Getting it'ta Hook-Up at the drags?

This is a great solution. But two points need to be added. First, use opposite thread, rod ends, (with nuts welded into the rods) so pre-load is adjustable. Also, don't adjust when on jacks, but with weight on wheels and the driver in the seat. Adjust the rod until the front cross bar contacts the spring, then add 1/4 to 1/2 turn pre-load. Unload the spring tension by loosening the rods for street driving to prevent bending the spring. This is the reason that this type of suspension device is so popular - adjustable for any vehicle, and easily set up for street or track.

 

Well you may have a valid point there. As to the rest of it, Hell no. I will say it again, there is no reason in hell to recommend cal-tracs for a 13/14 second car, when slappers and a spring eye bushing will do the same job. I get really tired of the typical knee-jerk, "whip out your chequebook" reaction to this question. I have raced in heads-up, small-tire ''street car' classes, and there are plenty of guys running 1.30s on slapper bars. Slapper bars are fully adjustable, you use wedge plates, and trim the snubbers. On a 14 second car, theres no reason to even be concerned with that, simply put a decent spring bushing in, which you have to do with the cal-tracs as well, and bolt them on.
As far as I am concerned, the "movable instant center" claim Calvert makes is hogwash. The bar still acts on the chassis through the front spring eye, and I have been in on MANY conversations, including a long thread on Speedtalk, and no-one has ever offered any sort of plausible explanation as to how the instant center "moves forward" with the Cal-Tracs. Its advertising hype for guys who like to throw around words they dont understand.
Cal-Tracs do work. So do slapper bars. On a well set up car, in some cases, well-dialed cal-tracs MAY be a few hundreths better. On another car, well set-up slappers MAY be a few hundreths better than the cal-tracs. Slappers are more wheelstand prone on a big horsepower car, and have a harder initial hit than cal-tracs. Some combinations will prefer a harder initial hit, some will prefer a softer hit.
Of course, the relative hardness of the initial hit can be tuned by varying the pinion angle, less = harder, more = softer. There is a downside to big, nose-down pinion angle, and thats that it will take more power to rotate the drivetrain downtrack. We are talking 2-3 hundreths here, not tenths, and unless you are running an absolutely RIGOROUS testing regime, where you are monitering and correcting for weather/track temp variations, you will never even know the difference.
Now, lets say you have a real fast, VERY hard hitting (Like say, low 1.30 short times)slapper bar combo. If you are running a LOT of nose-down, and you have the rebound settings maxed, all to try to reduce the violence of the initial hit with the slapper bars, changing to Cal-Tracs may enable you to run less nose-down pinion angle, which will reduce drivetrain friction downtrack, letting the car et a few hundreths better. This is a situation where I would expect cal-tracs to show an et improvement over well set up slappers. Hmmm. lemme see, hard hitting, fast car with low 1.30 short times?? Sounds sorta like a real well dialed-in 428CJ 4 speed stock eliminator car, doesnt it? Hey wait a minute, isnt that what John Calvert DEVELOPED Cal-Tracs on??

Does the above scenario have any relevance to a 13/15 second, six cylinder, street driven bracket car?

 

Does exactly the same thing as varying the air gap between the snubber and the spring eye with slappers.
The cal-trac doesnt apply any force to the front spring eye until the cross-bar contacts the spring behind the spring eye. The slapper bar doesnt apply any force to the front spring eye until the snubber contacts the bottom of the spring eye.

Oh yes, and preloading one side of the car with either the slapper bar OR the Cal Trac will eventually bend the bar. If you want preload, vary the spring rate side for side, or use an air bag. Which will slowly leak. Ask me how I know these things...

 

Just noticed some more REALLY bad advice here. I wont say who, but someone suggested running a spool. LETHALLY bad idea unless unless you are running aftermarket axles, and even with aftermarket axles still a bad idea.
O/P specified street/strip in his first post. If you run a spool in a street car with stock axles, every time you go around a corner, the stock axles will twist a little trying to compensate for the fact that the wheels are locked together, but traveling a different distance. Stock axles will fail VERY quickly under these conditions, with very little warning, and when they do, with a spool, you will be into oncoming traffic before you even know what happened. Aftermarket axles will tolerate this punishment a little better, and the car will just be a pig to drive on the street. I have run a spool in a limited use street car with aftermarket axles, personally I wouldn't do it again. Some guys are ok with it, not me. Running a spool in a street car with stock axles?? REAL dangerous, and real stupid.

 

One more thing I'll mention before I stop flogging this horse. There are slapper bars, and there are slapper bars. The so-called "universal fit" bars in the attached photo that bolt to the leaf spring instead of the spring perch are worse than useless. Bars of this style do nothing but slightly stiffen the spring rate. They are basically non-functional seventies eyewash, for guys who wanted to look cool, but didnt want to pony up for proper slapper bars.

 

Been there....use the Cal tracs, get better tires mounted on another set of wheels for track day. A great book is Doorslammers by Dave Morgan. I believe S&W Racecars carries it. As an ex drag driver, I will say it is addictive, but a better hook is going to show you all your weak driveline parts....u joints, rear end, trans parts...........good luck..btw, keep a log of all your runs and all your settings

 

It wasn't directed towards you. It was directed to the people who think this is how a proper suspension should work. I'm not saying your doesn't, as it may wheelie here and there not every pass. I've been there done that.

I would like to see a video where a wheelie directly resulted in a win.

 

George is right on here. Did he also mention they like to steer you straight will turning? Get caught in rain and its not fun.

Vetrod, here is a pic of my old car at etown. Wheelstands are great for spectators and cameras, not a good suspension setup anyway you look at it. Sometimes unpreventable, just not what you want.This car 60" 1.27(not in this pic) with the front tires just a few inches off the ground.

 

amen

 

So much good advice to choose from here. A spool is not the right choice for a street car. Open diff can also cause problems racing. I've seen guys hit shifts with a manual trans, unloading one axle and getting the next hit of torque to the other side and end up backwards!! Yikes! Trying to do both street/strip will invariably cause an increasing curve of compromise. Since anyone fool enough to drag race eventually adds power, (Ask me how I know this) perhaps the best choice is to pick street or strip, and build accordingly. My approach has always been to overbuild the car in order to handle the torque applied. I just never wanted to go to the track and winch back up on the trailer due to a stupid busted u-joint. I do drive my spool equipped car on the street, very occasionally, and very carefully. It reacts the same as a Detroit Locker 4x4 rig. Don't even get on the throttle in a curve. But then, most of my street driving includes simply going from the garage onto the trailer! Point well taken.

 

thanks again for all the good info, I have the LAkewood's so those will be tried first along with timing and tree practice. 'still trying hard not to break something - car is @ ten years work from a junkyard recovery.

I appreciate no one flamed me for the slow ET and worse RT. The car has some potential from the virgin runs and while I'm not taking out the interior or adding NOS yet' - some more runs , more fun and better times are coming...

Have Fub

 

Falcongeorge said it best, IMO..When you put the Lakewoods on be sure to add a spring perch reinforcing strap, it keeps the perch from collapsing and allowing the axle to rotate when the bars do as they are supposed to..seen it..not pretty! Strap is made from about 1/4" thick x 2" or so wide steel of enough length to go from one end of the perch over the axle tube to the other end of the perch..weld to perch ends and to axles tube....Should be able to get installation/set up instructions through Summit Racing online catalog..

 

and then get rid of the bungee cord holding the battery and get a proper hold down. that bitch falls in the engine and you will be using a fire extinguisher

 

i'm using the same style traction bars on my Falcon as powerband is using on his merc. my car is running mid 12's with drag radials. i have no wheel hop or tire spin. the biggest improvemnt for me was dumping the street tires and running the drag radials at the track.

 

Iiieee! Didnt even look at the engine pic, I was concerned with the suspension issues. Most tracks you would NEVER pass tech like that.

 

Your bitching about a .546?? Is that on a full tree, or a .400 tree? If thats on a .500 tree, I'd say you got nothing to complain about.

 

I am not to trying to mess with you, but rather have some fun. I do wheelies in first and second gears every run. I out 60 foot all the other cars we race. My car is not a race car, It is way heavier than stock, and is built as my 60s daily driver/ street racer, same as I had it in the 60s. No radical racing engine. I "cut my teeth" street racing most nights back then.

BTW, your mustang looks to be an automatic. Much easier to pull wheels and easier than my muncie.

As for your "I would like to see a video where a wheelie directly resulted in a win."

Your original quote was "I have yet to see a big wheel stand win a race".

No "directly resulted" was in that the sentence.

Here you go. Back ground. Our racing group racers for the "king of the Hill" trophy. An 11.50 class because of roll bar rules. Blowing up rare, expensive 57/64 Olds rears on the first pass sucked. Switched to Strange 35 spline spool and never a problem. The green car has won for two years because of my car breaking on the line.

Tomorrow night we can talk about how dangerouse a spool is on the street. Too late now for us lucky working people.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQf2cC6NHhI&feature=plcp

 

don't know if this has been said or if you do it .... but if you leave when the last yellow of the tree comes on it will help your r/t drasticlly if it is bad. by time you see the yellow, process it , move all the neccessary stuff you are moving as it turns green.

radial tires or slicks are the way to go if you are burning the tires, run the pressure around 18 on your car i would think. i run mine lower but 2 different cars with diff mods.

just my .02

 

1.27 is really making a move in a full bodied door car. Slicks or DOT's? If thats on DOT's I'm in awe.

 

28x10 slick. And thats with a glide too. The th400 from Rossler, i was expecting low 1.20s. For the 1st 1/2 of the track, pretty impressive g forces for a 8.80 car.

 

Still damn quick, especially for a glide. If that was DOT's I was gonna bow in reverence.

 

Check out this class called X275. The nitrous cars are sub 1.20s on a 275/60-15 hoosier or M/T.

 

Holy Bleepity-bleep-bleep! And no backhalf!! Man, I have been out of the loop too long... Must be fairly tough to hit the wieght minimums within those chassis rules.

 

I did a pretty thorough search but haven't found useful info on how to set up a set of LAkewood "Traction Action" bars I have for the car. The Lakewood 21200's are no longer available and these have the J-Bolt option and a few small flat plates (wedges?)

I find info on setting snubber but not how to set up J-BArs.

Thanks

 

Very cool car call or e-mail us for some Cal-tracs and good rear shocks I CAN GUARANTEE YOU CAR WILL NEVER SPIN AGAIN

 

this is cheap and it works--unbolt your traction bars--shorten them or make a shorter set that you can use in your rear location but bolt directly to the front of your springs near the eye with a flat tab welded to the top of the bar----makes a ladder bar out of your springs stffens suspension a bit so you might want to use your old bars on the street---I use heims in the rrear on mine---play with pinion angle if you want a harder hit--20 bucks and a little time and easy to change if not happy