Technical Gaining Traction With The Standard 10 Bolt Rear End...

How can I get better traction with the standard differential? I prefer the standard because this car is 100% street and our terrain is very curvy and hilly. Cars with standard rear ends seem to go down the road more smoothly since they don't have those clutch's or cones binding in the rear end..

My issue is traction.. This is a standard four link 64 el Camino.. It has a 454 and a Turbo 400 with 3:08 gears.. The rear end has adjustable control arms. I have 225/70R15 tires.
How can I get better traction?

Thank you

 

Elcohaulic, you are not going to like my answer, but a properly operating clutch type traction enhancer with proper fluid would be your answer. Also exercise it often by making very sharp turns. Sorry!






Bones

 

So the clutch type is best.. I wish I could get this thing to hook but it goes nuts when I nail it, even at 30 mph...

I was just wondering if a pair of bags would work..

 

If you have adjustable upper control arms, you can adjust pinion angle down a little and see if that helps. If it does great, but your best bet is going to be a posi or limited slip Diff. Just stay away from lockers and use the right clutch type oil additive and it will be fine in all but snowy conditions.

 

bags will help on a hard launch at the drag strip. I used them in my 4 speed 66 elco. aired up indepently to preload one side of the chassis for launch. a sway bar would be a better bet on the street, but an open diff will always be a one wheel wonder, and two wheel turning is what you need for traction.

 

You need to map out the instant center on that 4 link. Lakewood made a upper bar mount that relocates the mounting point on the rear end.

 

I’ve got two daily drivers with factory posi rearends.

Most of the time you don’t even know the difference, until you floor it!

The dealer did put the wrong fluid in my truck and that caused some popping and chirping on corners, a bottle of ford additive fixed that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Yeah, I have a posi 10 bolt in my A pickup, I never notice any issues during cornering, but it sure is nice to have both wheels engaged when accelerating.

 

There are several types of traction enhancers out there. Most clutch type are the least “ positive “ but are the most forgiving while driving on the street. I am familiar with a couple of OEM types, but there are some aftermarket traction enhancers that claim great things.
I think the best OEM traction enhancer is the Dana “ trac- loc” , but you have to have a Dana axle to use them!




Bones

 

First,an elco is like an empty pickup , no traction ,put a torque motor like the 454 in it it , less traction ,then put skinny( relatively) tires on it , less traction , then no posi ,less traction .
AFA limited slip , properly maintained, you'll never know they're there . As an example, I put a loc-rite locker in my 1800# t bucket , other than the clicking in low speed turns ,there's no indication its there ,when you get on it , the 2 black stripes let you know its working .

 

I would go with a Truetrac.

 

I’ve never had issues with clutch or cone style
LSDs, but I’m putting in a zexel torsen in my kids car. Nothing but gears inside. It’s another alternative for you to look into

 

Budget, let us know how it works, please, after you get it in.
I think I understand how those work, not sure, though. Do they work on the worm gear principle? I haven’t been able to find any info on “ how” they work.

Edit: ok, I went back and looked again and found out how they work! They are a “ friction “ traction enhancer, similar to the clutch type, only different!
The difference is they use friction to stop the spider gears, instead of the axle gears. Giving at least a two to one mechanical advantage, maybe more, to stop the axles from spinning at different rpms.


Bones

 

When I was researching them, I came across an animated? video explaining/showing how they work

I think it’s the same thing that’s in my ‘03 PU, but not 100% sure.

 

Owned several GM posi's, (one in an Elky). Couldn't tell they were there until you mashed it. Only time one raised it's ugly side was crossing a wet, steel grated bridge. No fun crossing the mighty 'O' and you're suddenly looking up river...

 

My OT 442 does some drag duty and as a street car, has a real hard time hooking up. 10 bolt 3:55 Posi with hardened axles (Olds have a 12 bolt cover but it aint no 12 bolt!). I threw the POS T/A drag tires in the dump and bolted on MT DOT drag tires which helped a ton. Then I removed the rear coils and added QA-1 shocks with adjustable rebound and compression. At the track I lower the tire pressure to 12-15 psi and soften the shocks all the way down to two clicks for more weight transfer. 7.40 1/8th mile grocery getter rag top. I trimmed out the OT parts

 

Elco, i have a 10 bolt witha posi out of a 65 tempest in my little roadster. I just live up the road from you. Driving same type of curves. No issues at all with the stock posi. I think it handles well.

 

Do you have a photo of your car? Maybe you've seen mine. I'm in Cherry City next to RT8..

 

Its a truck. Put 2 50# bags of sand next to the tailgate.

Sent from my SM-G965U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Never owned a car with posi that I had any issues with cornering, or going straight under hard launches at the drags. Something else in the suspension is causing your trouble, not the posi.

 

Like these?
I put these on an OT 4 link car and totally killed any wheel hop I had, and improved traction. The back of my car actually lifts when I nail it, as opposed to the rear squatting like with the factory angles.
https://www.summitracing.com/search...hop-bars/part-type/traction-bars?fr=part-type

BTW, I think this is crazy money for what they are. I waited until a new, but unused pair showed up on EBay for like $50.

 

That's it. When you map it out there are other ways but this works good as a bolt on.

 

That elco does not look like a 64 to me ?

 

In my Elco I am using an Olds Cutlass with the corporate 8.5 Inch 10 bolt rear. The Olds in 71 and 72 had bolt in axles like a Ford 9". I am using a Yukon Sure Grip rear. You never know its there until you need it.

 

holy crap, you are IN the 'burgh.
I'm ' just up the road' about 2hrs in Emlenton. Up rt 8 then east 80.
Go Steelers.

 

I'll look out for you at next years car cruises.. Did you ever go to The Wexford Starlight, I used to go every week before they closed it down.

We used to junk yard hunt up there, this was back in the 60s and 70s..

 

Yeah.
I went down to that twice. It was a great chance to see some nice cars that don't come up this way.

 

Shame, the church got a new pastor and put a stop to the cruise.. I saw so many nice thinks happen there. This guy lost his wife to cancer, he was so depressed but kept going. He ended up meeting a real nice women at the cruise who was in the exact same place, she just lost her hubby to cancer. Low and behold they met and ended up getting married at the cruise.. There was just something about that place. The Wexford Starlite drive-in was there..

 

A posi or better a limited slip, instead of one tire on fire. Still I think the best traction enhancement would be more weight in the back.

 

Adding weight to get better traction, is like cutting an inch off of a rod and welding it on the other end to make it longer! Lol
You want better traction to go quicker, the more weight you put in a car the slower it goes.






Bones