quikSHOilver
Yamahaized
Hmm interesting... All I know that I used '96's...perhaps early run of 96's had same taper of tie rod fittment of Gen 1/2's?
Gen 3 Subframe Mod
- Thread starter javve
- Start date
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Hmm interesting... All I know that I used '96's...perhaps early run of 96's had same taper of tie rod fittment of Gen 1/2's?
jelloslug
Digital
The endlinks are not the same. The 3rd-4th gen end links are turned 90° compared to the 1st-2nd gen ones.
kevinspann
Don't take my advice.
Correct. I think there was just some confusion on how it was typed.
Use gen 1/2 endlinks with gen 1/2 struts.
Use gen 1/2 endlinks with gen 1/2 struts.
christiansho
Member
i ended up getting a 1999 taurus . and thats the frame im pulling this weekend for the upgrade! hope the jig i got works fine , and i just have to space the front motor mount and weld the trans mount!
i bought dormin lower control arms , ford oem hub/bearings , ford ball joint , moog gen 3 outer tie rod ends , moog 24mm sway bar hold down mounts and re using my moog gen 1/2 sway bar end links . also got brand new rcm trans mount and going to re use my aluminum sfb . i hope i dont have an issue with this back bolt of the lower control arm? if so i will just drill the hole out i guess .. i hope it just all bolts in tight! or should i have gone the moog lower control arms??? i paid 63 each for the dorman versus 108 for the moog ones!
i bought dormin lower control arms , ford oem hub/bearings , ford ball joint , moog gen 3 outer tie rod ends , moog 24mm sway bar hold down mounts and re using my moog gen 1/2 sway bar end links . also got brand new rcm trans mount and going to re use my aluminum sfb . i hope i dont have an issue with this back bolt of the lower control arm? if so i will just drill the hole out i guess .. i hope it just all bolts in tight! or should i have gone the moog lower control arms??? i paid 63 each for the dorman versus 108 for the moog ones!
kevinspann
Don't take my advice.
I would have (and have) just kept the originals if they weren't really high mileage. I would tack in the trans mount, and then test fit the subframe before welding it fully.
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christiansho
Member
i just want all new! i can always return them! i am going to take out to paint anyways! if the dorman fits! then i rather put new ones . and what do you mean about test fitting? it should just bolt right in no??? and i have a jig i borrowed to weld trans mount in that is perfect! so just gonna weld and double check tranny doesnt hit the frame!
The trans itself will hit the frame unless you notch it. If you notch it too large it interferes with control arm travel, if its too small the trans will vibrqte against the frame especially on turns etc.
I found I had to looosen all the motor mount bolts, shove the engine as far as it would go towards the passenger side, hold it there and tighten the mount nuts back down. Think that bought about an eigth of an inch.
I found I had to looosen all the motor mount bolts, shove the engine as far as it would go towards the passenger side, hold it there and tighten the mount nuts back down. Think that bought about an eigth of an inch.
christiansho
Member
yes its heated and hammered down! i bolted a tranny on and tested it , the only thing i am unlcear about is the front motor mount! i was told with a slo frame all you need to do is space it up! i looks like its not in the same spot as my gen one frame! on the gen 3 it looks at the same position as the rear but on the gen one it looks like the front is slightly more toward the drivers side! maybe half inch to an inch! can someone confirm this? i have saw a ton of frames moded and welded and they all seem to have a piece of metal welded higher and over! my question is what happens on the bottom? if i drill over a bit it looks like the hole will come out where the under side starts to go bigger... do i have to notch it under neath too? if i dont then the nut wont be sitting flat when i go to tighten the front motor mount... i wish people took some pics showing close ups for the front mount on the top side as well as underneath where the nut goes too so that i can see the work done!
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K-Dawg
SHO Member
Don't have any pics, but mine is cut out on the underside where the front motor mount is.
I used a 2001 SLO subframe and had NESHO do the welding/fab because of their 3D jig and superior fab skills.
The one thing that is different on mine is that I had NESHO use JEM's front motor mount mod, which involves drilling a fairly large hole through (approx. 1 5/8s) the top and bottom, careful that the hole is vertical to the plane of the forward subframe to frame pads. Then weld a washer with the right sized hole to a piece of 1 5/8 roll bar tubing, and then welding that into the hole in the subframe top and bottom with the washer up to accept the motor mount.
Neither I nor SHOforum are responsible if you try this mod and end up in an accident, have your alternator pulley saw through your battery, etc etc.
The one thing that is different on mine is that I had NESHO use JEM's front motor mount mod, which involves drilling a fairly large hole through (approx. 1 5/8s) the top and bottom, careful that the hole is vertical to the plane of the forward subframe to frame pads. Then weld a washer with the right sized hole to a piece of 1 5/8 roll bar tubing, and then welding that into the hole in the subframe top and bottom with the washer up to accept the motor mount.
Neither I nor SHOforum are responsible if you try this mod and end up in an accident, have your alternator pulley saw through your battery, etc etc.
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christiansho
Member
lol! i wouldnt leave anyone responsible... i was under the impression that front mount just needs to be spaced! fml...... wish i knew this info was manditory on a slow frame! i used a 1999 frame . but thought the sho one needed to be moded and the slo one was just spaced up slightly! dam!!! gonna post some pics! nobody ever shows the underside!
christiansho
Member
here are a few pics! damn damn damn!
looks like i needed to weld the plate then drill with a hole saw after on the underside so that i can get my nut on!
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SHOspazz92
Banned
somehow, when Javve put this thread together with all the info on the Gen3 subframe swap, somehow we all glossed over the fact that the front motor mount hole needs to be moved approx 2" to the left of where it appears on the Gen3 subframe from the factory.
That is easy on the 96-97 frames, as you can just drill a hole. On the later ones, you need to drill a larger hole and put a piece of pipe or tubing there so you can get to the location where the nut needs to go on the bottom side of the subframe.
That is easy on the 96-97 frames, as you can just drill a hole. On the later ones, you need to drill a larger hole and put a piece of pipe or tubing there so you can get to the location where the nut needs to go on the bottom side of the subframe.
javve
SHO Lovin' It
I had mentioned it for the ATX, is it the same for the MTX as well? Is there anything I need to add or modify on my original post?
Would love to be able to sticky this. It's been a group effort to get everything on one thread.
kevinspann
Don't take my advice.
Yes, it's the same idea for the MTX. For the later subframes, take a hole saw through it where the motor mount needs to be (2-2 1/2"), and then weld a 1/4" plate on top that fits in that odd shaped recess. Should take care of it.
christiansho
Member
ok if you didnt weld a piece on top and just spaced it with washers... i drilled the hole and the motor sits in there mint! i had to use a unibit on the botom to allow the stud to come through , i cant get the nut on yet! need to do the hole saw like stated . is it bad to just space it with washers , cut the underside and say place a over sized washer underneith and just tighten?? wouldnt that be secure or could the metal bend and rip due to there not being as thick as the original .... i will take pics tomorrow and post what i did and plan to do... or do you want that hole motor mount base touching flat steel ??
i spaced up with 5 washer... its basically like 2-3 mm higher then the edge of the frame!
i wish someone had before , during and after pictures!!!! this front mount seems to be as big of a deal as welding the trans mount and adding some material!
if i knew it was like this i would of done more research and tested dropping the motor onto the frame with trans mount welded lol
i spaced up with 5 washer... its basically like 2-3 mm higher then the edge of the frame!
i wish someone had before , during and after pictures!!!! this front mount seems to be as big of a deal as welding the trans mount and adding some material!
if i knew it was like this i would of done more research and tested dropping the motor onto the frame with trans mount welded lol
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christiansho
Member
when you weld that plate in there... is it touching the underneath or is there a gap between the original? and from underneath are we cutting a 2 inch hole threw both layers..... and then we see the bottom side of that 1/4 plate steel that we just welded???
christiansho
Member
here are some teaser shots of what im doing under the hood! cant wait to take this thing for a rip! 
