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So? How do you like it? I'm on the fence between that and the tci pro touring.. How well does it handle in street cars? I know they work great in drag setups, but not sure on the cornering aspect.
guys with checkered racing subframes....
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744 Posts
I have had a Checkered Racing front clip under my 63 for a few months now but due to other bugs that I have had to work out, haven't made a significant road trip with it yet. The longest has been a 25 mile trip to work a couple of days back which was on a winding, hilly two lane country highway. It is a vast improvement over the old GM setup that was there before. Stability, steering, and braking are all spot-on. I have an out of town cruise-in to attend this weekend, so I'll be putting some more miles on it at highway speeds. Status report Monday if I remember. It sure is nice to be able to stop in a straight line when you step on the brakes for a change.
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Did you get the sway bar and power steering also? Was it basically slap on and weld downtubes and motor mounts?
Do not allow yourself to think of a front clip, any front clip, as a "slap and go" proposition. There are just too many variables at work and having built a Checkered racing clip I would have to say they are one of the more "involved" kits. I haven't driven mine yet but working out the kinks took some planning. Welding is a given but the nice thing is you can modify it without compromising the engineering.
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39 Posts
That's basically what I'm asking, what kinks?
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26,231 Posts
my thoughts... the "kinks" will be aligning the clip/shimming the clip so the fender/hood gaps etc are correct. if the clip isn't installed just right you'll find it very hard to get things lined up. being this isn't factory but "Custom" sometimes things just don't fall into place... patience is key, sometimes some finagling is required. especially with the inner fenders if your kit is supplied with them...
it's not going to be a weekend job either, well, maybe it can be done in a weekend... not in the vast majority of cases though...
no real hang ups, they are all bolt on to a point but we all have to remember we're now working with custom parts, not factory parts... which we all know even using factory parts will give us headaches at times.
good luck!!!
it's not going to be a weekend job either, well, maybe it can be done in a weekend... not in the vast majority of cases though...
no real hang ups, they are all bolt on to a point but we all have to remember we're now working with custom parts, not factory parts... which we all know even using factory parts will give us headaches at times.
good luck!!!
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744 Posts
I'm probably not a good test bed for this thread. I live 5 minutes from Checkered and gave up the extra $$ to have Dustin go ahead and install his front clip on my car, so I got it back from him just needing a trip to the alignment shop. I am very happy with the results but cannot talk about the installation process. I have a non-power rack, disc brakes, coil overs, inner fender panels and have added a Flaming River chrome tilt steering column
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39 Posts
How would you rate the overall ride? Especially without power steering? Any complaints at all?
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744 Posts
I am very happy with it. I have a pretty small steering wheel on my 1st gen. The road to work has a lot of curves in it. I have 3 1/2 in Centerlines up front with some pretty small tires, so I don't go hot-dogging into those curves. But for normal driving, both out on the road and in town, it handles well, both under acceleration and braking. Had to do a pretty quick stop once in town last weekend and it shut down quickly and in a straight line with the not power assisted front discs and rear drums. I will never push my car as hard as the guys that do the cones at the big car shows, so I can't vouch for that, but for most road warriors, I think it is a good deal.
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342 Posts
Not to get off topic but.... I have a checkered racing clip that I bought without researching enough, I know I know young and dumb 17 a whopping 5 years ago lol. So now that I have a better idea of what I want from my car manly a good corner carver and easy driver, has anyone installed a sway bar? I know they have an option for an anti-roll bar installed but is that something anyone has done? Or that I could do myself?
On topic a bit. I was happy with the kit overall, I have not driven the car with or without the clip at any point but the figment seemed good and the purchase of it went smooth overall. I went with the light duty brakes which I also should have looked not because they turned out to be unvented wilwoods that were only rated for drag racing. So a bit more research there would have saved me some time. :yes:
On topic a bit. I was happy with the kit overall, I have not driven the car with or without the clip at any point but the figment seemed good and the purchase of it went smooth overall. I went with the light duty brakes which I also should have looked not because they turned out to be unvented wilwoods that were only rated for drag racing. So a bit more research there would have saved me some time. :yes:
Welding in a sway bar is not that tough. I made some brackets for another member here but the lower arms need to be modified as well. If you are going to have someone else weld it then just bring them a bar and have them mount it for you.
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39 Posts
OK, It's done.....subframe ordered with power rack and sway bar kit. I'm kinda nervous to pull my car apart. I dont wanna scratch anything! On the brightside, a turboed ls. Is going in!
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