keeping front end too tight?
 

Would keeping the front end too tight slow your 60' down by not letting the front end lift and let the motor accelerate fast enough if it doesnt have enough power to shoot the car forward? I'm still working on getting my car to 60' better. best so far is a 1.42 but I think it should be easily in the mid high 1.30's. Car dead hooks with glide with 1.80 first gear and a 5500 stall converter. 4.56 rear gear and a 30" tire. It goes 10.00's @133 to 134mph. I have an I/C of 41 and 8.5 high. I'm thinking of pushing it out to about 47" long and 11" high and also loosening the front shocks. I thought it should be wheeling easily and I would be fighting to keep it on the ground but it only gets a little air under the tires. With a 98" wheel base and the engine set so far back in a corvette it should be going in the air. Any thoughts?? Here is how it leaves.

http://i35.tinypic.com/2ut0orp.jpg

Re: keeping front end too tight?
 

Too tight will keep the front end down. That is one way most control wheel stands, tightening the front shocks.

Re: keeping front end too tight?
 

You need more low gear in the tranny. Try a high 1.90's Like 1.98 or 1.96

Re: keeping front end too tight?
 

I understand that but I dont even have limiters on it. Just have the shocks a little firm, not much though.

Re: keeping front end too tight?
 

Is that a big difference from a 1.80 to a 1.98? I'm looking to knock off almost a .10 in the 60'

Re: keeping front end too tight?
 

Listen to Adger about the gears, If it is dead hooking you don't need more front end travel,
it's not going to 60' better if the front end moves more with no wheel spin.

Also, tight shocks are what I was talking about. I run mine full loose on extension unless it's getting too high. If you don't spin the tires, changnig the shock settings won't help a thing.

Re: keeping front end too tight?
 

Thanks Ed, i have mine on 4 clicks from softest setting. A straight cut gear set is around $1000. I would have to find a cheap used set if I decided to go that way. I'm only bracket racing it so I dont have to get it 60 better but knowing the potential it is capable of makes me try to get it there.

Re: keeping front end too tight?
 

This might be a cheaper way to go and give you spares. If the car is real heavy you might go with the 2.08
By the MPH you are running you should have the horsepower/torque to handle the long 1-2 ratio drop at the shift. The 1.98 will pull better off the shift due to the lower % drop.
Jack is a good guy to deal with,
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powerglide(s) for sale
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powerglide(s) for sale

208 low gear liteweight glide less than 40 runs since fresh, ready to put in $1100

198 low gear glide, never run since freshened $800

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Ed is right about the shocks/frontend. Look at the plant of your rear tire in the picture. Lifting the frontend higher with that combination is only going to add weight to a tire that is already hooked/planted. It could also waste time, lifting more.

Re: keeping front end too tight?
 

My car is 2900 lbs with me in it. I thought it was light enough for the 180 first gear. Would loosening the converter to 6000 help? I shift it at 7400 and run through the traps at 7100 to 7400 depending on the air. Its a pump gas motor and the hot humid air really cost me some power. I will think about the 198 tranny. Its a good price if its a straight cut gear.

Re: keeping front end too tight?
 

Put a lower gear in the rear and let her eat! You may be suprised, the mph may pick along with the 60' with a lower rearend gear. Its cheaper than a new trans low gear if you can afford a few more rpm's through the lights..

Re: keeping front end too tight?
 

Have you tried a stiff sidewall slick or a radial slick? Wadded up tires eat up e.t.

Re: keeping front end too tight?
 

Yea , that picture is with a hoosier slick. I think the side walls were killed. I now have a 295 drag radial on it.

Re: keeping front end too tight?
 

I run a Hoosier radial slick or a MT drag radial, the MT drag radials are 1 tenth slower due to weight.

Re: keeping front end too tight?
 

I was thinking of going to a 4.88 That is about as low as I could go in good air with a 29 to 30 inch tire.

Re: keeping front end too tight?
 

I might go back to the hoosier slick. every time I see your 60' I want to throw up LOL!! You have a T400 right?

Re: keeping front end too tight?
 

You might want to take a look at the converter because the way I'm figuring it it miight have some problems with slippage. Or your numbers could be wrong because the high RPM and high MPH slipage doesn't match the low RPM and low MPH. one way it is about right with 6.5 % the other goes up to about 9%... Something doesn't compute there..
If you go from 4.56 to 4.86 that is a 6% increase in ratio. That would increase your trap RPM 6 % if the MPH stays the same. Say 7100 goes to 7525 and 7400 goes to 7844.
The over all gear in low gear goes from 1.80 X 4.56 = 8.20 to 1.80 X 4.86 = 8.74
The 1.98 X 4.56 = 9.02 overall low gear with no change at the finishline.
That is a 10 % increase in low gear. That is much better than the 6% increase in rear gear change. You might even be able to run a turbo 350 in it. The 3 speed would make it run quicker at mid track, if it hooked.Keep in mind the 350 has a better gear spread and less weight than the T400.

Re: keeping front end too tight?
 

Yes a th400 with a 8" ATI converter ;) My best is 1.319, just didnt happen on my quickest pass.

Re: keeping front end too tight?
 

I'm no expert on 4-links but from other 97-98 WB cars I know of that run similar MPH's as yours, I would try a 46"-47" IC keeping your 8". That's free to try and if it doesn't work, no $$ loss.
And yes, you want the front end as free and loose as possible including the shocks. Again, it's free. Tightening the shocks comes when you have a 60' problem...opposite of your current situation.

Re: keeping front end too tight?
 

The best it ran was 10.05 - 10.09 @133-134 with a 29" slick in good air crossing the line around 7400. No recorder on tach so Its by my eye which could be off a little. Now I put on a 295 drag radial to see how it works after seeing the tire wading up. Now the air is terrible 95 degrees and 90 plus humidity. Its running in the 10.30's 130 -132 with a 295 radial which is about 30" and its crossing around 7100. Again it by my eye. Does this seem right now?

Re: keeping front end too tight?
 

Jeff, I can get a 47" long but I dont think I can get it down to 8. it goes to 11" high.

Re: keeping front end too tight?
 

I used the numbers listed in the first post. 30 in tire

Re: keeping front end too tight?
 

I know your on a budget so I say try the free stuff first! Heck, even with a pile of cash to spend the free stuff should be exhausted first.