Projects Southeast Gassers 65 Comet Super Stock Wagon

Love that pic! Looks like it really hooks! Congratulations.

 

Thanks I will try to edit the title.
Got my 6.00 gear finished up this morning and going to stick it back in. Then go to rossville ga this afternoon to pick up my new driveshaft from hudlow.
I highly recommend them for all of your driveshaft and rear end work.
This is last weekend at the Walmart in ashville getting a new trailer tire.

Sent from my SM-A505U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

With the way it's up on the rear tire, it looks like that snubber you made works like it should.

 

Has anybody you know ever tore the rear leaf spring mounts out of the frame. Well I have.

Sent from my SM-A505U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

The way i was taught, is it's okay to tear stuff up if you're giving it hell brother!

 

I have to work at the golf course this weekend, but I am going to try and build some plates to weld to the frame with some nuts welded to the plate so I can still unbolt the rear of the springs.
I will probably put sliders on the rear of the springs over the winter. No time for that now I have to work too many days before we leave for Florida next Friday morning.
If you don't break stuff you aren't trying hard enough. Going to try and attach some travel limiter chains on the front suspension before we go.

 

New avatar pic!

 

Got my spring plate built yesterday and the leaf springs installed and the car back on the ground.
Today after I got home I swapped some weight from side to side and started looking at the front end.
I need to add some caster to the front end to get some more stability at higher speeds. Trying to work at getting the front end not to toe-in so bad when the front end comes up even if I have start with a little toe-out. These front ends always seem to lose camber under acceleration but I could care less about tire wear at an 1/8 th mile at a time. Just don't need it to feel so weird on the big end.
I would like to get at least 3 degrees minimum of caster 6 would be great. Any ideas ?

 

Be sure to check & correct bump steer after caster change. Ver very important. Go with more than 3* caster if you can.

 

Have you did the Shelby drop on the front? Supposed to handle better.

 

2 trains of thought on the Shelby drop it does make the car handle better , but some drag racers say it restricts weight transfer when you use an upper roller bearing conversion like I have on my car.
I'm not concerned about how fast I can make the turn at the return road. I just want it to go straight and not wander all over just before the traps.
I will jack it up today and cycle the suspension and stick some shims in it and see what I can get.
I may even look at my lower strut rods to see if I can get some more caster out of them.

 

I once saw a guy cut the back of some upper A arms Removed some material and welded them back together to get the settings he wanted.

 

Back in the day Chrysler put out Direct connection race bulletins on most all systems, they had one on race front suspensions that covered mostly drag race setups. Bulletin # 15 covered front suspension. Not a lot of difference in the Ford and Chrysler front end. Might be worth trying to find a copy. The manual with all the bulletins was about a thousand pages, that was my bible when I was young.

 

I've got the DC chassis manual here. Not sure how it relates the the individual bulletins, but I'll have a look later today and see if there's any tips that might help in there.

 

SPC makes adjustable strut rods that fit Falcons. Used them on mine to get better caster numbers.

 

I looked through the Direct Connection chassis book and found the following pages on toe change. Hopefully they will help. Let me know if you have trouble accessing them.

https://imgur.com/a/25Pjpzg

Also, related to your pinion snubber - it mentions that 4spd is really rough on it and once you get the snubber strong enough it will next beat hell out of the floorboard, and suggests adding a support and tying a bar from the cage to the floor to support it. IIRC you've already added a support to the floor but I don't know if you've tied the cage into it or even considered it, but I noticed it and thought I'd mention it.

 

Thanks for the info. All of the changes will have to be done during the off season.
I went on the open tracker website and found a lot of parts to do what I need.
I did manage to get 3 degrees of caster today with shims and removing shims so that is what it is going to have to be . I did a full travel sweep and checked the toe in at full suspension extension and then at normal ride height with the weight on the front end. I have a setting that changes less than a 1/16th so hopefully it will drive better this weekend.
I did put a crossmember welded to the floor and to the cage directly over the pinion snubber so my floor should take the abuse of being shoved straight up on each launch.
I will probably go split mono leaf with floaters and sliders. Then install the Crites lift bars and take the 100 lb. penalty that goes along with them. That way I can basically have a ladder bar setup without breaking the rules.
Since I have to add weight because of the bars. I might as well add cubic inches to match the weight so that means possibly a new short block and keep this one as a backup.

 

There's not ?

 

They are pretty similar when it comes to setting one up for going in a straight line, both use strut rods to locate the lower control arm. Which will really deflect and change the settings unless addressed. So yeah otherwise they are different.

 

Mopar has cams on the UCA, Ford has them on the lower. The DC manual mentioned strut rods but the only advice I saw was just to keep them tight with good bushings.

Also, Ford suspension is incredibly light weight compared to Mopar. I call it golf cart suspension here TBH. In drag racing that's exactly what you want. As light as possible and strong enough. Mopar is always overbuilt.

 

Well I hope we are for Florida this weekend. I painted both bumpers today before work.
Went out and repacked the wheel bearings on the trailer this morning before work. don't need any problems on the road. Hope it warms up at night tomorrow . Supposed to get in the high 20's tonight.
Don't want to have to put antifreeze in the car until after this weekend. The track officials get pissed about that stuff on the track in case something happens and you puke some fluid out.
May just load it up Tomorrow afternoon and put a drop light under the car tomorrow night . I may have to drain the water out and then add it back when we get south.

 

100 wat bulb should do-the-trick (don't ask me how I know this!)
besides.......gotta get colder than 20's and stay that way to freeze water in an engine block. Drain radiator may be the smart (and EZ) fix!

Talking about the floater rear end and sliders....won't that work for you using your clamped leaf springs?!
That way you won't need the Crites set-up AND the added weight!......Or not.
"tear'em -up' in Fla. this weekend!
6sally6

 

Too late to figure out floaters now. I am just going to play with pinion snubber gap and tire pressure and launch rpm to help this weekend.
I am relocating my tach this morning to the top of the dash to help with my launch rpm. It looks cool in place of the speedometer, but I have to look down to see it and can't watch the tree and the tach.
Thankfully I saved all of the mounting hardware.

 

Got my tachometer moved to the top of the dash. Much better.
My painted front bumper.

Sent from my SM-A505U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Safe travels and a great weekend!

 

thanks, We are loaded and ready to pull out at daylight tomorrow morning. not taking any chances.
We drove to Cleveland and bought fuel this afternoon. Hate to get all the way down there and the track is out of fuel. Has happened to me before.
that's why I always carried a drum of methanol in my trailer and 3 bottles of nitrous when I raced my O/T Nova. Almost got my ass in trouble one night coming from Jax raceway back to Ga. Stopped at the state check station and it was about 2:30 a.m. and they asked if I had anything and I told them just the fuel for my car and he asked me for a bill of lading and I told him I didn't have one.
It was a new cop and I guess he was trying to make a name for himself so he pulled me over and started to write me all kinds of tickets . Luckily I had my Homeland Security badge with me and between his supervisor and me talking I got to leave with no tickets.
So if you are traveling and have a drum of fuel be sure and have some paperwork with you. After that I took it out of the drum and put it in jugs.

 

From frost to Florida.

Sent from my SM-A505U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Safe travels, Mike!

 

Go man go! Stay safe out there.


Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.

 

Good luck man! Make us proud