sub-frame strength?

[JayJ]

hi all, i was talking to a buddy of mine a few weeks back about mods i might be wanting to do to my 7m down the road. well we got on the topic of how much power it could physically take.. i know the diff, drive shaft, and transmission cant handle much more that 300 on a daily basis and no more than 400 safely. but heres what im wondering.. if someone was to beef up all the necessary components, how much power could our frames take on a daily basis? i know some people have 2J swaps, but how much do they drive their car and is it stock 300hp? im wanting to get to about 500HP at 18lbs and then be done tinkering with it but i was just wondering if my car would be able to handle that safely on a daily basis without snapping in half? and if it cant, is there any upgrades that can be done to the frame to allow that? and as a secondary question, im really worried about the rust under my fenders and i was wondering what kind of options we have for cleaning that up.. thanks guys

[lacrssgus14]

What are you looking to do with the car? Suspension setups, tires, transmission? If its any type of competition car, it will probably have a roll cage anyway.

i know some people have 2J swaps, but how much do they drive their car and is it stock 300hp?

Trust me, the swaps get driven and there are a few running around here making double the stock output of a 2JZ-GTE. I haven't noticed any chassis problems with my car as of yet.

One thing is for sure, you will spend a small fortune prepping the car in general for a swap before you need to think about chassis upgrades. All new bushings, new shocks, struts, springs, big brake kit, new wheels to clear BBK, LSD upgrade, one piece drive shaft. At this point your next step will be to install a roll bar or cage. I can see the chassis having problems if your running a built automatic with a high stall converter and a solid axle rear end, but if that's your setup, you damn well better have a cage, so no chassis problem.

[Funkycheeze]

The subframes are strong, but you might need to weld some steel into the floorpan between the rockers and the rear subframe mount to avoid twisting if you are over 400 WHP and you drive the car hard. Other than that, you will need to put a truetrac in the stock diff, go to a single piece driveshaft and a R154 gearbox. Plus supporting suspension and braking mods.

to be honest, the weight of the car makes anything over around 450 WHP absolutely terrifying. I turned my boost back down to 12.5lb as over that just felt un safe, even on a track.

[83CelWA]

Are you taking about the strength of the subframes, or the body, they are two different things. There is no frame for the body if that is what you are thinking since the car is a unibody.

[Talksoup]

You plain have the wrong chassis.How the hell would you know what HP these cars can handle?Do you own a working boosted car?My diff held up fine at around 500hp.Wrong car for that much power.Can you say OUTDATED TECHNOLOGY!I don't give a rats ass what you do for brake/suspension etc.Still the wrong platform...Ask Mark Sherman,myself included.Sold it to move on to a vehicle with the ability,support network.Have fun though.

[JayJ]

i own a supra with a 7mgte that is harness-less, so kind of =P and yea thats kind of what i was hearing.. that mkiii is much more set up for that kind of power from what i hear

[lacrssgus14]

You plain have the wrong chassis.How the hell would you know what HP these cars can handle?Do you own a working boosted car?My diff held up fine at around 500hp.Wrong car for that much power.Can you say OUTDATED TECHNOLOGY!I don't give a rats ass what you do for brake/suspension etc.Still the wrong platform...Ask Mark Sherman,myself included.Sold it to move on to a vehicle with the ability,support network.Have fun though.

With this mind set, we all should sell our modified cars and just drive around in 100% stock, unmodified vehicles. MKIV's are terrible cars for raw power drag racing too, but you throw a enough money into it and you get the vehicle that continues to break street tire ET times, 6 speed ET times, and Standing Mile accolades. If you truly enjoy your car and want to do crazy things with it, anything is possible, but you better have the wallet for it. You can buy a newer car for a higher purchase price and put less money into it and have a car that looks/drives like 95% of its peers, or have a cheaper car with more invested in parts and have a mostly unique vehicle.

Like I originally posted, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WITH THE CAR? If its a straight line drag racer only, the stock brakes are fine because you should be considering a chute. Same goes for chassis/suspension, if its a straight line car, 4 link 9" rear end and any suspension you want. If your looking for a truly competitive corner carver, your in the wrong chassis. If you want an all around street car, its going to take a lot of work, but you can easily have a 500 hp MKII if your intelligent about it. If its raining, park the car, if its colder than 50 outside, park the car, if your driving like an ass in traffic, park the damn car.