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How to make a Hot Rod hook up?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Baumi, Jul 8, 2008.

  1. Baumi
    Joined: Jan 28, 2003
    Posts: 3,043

    Baumi
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Hi guys!
    I´m in need of some advice and opinions concerning the traction of my 34 Plymouth, or better, the lack there of.[​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    I ´ve raced my first 1/4 mile last Sunday on an old airfield around here. The track wasn´t exactly clean and not designed as a raceway, not glued at all. But anyways, it was my first race with a Christmas tree.
    I started with at 14.5 @105 and went from there, by trying to control wheels spin and adding weight to the rear of the car... hahahaha, I just had a girl sit in the rear seat.
    My best run was a 13.76 @102mph with 2.3 sec 60ft time. The car was spinning the rears almost to the 1/8th mile and I tried to find some traction getting babying gas pedal.
    I feel like the car could do a lot better than that powerwise.All it needs is get the some traction. Sounds easy right? [​IMG]

    The 34 has the stock rear leafsprings and I used old 225/60-25 radials because I didn´t want to ruin my brandnew coker bias plys.

    I already have this speedway coilover kit. Can it improve traction and how can I set it up to make it hook? Or should I keep the stock leafs? Should I rather change to slicks first?
    [​IMG]

    Thanks for your help! Chris
     
  2. I put an adjustable 4-link with "pro street" style polyurethane bushed rod ends with 1" shanks and 1-3/8" bars in my '31 Plymouth with a 468 big block Chevy. It hooks up great when I used to have Mickey Thompson 16.5" wide tires, and not too terrible with normal tires. I think an adjustable 4-link is about the best setup out there if you want to really hook up though.
     
  3. gas pumper
    Joined: Aug 13, 2007
    Posts: 2,957

    gas pumper
    Member

    If it ain't wheel-hopping, the chassis/suspension is OK.

    I'd play with lower air pressures in the rear tires. And try launches in your driveway or street to get close.

    Ya got a posi, or you a peg leg?

    I just ran my T roadster last week and smoked the tires bad the first run w/ 26 in the rears, went down to 20 and it done a lot better, took throttle all the way thru 1 st. And this is with 600X16's. Peg leg and had a 2.15 60 ft. The 1st run with spin was a 2.77.
    The little car ran a 13.5 @ 102 best.

    Frank
     
  4. Bruce Lancaster
    Joined: Oct 9, 2001
    Posts: 21,681

    Bruce Lancaster
    Member Emeritus

    Yes, hop would be the diagnostic, along with much greater spin on the right...if hop is there, and you like the suspension otherwise, consider a new second leaf made to stiffen the entire front half of each spring. One sided spin can often be helped by temporary weight jacking with a helper spring or airbag arrangement.
     

  5. Bruce Lancaster
    Joined: Oct 9, 2001
    Posts: 21,681

    Bruce Lancaster
    Member Emeritus

    So...if street looks like this:
    _______________________
    _______________________

    Then not suspension...
    If street is thus:
    ---------
    ---------
    or just_________________________ or---------
    then you need to make suspension hold axle from twisting, either by traditional Mopar spring tech or something with links.
    I love the advanced graphics capacity on the new HAMB!
     
  6. Baumi
    Joined: Jan 28, 2003
    Posts: 3,043

    Baumi
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    It doesn´t have wheel hop but it does have a posi.
    But it seems to smoke the right rear wheel sligtly more than the left one.
     
  7. Bruce Lancaster
    Joined: Oct 9, 2001
    Posts: 21,681

    Bruce Lancaster
    Member Emeritus

    Loading that side with some kind of supplemental springing will help a bit, but main issues are elsewhere. Remember though that you might get wheel hop once traction improves, so mods to leafs might still become necessary.
     
  8. jonny o
    Joined: Oct 26, 2007
    Posts: 836

    jonny o
    Member

    You're hooked!

    If you are going to keep running there, don't jump to slicks without someone with a little more knowledge telling you they will do you any good on that specific surface. You might be a lot better off with a wider/lower pressure radial.

    I think it might also be time to think of moving weight to the back. Battery and such. How's the front set up? You might be able to benefit from a lighter yet taller spring in the front, or at least an adjustable shock to get the weight to transfer.

    Either way, you are seconds ahead of my first trip to the strip!
     
  9. D.W.
    Joined: Jun 5, 2004
    Posts: 2,070

    D.W.
    Member
    from Austin Tx.

    Fine looking car ya got there!
    #1......listen to Mr. Lancaster.
    #2......Put some slicks on her
     
  10. ratrod0
    Joined: Apr 15, 2005
    Posts: 1,150

    ratrod0
    Member

    pinuon-angle is everything. check to see what you have, im willing to bet your is poss,
     
  11. billbrown
    Joined: Dec 24, 2007
    Posts: 595

    billbrown
    BANNED

    coilovers, 4 link, slicks, nitro. shitty ride but youll hook.

    leave it alone and build an iroc if you want to run 9's.
     
  12. Flatman
    Joined: Dec 20, 2005
    Posts: 1,975

    Flatman
    Member

    Did you try two girls in the back seat?

    I guess that would be too dis-tracting.....

    Flatman
     
  13. Shifty Shifterton
    Joined: Oct 1, 2006
    Posts: 4,964

    Shifty Shifterton
    Member

    Get some real tires, the kind that like heat, and a line lock.

    With a 102 trap speed you've only got a couple tenths to gain with traction. You can probably drop .3 with tires alone, another .2-.3 with proper rear suspension. Tires seem like the smart decision given bang for buck & labor.

    If you're gonna put some real power to the car the suspension becomes a better decision. Mopar muscle goes wicked fast on leaf springs but the speedway kit has potential too. Don't go to coilovers just for hook though, not worth the trouble, just tune the system you got with drag leaves and cal-trac style bars.

    If your front suspension has a decent amount of rise before hitting stops, 90/10 shocks can make a low traction car easier to launch consistently.

    good luck
     
  14. DirtyThirty
    Joined: Mar 8, 2007
    Posts: 2,396

    DirtyThirty
    Member
    from nowhere...

    Whatever you do, don't use that weak little kit from Speedway...you'll break stuff, if you run slicks...trust me...

    Use REAL ladder bars, and good clevis's...if you go this route.
    That stuff ain't meant for a sticky tire, torquey motor, and traction!

    What trans? Manual? Auto? Converter?
    I'd keep the leaves...plenty of good, old reliable ways to get traction with them, just get some sticky tires...
    Your MPH is high for the e.t....my old Fairlane was running consistent 12.70/80's @ 105...
    It would post 1.70 sixty-foot times.
    Your definately not getting out of the hole...
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2008
  15. 90.10 front shocks.
     
  16. blown41
    Joined: Apr 6, 2008
    Posts: 139

    blown41
    Member


    If you use "full size" gals you get max weight advantage and little distraction.:D
     
  17. cydways
    Joined: Nov 20, 2005
    Posts: 127

    cydways
    Member

    yea your 60 foot time is horrible for the e.t. and trap speed your laying down. i would just borrow a set of slicks or drag radials from a buddy to try out and i bet that 60 will come down to 2.0X or 1.9X range. if you do want to change the suspension for ultimate hook up, id run a good ladder bar set up. those things are violent! but you should be ok on the leafs. 13.40s here you come!
     
  18. Normal Norman
    Joined: Aug 9, 2006
    Posts: 510

    Normal Norman
    Member
    from Goshen IN.

    I agree with Shifty, Iv'e heard good things about Cal-Tracs bars on leaf springs. I agree that 90/10 shocks in front would be good. Drag radials on the rear and experiment with tire pressure in 'em. What ratio is the rear? Normal Norman
     
  19. Start fooling with slicks and traction aids that can really get the power to the ground it won't be long until you're breaking something.

    What kind of rear axle are you running?
    Differential ratio?

    It looks like you know how to drive for optimum accelleration so no problems seen there.
    (You'd be surprised at how many don't know how to launch a car with poor traction characteristics.)

    Probably the best way out is what Bruce alludes to . . . a ChryCo Super Stock rear leaf setup.
    Cheap and it does the trick.
    BF Goodrich makes fairly soft tires that work well on the dragstrip for some cars.
    They are surprisingly predictable far as wheel spin goes.

    Before we get carried away with lots of typing and suggestions that may not do it for you, let us know the rear axle type and diff ratio.
     
  20. Al Napier
    Joined: Feb 6, 2007
    Posts: 400

    Al Napier
    Member
    from Central CT

    Without doing major surgery to the car and if you have room you could always redrill and raise the front spring eye an inch or so where your leaf spring mounts and thus add some anti-squat to the rear suspension.

    Just remember to reset your pinion angle afterwards.

    Al in CT
     
  21. Shifty Shifterton
    Joined: Oct 1, 2006
    Posts: 4,964

    Shifty Shifterton
    Member

    If you are buying sticky tires, general rule of thumb- most of the drag radials (especially BFG) work better loaded softly. Like an auto without a trans brake might launch.

    The more traditional DOT drag tires like M&H work better for shock loads like if you have a stick shift & clutch dump.

    good luck
     
  22. DirtyThirty
    Joined: Mar 8, 2007
    Posts: 2,396

    DirtyThirty
    Member
    from nowhere...


    There are guys out there standing Mustang's on the bumpers with drag radials, though, but some folks I know have claimed that they could'nt hook with 'em like they could with a true slick...

    Like stated above, also...your entire combination needs factoring in before we could really be that helpful...

    Another thing with the drag radials, should you try them, is to keep the burn-out short...they only seem to get greasy with over-heating, and work worse than with a short burn-out...

    With a street tire just avoid the burn-out entirely...it won't help...
    The soft shocks are a good idea up front, like stated, but keep the rear stiff, so that the energy is put down, not absorbed...
     
  23. flatheadgary
    Joined: Jul 17, 2007
    Posts: 1,012

    flatheadgary
    Member
    from boron,ca

    why waste all your energy and money on a street car trying to make it a race car? just build a full race car. build an altered or even a sedan like yours, but solid mount the rear end to the frame. fuel altereds have been built like this for close to 50 years. with a full race car, you eliminate alot of the problems of a street car turned race car. i built my brother a t bucket with a stock 302 ford in it and it goes 11 flats all day. i know some people just want to do what they want to do and that's ok, but once you get drag racing in your blood, you can't stop until you've spent every dollar and second of the day on your race car. just remember, the most fun you will have is with a slow car, i.e. no money, but the most excitement you can have is in a really fast car.
    p.s. love your car!
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2008
  24. Baumi
    Joined: Jan 28, 2003
    Posts: 3,043

    Baumi
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Hahahaha, I did actually, in my third run.... Somehow I got unconcentrated and pushed to much creating a whole lot of smoke and a 14.2@ 103
     
  25. Baumi
    Joined: Jan 28, 2003
    Posts: 3,043

    Baumi
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    The rear axle is a 3.36 Chevy 10 bolt posi and the pinion angle is 2° down.
    Thanks for all the good hints and info!
    Chris
     
  26. greg32
    Joined: Jun 21, 2007
    Posts: 2,230

    greg32
    Member
    from Indiana

    First a posi or locker, then buy someMickey Thompson drag radials. Run them at about 15lbs to start.If it wheel hops, try traction bars like CalTracs.After you see how good this works, youre going to want more horsepower!
     
  27. JBEAU
    Joined: Feb 27, 2008
    Posts: 39

    JBEAU
    Member

    MICKEY'S WORK BEST FOR RADIALS....I got a set on my 91 stang and it pulls 1.55 60ft and 10.62 at 133.....my roadster is coil over Pete and Jakes set up on radials it went 1.85 60 and 12.36 @ 112.....on et drags it went 1.60 and 11.87 @ 114
    Lt-1 turbo 350 and 342 posi 2600lb depending on weight a good set of axels is a must also.....moser , strange , etc....sounds like the car makes some power with the mph numbers.....so you get the sixty down it would be nasty
     
  28. Baumi
    Joined: Jan 28, 2003
    Posts: 3,043

    Baumi
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Thankyou all for the great info! So, it looks like I´m in the market for a set of slicks. I´m looking at MT 26x10-15s bias plys right now

    [​IMG]

    and maybe one of these....
    [​IMG]
    would this locker make a difference over a posi? How about streetability?
     
  29. DirtyThirty
    Joined: Mar 8, 2007
    Posts: 2,396

    DirtyThirty
    Member
    from nowhere...


    Lockers "clunk" and can exhibit interesting handling characteristics on slick roads, but I ran one in my Fairlane for three years...no biggie...careful in the rain, thats all!
     
  30. Bruce Lancaster
    Joined: Oct 9, 2001
    Posts: 21,681

    Bruce Lancaster
    Member Emeritus

    This will be fun...you are heading into a vortex of development, broken pieces, and change...fix traction, develop hop; fix hop, fix spin, fix resulting broken parts. Then you'll hit the limits of your horsepower, and maddened by speed lust you'll build a new engine with 200 nore horses and blow the traction away again, returning you to endless development and...onward and onward into the dragracer world!
    Soon, you'll be a divorced and penniless racer running the world's most monstrous early Plymouth, begging on the street for funding to replace an aluminum part with magnesium to save half a pound for only $600... :)
     

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