronas56]

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...d.php?t=148978 One way of doing it.

[mr48chev]

Yep, several have followed LuxBlue's thread over the last four years when they did their trucks. Read through what he says and shows and you should be fine.

[nikwho]

you sound like you have it pretty well figured out. Seems like measuring to the front of the clip shock mount holes to square it up and using the 8 degree angle for anti dive should line it up pretty good.

[hammerdog57]

Originally Posted by nikwho

you sound like you have it pretty well figured out. Seems like measuring to the front of the clip shock mount holes to square it up and using the 8 degree angle for anti dive should line it up pretty good.

Nikwho looked at your project truck and it looks like we are installing clip the same way. Just have to figure a way to make sure both front and rear of clip are parallel to frame rails before i weld it up.

[mr48chev]

Originally Posted by nikwho

you sound like you have it pretty well figured out. Seems like measuring to the front of the clip shock mount holes to square it up and using the 8 degree angle for anti dive should line it up pretty good.

It's not a Mustang II you do not have to put in that 8 degree angle. If you set the stub so that it is there, the whole stub will be off and not lined up with the trucks frame. Where do guys get that nonsense?

The Stub bottom of the stubs frame rails or the theoretic bottom of those rails needs to be parallel with the with the trucks rails or you end up with a bent in the middle truck that looks like a ratrod mess. When the truck is done you are looking at Camaro/Firebird specs, not transverse leaf Ford specs. The 8 degrees is what is put in a transverse leaf Ford but not a subframed truck.

[hammerdog57]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

It's not a Mustang II you do not have to put in that 8 degree angle. If you set the stub so that it is there, the whole stub will be off and not lined up with the trucks frame. Where do guys get that nonsense?

The Stub bottom of the stubs frame rails or the theoretic bottom of those rails needs to be parallel with the with the trucks rails or you end up with a bent in the middle truck that looks like a ratrod mess. When the truck is done you are looking at Camaro/Firebird specs, not transverse leaf Ford specs. The 8 degrees is what is put in a transverse leaf Ford but not a subframed truck.

If you level clip sub rails both directions and put a angle finder on A arm mounts you will come up with 8 degrees putting clip parallel with with truck frame. Just like your buddy, Luxblue and no limit engineering does it.

[nikwho]

Mr48Chev, I have never installed a mustang II, so i'm not sure what your talking about with that. If you parallel the bottom of the camaro IFS subframe to the truck frame and then put an angle finder on the top of the upper A-arm mount, you will find a 7 or 8 degree angle. Just like you will find on a second gen camaro when the clip is still in the car. We're not talking about the subframe being rotated up 8 degrees.

[mr48chev]

Ok, I stand corrected. When I read your post I thought that you were telling him to set the subframe at an angle to the frame.

When I built both my 48 with a 68 Camaro subframe and my 51 Merc with a 70 Nova subframe my main concern was to have the subframe on the same plane as it was on the original car. And then have the frame of the vehicle it was going on match that when I set it up. That may be real simple thinking but it avoided any confusion and both rigs could cruise hands off at 80 for long stretches down straight roads without wavering one way or another. But if I ever do another subframe job I will indeed get my angle finder out and check as it is one more check to make.