If u know about camaro sub ,help me

[stan3018]

Ok i oder the (no limit dvd) and its real suck ,and its a copy from a vcr to dvd they realy got me their ....ok the fuc?ing video dont show anything ....looking on my pics i got some trucks with a camaro sub and its nothing compare to the video, what i want to know is how many ichs you have to cut the frame after the cab mount ..look at this pic

[stan3018]

This is the job that i want and the ****i ng video dont show this way it shows a total different way ,,,......this video its really sucks

[Longstep70]

Did you look at this thread? It has a lot of good info.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...ht=Camaro+clip

[stan3018]

Originally Posted by Longstep70

Did you look at this thread? It has a lot of good info.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...ht=Camaro+clip

yes i did but it does not tell u were to cut the truck chasi or how many inch of the cab

[OrrieG]

I read the HAMB thread and he was pretty clear about where to make the first cut, how to set up to measure and how to make the template and final cuts. Like he says "where to cut" depends on where you set your reference points. Take a look at it again, make lots of measurements and sneak up on it (cut long and gradully grind it back to get the right angle and squared up). It made me a little more confident about giving it a try if I decide to do a lowered 2wd.

[hotrodrookie]

What year truck do you have?55-57 have a different front wheel well then the 58-59. Make sure you measure your truck's original wheel base and use that as a starting point. I just cut mine right behind the steering box and slowly kept moving back until the wheelbase was the same as orginal. Take your time doing this!! Not something you want to rush. Once you have it where you want it, put several tack welds connecting the frame strong enough to hold the cab, front sheet metal and engine and tranny. The front sheetmetal wont bolt in yet but atleast you can get an idea of how the front wheels are going to sit in the wheel well. Measure>Weld

[JML55]

Like the last reply i cut mine at least twice, just make sure you mesure the wheel base 114" and cut the frame to match the camaro clip. It better to cut it a little long the first time then remeasure and do your final cut when you are sure the wheelbase is correct.

[stan3018]

Originally Posted by JML55

Like the last reply i cut mine at least twice, just make sure you mesure the wheel base 114" and cut the frame to match the camaro clip. It better to cut it a little long the first time then remeasure and do your final cut when you are sure the wheelbase is correct.

as you know my frame is naked i took every thing off....ok do me a favor mesure yours from the back to where you cut it and tell me so like that and cut my frame thats it

[OrrieG]

Originally Posted by stan3018

as you know my frame is naked i took every thing off....ok do me a favor mesure yours from the back to where you cut it and tell me so like that and cut my frame thats it

hotrodrookies second photo shows his cut marks, right behind the steering box bracket and factory punched hole on the other side. That would be a good starting point, then ease the clip back using a template to get the correct wheelbase. Don't forget to triangulate the measurements to keep everything square. Check to make sure the rearend is square too, they sometimes get tweaked and could throw off the front (I found mine was 1/4" out of square due to worn shackle bolt holes the first time around).

[jjjmm56]

The way it looks in the 3rd pic is the way I did mine using the whole subframe. The only thing I did was make a cutout for the tranny mount in the stock frame , never cutting the mount off the sub. I drilled 2 holes in each side of the stock frame and 1st bolted the sub to it,checked my alignments and wheel base, then welded and boxed it both on the inside and out side with 3/16 plate

[jjjmm56]

I made a cardboard template of the sub's curve then set the sub alongside the stock frame to check wheelbase. Did a first cut layed the sub under stock and kept measuring and cutting untill I was happy .Then bolted it and knocked it around till my cross and WB numbers were right

[stan3018]

Originally Posted by OrrieG

hotrodrookies second photo shows his cut marks, right behind the steering box bracket and factory punched hole on the other side. That would be a good starting point, then ease the clip back using a template to get the correct wheelbase. Don't forget to triangulate the measurements to keep everything square. Check to make sure the rearend is square too, they sometimes get tweaked and could throw off the front (I found mine was 1/4" out of square due to worn shackle bolt holes the first time around).

Originally Posted by jjjmm56

I made a cardboard template of the sub's curve then set the sub alongside the stock frame to check wheelbase. Did a first cut layed the sub under stock and kept measuring and cutting untill I was happy .Then bolted it and knocked it around till my cross and WB numbers were right

ok you guys gave me alot of ideas, my plan is to put the cab and install one fender and go from their ...i just dont want to **** this frame up

[jjjmm56]

You don't need to put the cab on,thats just more work! Level the sub, side to side,and the back rails front to back,measure from floor to top of rails. Put the frame on jack stands and set it to the hight of the top of sub (rear rails) .Measure from the center line of your rear axel to the front (I think it's 114") and put a line on the floor,do both sides. Get a straight edge and draw a line from mark to mark, this is close to were your C/L of your front axel should be. Then go from there as in earlier posts. I'll measure mine from the cab mount to the C/L of the front axel if it helps.

[stan3018]

Originally Posted by jjjmm56

You don't need to put the cab on,thats just more work! Level the sub, side to side,and the back rails front to back,measure from floor to top of rails. Put the frame on jack stands and set it to the hight of the top of sub (rear rails) .Measure from the center line of your rear axel to the front (I think it's 114") and put a line on the floor,do both sides. Get a straight edge and draw a line from mark to mark, this is close to were your C/L of your front axel should be. Then go from there as in earlier posts. I'll measure mine from the cab mount to the C/L of the front axel if it helps.

dude my frame is like this know ..theirs nothing on it so i have to go the hard way and thats put in the cab and the fenders and go from their because if i cut this frame the wrong way im ****..

[chevyrestoguy]

Here's a quick and dirty method for installing a Camaro subframe in your garage without a chassis jig:

You must first establish the wheelbase. It's absolutely critical. In your case, you need to re-assemble the front and rear suspensions and get it back on it's wheels. You don't need to re-assemble them 100%, just get them where the axles are back in the leaf springs in their factory locations and tight. Cross-measure and fwd/aft measure to ensure that they are in the chassis nice and square.

Clear out an area in the garage where you can work on it until the subframe is in place and welded. Find a place that is as flat as possible. Once you make your first cut, the truck should never be moved until you're done welding. You will have spent a whole lot of time getting everything nice and square and moving it a 1/4" knocks everything out of whack.

Go to a local steel yard or scrap yard and buy 2 6ft pieces of 8" U-channel (aluminum or steel). Raise the truck, and slide these U-channels under the tires and lower it fully until the tires rest inside the channel. Use a level to ensure that the U-channels are level from side to siide and front to back and also with each other. Shim as necessary to gain level. Cross measure and fwd/aft measure and get it as square as you can. It is imperitive that you use tires that can hold air until you're done. You now have the wheelbase locked in. Make a Sharpie mark around the circumference of the U-channels, or use Bondo (I know, it sounds hillbilly, but it works) and put about 8-10 blobs of it around each U-channel and bond it to the floor. This is an old tooling trick that I learned from some older guys for "locking down" a temporary jig. When you're completely done with the entire job, just use a 4" putty knife and chip it off the floor.

Before you cut anything, I am going to show you a way to save a ton of headaches. Most guys get totally focused on the area where the Camaro clip meets the chassis and never even think about the core support mounts or the bumper mounts. It's a pain in the a$$ to try to make a bumper mount after the fact, so here's a trick. The bumper brackets bolt on to the ends of the frame, and the core support nutplates are about a foot aft of there. This is an extremely important part of the frame and will be re-used. You need to build a jig that bolts onto the ends of the frame rails and will support that 1ft section of frame. It doesn't need to be pretty, and you can make it out of steel, wood ,etc. This jig must contact the floor securely, so make plenty of outriggers or whatever to ensure that it's stable. Mark the floor around the jig, make measurements and write them on the floor with a Sharpie near the jig.

Take a close look at the Camaro subframe and the original truck frame and determine where to make your cuts. Make sure you have the steering box installed on the subframe and make sure your cuts will not interfere with the steering. Once you've made those marks, cut away. You're going to make a total of 4 cuts. 2 in the rear, and 2 in the front. The front cuts will be about 3 inches aft of the core support nutplates. The truck chassis should fall out, so get a few buddies and roll it out of the way, making sure that you didn't knock the front u-channel loose from the floor. Grab the Camaro subframe and with your buddy's help set the tires in the U-channel. You'll notice that you'll need to cut a bunch of areas on the subframe to make it fit between the original frame sections. Make a series of small cuts instead of a big giant one because you want it to fit without giant gaps. Once you get close, measure, measure, measure. Cross-Cross, side/side. Another thing to make sure you do....If you still have the Camaro clip in the donor car, or if you know somebody with a 70-81 Camaro or Firebird without an engine, take a digital level and set it on the crossmember in the center and take a measurement of front-to-back. Also take the level and measure the upper control arm crossbars (it's where the alignment shims go and the control arm bushings attach to) front-to-back. These measurements are to ensure that you position the Camaro clip in the truck with the correct anti-dive, and you should ensure that your measurements match.

Once you're satisfied with the placement, and all the measurements are square, the anti-dive measurements are correct, the front frame sections meet the Camaro clip and match up to the outlines and measurements on the floor, and the wheelbase is where you locked it when you set the U-channels, tack the pieces together. There are dozens of ways to gusset the sections together, and I prefer to gusset like crazy with small gussets and box the entire splice area (about 12") with 3/16th steel plate. It covers all the gussets and makes it look a whole lot nicer. Having an acetlyne torch is very handy here because you can heat sections of the 3/16th plate to make them conform to the frame tie the intersections together better. I chose to not run the Camaro subframe "downlegs", I cut them off and my clip stops right at the splice point.

You'll have to trim your inner fenders around the upper control arms, but it's not hard at all. This is alot of work but the results are worth it. There are also some very good Mustang II kits on the market that are even easier, and you won't have to chop the truck's frame into pieces.

Good Luck!!

[jjjmm56]

I forgot your frame is totally stripped. I measured mine today and got 28 1/4 from the cab mount to the shock stud. Now this is just a rough measure. Before I cut the frame I think I'd get my diff set in place 1st. Also I'm using a 70 camaro sub.If your dead set on installing the sub cut it 1 1/2" longer and bolt it together untill you get it on all 4s set the cab and fender and see how the wheels sit in the wells,then adjust for looks. I hope this helps,remember don't rush it.

[jjjmm56]

DO all 4 tires need to be the same size with the same amount of thread wear?

[chevyrestoguy]

chevyrestoguy - am I correct that the front channel is secured to the floor at the stock tire location? Wouldn't you want to move that forward before setting the Camaro clip to center the wheels better in the fender opening?

Absolutely, you could definately do that, but you would definately want to determine how far you would like to move the wheelbase before you cut anything. My previous post was to give stan3018 the easiest way to do his clip in the current condition in his garage and using the least amount of specialty tools. I used a buddy's frame jig when I did mine, and it made it a whole lot nicer. I was able to set my ride height that I wanted before I welded anything in.

DO all 4 tires need to be the same size with the same amount of thread wear?

The same size would be pretty important. It's more critical that the same size tires are on the same axle (left and right front same size, etc) The tires setting in the U-channels merely lock in the wheelbase so that get's established before you cut anything. Measuring rear axle centerline to front hub centerline also works too, but you're going to be constantly measuring it over and over, and to do it right, it takes two people. Using U-channel is just a very simple way to do it.

[stan3018]

Originally Posted by hotrodrookie

What year truck do you have?55-57 have a different front wheel well then the 58-59. Make sure you measure your truck's original wheel base and use that as a starting point. I just cut mine right behind the steering box and slowly kept moving back until the wheelbase was the same as orginal. Take your time doing this!! Not something you want to rush. Once you have it where you want it, put several tack welds connecting the frame strong enough to hold the cab, front sheet metal and engine and tranny. The front sheetmetal wont bolt in yet but atleast you can get an idea of how the front wheels are going to sit in the wheel well. Measure>Weld

how many inchs off that rail you weld .nice pic

[stan3018]

Originally Posted by stan3018

how many inchs off that rail you weld .nice pic

are you going to weld the truck frame on tap off the camaro frame? thats what i want

[56chevy1300]

For what it's worth, I followed the No Limit video method it turned out to be very successful. It drives really well, good brake and steering with no flex. The method I choose locates the crossmember farther away from the framerails thus limiting how low I can lower my truck. Here is a pic of the subframe and the second pic shows my truck with no air in the bags and the crossmember is sitting about 1" from the ground. I think the route you are about to take will allow you to lower your truck more than mine (if that is your plan). I believe jjjmm56 is correct about the 28 1/4 measurement to locate your axle center line. Hope this helps and Good luck!

[1-ton of fun]

i chose a completely different route and notched my nova (same as camaro) subframe so the truck frame slid into it and they overlap by around 6". then i welded them together. i had to add a few pieces of steel bar to bridge some gaps, and i haven't welded in my boxing plates yet.

[1-ton of fun]

the 28 1/4" sounds right to me too. i set my new axle centerline 1.25" farther forward at 29.5" to center the wheels in the fenders better.

[1-ton of fun]

this may give you an idea of how i did it. i wouldn't necessarily recommend doing it my way, but there is more than one way to skin a cat. the only thing i don't like about welding the clip under the truck frame is how the final product looks

[stan3018]

Originally Posted by 1-ton of fun

this may give you an idea of how i did it. i wouldn't necessarily recommend doing it my way, but there is more than one way to skin a cat. the only thing i don't like about welding the clip under the truck frame is how the final product looks

i dont give a **** how it looks this is my new route and theirs no going back as lone that my truck drives good thats what counts >>>.