Dodge Plymouth E Body Mopar "Hot Rod" Torque Box Set (Front Pair only)
(Includes two front) - Fits all E Bodies (Challenger, Barracuda, Cuda) from 1970
through 1974, Dodge and Plymouth.
These torque boxes are
designed to add strength to your Mopar unibody in several critical
areas. The factory added OEM torque boxes on the high-HP, high torque
cars and convertibles. Hemi cars, six-pak cars etc. had torque boxes
added by the factory engineers. Our interpretation of the OEM pieces
improves on that proven design. We made them stronger by using 1/8"
thick steel and having them CNC Machine cut and CNC bent.
This is a set of (2) torque boxes, left & right fronts.
FAQ's
Where do the rear Torque Boxes mount?
The
rear torque box is designed to "box in" the area just in front of the
rear leaf spring front hanger. It adds the missing pieces between the
factory frame rail section, the front spring hanger longitudinal and the
rocker box. This "boxing" adds stiffeners between major structural
parts of your unibody and makes these key areas even stronger!!
Where do the front Torque Boxes mount?
The
front torque box is designed to to triangulate the front frame rail,
the lower firewall pinch weld area and the rocker box. They install
between the front frame rail and the rocker, right at the lower firewall
to floor pinch weld. These are all higher strength areas of the
unibody and triangulating them adds roll stiffness to the mopar unibody
front frame stub.
What does a Torque Box do?
The
simple version is: The torque box acts like a gusset and adds
strength. On a Mopar unibody, the front and rear Torque Boxes have
different tasks, so lets break the question up into two; What do the
front do? and What to the rears do?
What do the rear Torque Boxes do?
On
a Mopar Unibody, all of the forces that move the car forward are
transferred from the drivetrain (engine, transmission, rear end) to the
"unibody" via the rear leaf springs. The front leaf spring mount is the
specific point on the unibody where all these forces are focused.
There
are "push forward" forces and also "lift up" forces. (Go watch a high
horsepower leaf spring Mopar launch at the drag strip and you will see
the rear body separation over the rear tires; there is a lot of "up"
force!) In fact, it is this "up force" that ultimately has a car do a
wheelie! OK, back to the question, what does a Torque Box do? It helps
spreads all this force (push forward and up) from the front leaf spring
mount longitudinal to the frame rail and the rocker.
By
adding this "box" you strengthen the part of your unibody that is
taking all the forces from your high-horsepower, high torque drivetrain.
So, rear Torque boxes help the most during launch of a high
horsepower, high torque car, they also add general stiffness, which is
why they got added to all mopar convertibles!
What do the front Torque Boxes do?
The
front Torque boxes help strengthen the area of your Mopar unibody that
is subjected to the twisting forces as your car is driven. As you
drive your Mopar, the suspension is designed to absorb the forces from
bumps and body roll (cornering). The suspension transmits these
"twisting" forces from the moving parts (sprung - tires, wheels etc.)
to the unmoving parts (unsprung - chassis, unibody). At the front of
the car, most of these forces go into the frame rails! (Some goes via
the torsion bar into the torsion bar crossmember). This "twist" on the
front frame rails subjects the area where the front frame rail is
attached to the center "unibody" tub to a great amount of bending
forces. Adding the front torque boxes helps "gusset" this area and
spreads the twisting forces out. Making this area stronger means it
does not flex as much. Reducing flex in the unibody helps the
suspension do its job. So the front Torque Box adds unibody roll
stiffness and aids in the cars handling.
Does my car need Torque Boxes?
The
factory engineers added front & rear Torque Boxes to cars that had
high horse power and high torque. They knew where the unibody was
weakest and devised a simple solution to strengthen those areas. Since
convertibles lack the inherent strength of a "roof", they also added
Torque Boxes to all the convertibles! Any car will benefit from the
additional chassis (unibody) stiffening, especially if you are
increasing the horsepower or just want you car to feel more "solid"
going down the road.
Are these duplicates of the OEM factory Torque Boxes?
No,
we build a version we refer to as our "Hot Rod" Torque Boxes. These
mount in the factory locations but are designed to be stronger and
easier to add on a car that has already left the factory. For a concors
restoration, you may want to consider an OEM part, but for the "Hot
Rod" in your garage, these are thicker, stronger and look cleaner!
Do these require welding?
Yes, installing Torque Boxes requires them to be welded into position.
