So my car has torque boxes in good condition. And I'm a college-kid on a budget, so I have been trying to figure out how to reinforce them without having to deal with all the $$$ and time involved with a battle box setup (though they are very badass) ... So I've been thinking about welding the seams all the way around and adding some competition engineering boxing plates when I do my control arms springs and shocks in the back.



I've heard of this getting done before but I want some feedback before I grab a welder and go to town. This is a street/strip car that spends a whole lot more time on the street than it does at the strip. And it probably wont be going past the 12s for a long time. Right now she's in the 13s on stock suspension...

 

if you do a full seam weld itll make the chassis more ridged. road racers will go through an entire car doing all the seam welds.

 

If you weld the seams, MAKE SURE to remove the backseats from the car, along with any tar or seam filler. It's easy to pop a hole when welding and that stuff goes up in flames quite easily. Also before welding, make sure you clean the seams real well with a grinder or sandblaster or the welds will never end up any good. Lastly, make sure you paint it all real well so the stuff doesn't start rusting on you, especially up there in MI.

Keep a fire extinguisher handy, and while welding, have someone watching the inside of the car with a small water spray bottle to spray on any tiny flames that might pop up.

 

Already removed the backseat of the car. I'm guessing I probably have to pull out the trunk carpet too right?

 

no, the tbs don't involve that carpet. You need to pull the carpet back and remove the tar lining from the floorpan under the backseat though, whether the backseat is actually there or not. And once you get near the outboard side of the car, have a friend keep an eye on the interior qtr panels while welding.

 

k, cool, lets me know what to look-out for.

 

yeah, be real careful when welding the floors, when we did my subframes i sat in the car with a soaked ragged and kept it over the spot they were welding at all times, the rag got so hot it was steaming during most parts, and i also had the water bottle handy too. its very dangerous if your not paying attention