Edelbrock 5290 user manual

EDELBROCK SUB-FRAME CONNECTORS

FOR 1993-2002 CAMARO/FIREBIRD

CATALOG #5290

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

• Please study these instructions carefully before installing your new sub-frame connectors. If you have any
questions or problems, contact our Technical Hotline at: 1-800-416-8628, 7:00 am - 5:00 pm, Monday through
Friday, Pacific Standard Time or e-mail us at [e-mail].

APPLICATION: Designed for 1993-2000 Camaro/Firebird hard-top. Edelbrock sub-frame connectors are stronger and
more effective than other brands because they have: (1) a larger welding surface area; (2) reinforce the rear lower
control arm mounting points and floor pan cross-member; (3) Ground clearance will not be reduced as with other brands of
sub-frame connectors.

TOOLS/EQUIPMENT SUGGESTED FOR INSTALLATION: In addition to common hand tools, you will need a wire feed
MIG welder, drive on vehicle lift, pit and/or floor jack, jack stands, soft backed grinder and c-clamps and vise grips.

NOTES:

(1) Weld-on sub-frame connectors should be installed by a professional welder with the proper equipment and a

good unders tanding of welding dissimilar metals. Your vehicle’s sub-frame is formed from relatively thin gauge
sheet metal. The end brackets of the sub -frame connectors are 1/8” thick hot rolled steel, laser cut and formed to
fit your vehicle’s sub -frames.

(2) Sub-frame connectors should not be installed on vehicles that have sub-frame damage due to accident or

vehicles with weak or unequal rate springs.

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

(1) Disconnect battery. Remove rear seat lower cushions,

front/side plastic kick panels, lift carpet, padding and
wire loom and support up off the floor pan during
welding process.

(2) Disconnect the fuel lines, located under the vehicle on

the left side between transmission cross-member and
body pinch weld. These lines may be under pressure,
so use caution when disconnecting (use eye protection).
Plug fuel lines as necessary so no fuel can leak from
lines. Remember, you will be welding in this area and
don’t want any fuel anywhere around. Remove the fuel
line protector block (if equipped), located on left side
under vehicle, behind the left front tire, bolted to the floor
pan. Remove the plastic clip holding the fuel lines and
carefully move fuel lines out of the way. Note: 2000­2002 model year vehicles have the fuel and brake lines
protected by a sheet metal shield on the inside surface
of the left front sub-frame. Remove the shield and
gently pull the lines away from the sub-frame where you
will be welding. Protect as necessary during welding.

(3) Carefully pull the steel brake line away from the

vehicle’s front sub-frame (see figure 1) just enough to
enable welding of front-end bracket to sub-frame.

Note: Duct tape can be used to protect the steel brake
line from being damaged during welding.

(4) For fit and welding, your vehicle’s full weight

should be resting on all four tires. The tires
should be the same size and have the same air
pressure. This will ensure that your vehicle’s
body and sub-frames are neutral and are not in
pre-load (twist or bind).

(5) Remove the front bolt from the rear lower

control arm and position the sub -frame connector
in place (see figure 2).

Fig. 2

Note: Only remove one control arm bolt at a time. This

will make reinstallation of bolts much easier.
Reinstall control arm bolt. Do not tighten at this
time. Raise the front of sub -frame connector into
place. Use the nut plates, 5/16 hex bolts and flat
washers supplied in kit, to temporarily secure the
front bracket to the vehicle’s sub-frame
(see figures 1 & 3).

Fig. 1

Fig. 3

(6) The rear end bracket can be held up tight against

the rear control arm mount with either vise grip
pliers, as shown in figu re 2, or you can use the hole
in the bottom of the end bracket as a guide to drill a
hole in the control arm pocket and install a 5/16 hex
bolt with flat washer and nut into the rear bracket.

(7) Using a marker or scribe, outline the front and rear

brackets where they are to be welded. Then
remove the sub-frame connectors and grind the
surface of the vehicle’s sub-frame in the areas
where they are to be welded. This will make
welding much easier and you will end up with much
better weld quality.

(8) Reinstall the sub-frame connectors into place,

using the hardware supplied in the kit. (Nut plates,
5/16 hex bolts, washers, nuts, and new control arm
bolts, washers and nuts). Do not fully tighten the
control arm bolts at this time. Vise grips or
c-clamps should be used to hold the end brackets
in place tight against the vehicle’s sub-frame
surfaces during welding. When properly positioned
into place, the main tube of the sub-frame
connector will be approximately ¼ to ½ inches
below the body pinch weld.

(9) Tack weld into place, then recheck clearance,

level, and positioning of the sub-frame
connectors in the vehicle. (At this point, it is still
easy to make adjustments but very difficult to
change after weldi ng is complete).

(10) Begin welding with front-end brackets. Weld all

areas that are tight against the sub-frame
surface. As you weld, you may need to form the
end brackets to the vehicle’s sub-frame surface to
minimize gaps between the two surfaces. (You
can use c-clamps to assist you to pull the sides of
end brackets tight to the surface of the sub -frame.

(11) Weld as much of the rear end bracket to the lower

control arm mount as you can (sides, bottom, rear
edges, etc.). Remove the control arm bolts. We
have purposely oversized the control arm bolt­holes for welding on the ID of the hole. This weld
must be level with or below the surface of the end
bracket so the washer will sit flat when tightened.
Note: The rear end brackets greatly reinforce the
lower control arm mount area when properly
welded. Reinstall control arm bolts.

(12) You will find three filler plates in your

installation kit. These are to be used on the front ­end brackets to finish boxing in the end brackets
and add reinforcement into the floor pan cross­member and sub-frame connector. The longest
plate is to be welded to the outside
surface of the right front -end bracket. The medium
length plate is to be welded on the inside of the
right-end bracket. (Figure 4 shows the filler plate
welded in place and finished off by grinding weld
smooth).

The shorter filler plate is to be used on the outside

surface of the left front-end bracket and should be
welded in the same manner as the other filler plates.
The fuel lines will need to be moved out of the way to
complete welding of this area. Note: Be careful not to

damage the fuel lines when welding.

Fig. 4

(13) Grind excess weld as needed. Clean and paint

sub-frame connectors and all welded areas to keep from
rusting. The 5/16 bolts, nut plates and hardware can be
removed to leave a smooth surface under your vehicle.
(See figures 4 & 5).

Fig. 5

(14) Route the fuel lines over the top of the left side sub-frame

connector tube and reconnect the fuel lines. Reattach
the steel brake line to the factory clips on the vehicle’s
sub-frame (see figure 6). Torque rear control arm bolts to
factory specs. 70 ft. lbs. Reinstall carpet, kick panels,
and rear lower seat cushions. Reconnect battery. Turn
ignition key on and check fuel lines for leaks.

Fig. 6

(15) Drive vehicle 20-30 miles, then re-torque the lower

control arm bolts.

Note: Check into other Edelbrock suspension products to

further enhance the handling and performance of your
Camaro or Firebird, such as coil springs, lower control
arms, torque arm, panhard rod and strut tower brace.

Edelbrock Corporation, 2700 California Street, Torrance, California 90503

Toll-Free Tech Line [phone]

Tech E-mail: [e-mail]