3rd Gen Subframe Install - Structural Integrity

Minus the one small piece we left off, here's the sum of the four kits we got from UMI, installed and ready to go. Some of the other guys in the shop remarked how cool and beefy the new stuff looks, along with improving the visual appearance of the Camaro's underside. If all goes well, we'll have the car track-ready soon.

Minus the one small piece we left off, here's the sum of the four kits we got from UMI, in

For superior handling, chassis stiffness and stability are important factors. If the front wheels are moving/shifting around at different angles to the rear wheels, a car's handling will be inconsistent and you'll be giving up performance and grip.

Full-frame cars don't have the stiffness issues that subframe cars do thanks to the full-frame chassis. Add T-tops and an F-body and it will have chassis flex like a Twizzler under heavy cornering, engine torque, and similar autocross/open track scenarios. While the second-gen T-top Camaros aren't as bad, their third gen siblings are well known for structural weakness.

1 The UMI subframe connector kit (part no. 2400) is fairly simple to install, even with the required welding. The passenger side connector comes in two pieces to make install around the exhaust system easier. These parts feature heavy gauge box steel tubing, giving any third- or fourth-gen F-body a drastic (and desperately needed) increase in structural integrity over stock.

1 The UMI subframe connector kit (part no. 2400) is fairly simple to install, even with t

Using a modified example of what our friend Brent Vandervort of Fatman Fabrications tells everyone, take a shoe box with the lid on it and try to twist it. It doesn't move a lot. Now, cut out a generous part of the lid in the shape of a T-top roof, then start twisting again. Notice the difference? Same thing for a T-top versus non-T-top third-gen (and even fourth-gen) Camaro.

This '92 Camaro is destined for autocross and dragstrip fun, so one of the first things that needs to be upgraded is the chassis for extra rigidity. Along with that, the copious amounts of torque our GM Performance Parts crate engine puts out will be pushing things to the limit, far beyond what the original 305 was capable of.

A quick call to UMI Performance (www.umiperformance.com) in Bigler, Pennsylvania, got us the first batch of goodies necessary to stiffen up this Camaro better than any dose of vehicular Viagra. UMI's been in business since 2003 designing and making its own line of suspension pieces for GM guys and those blue oval lunatics we get into bench racing sessions with.

2 Before installing the other parts, we wanted to install the new torque arm kit (part no. 2217), since the factory arm was already out of our car. The first step was to support the rear end and body using pole jacks, with the car on our drive on lift. If you don't have a lift, then support the car with jack stands on the body subframe, and use a jack to support the rear. This unloads the rear suspension, necessary for the swap.

2 Before installing the other parts, we wanted to install the new torque arm kit (part no

UMI sent us its '82-92 Camaro subframe connectors, tubular rear control arms, on-the-car adjustable panhard bar, and torque arm relocation kit with a beefy adjustable tubular torque arm. Together these parts will give the '92 the strength to handle the hardest maneuvering at the track and on the street. What's better are the adjustable aspects of the panhard bar and torque arm, which will allow us to tune the rear suspension for whatever scenario we're dealing with. We'll cover suspension adjustments in a later story.

While the subframe connectors require some welding, the rest of the parts we're installing don't and can be installed either on a lift, or in your driveway using jack stands.

Follow along as we show you how.