CLASS RACER FORUM - View Single Post - Wheelie Bars are not needed for Safety on Stockers!

Rich Biebel · 06-19-2013, 07:26 PM

If you slow down the front end travel on a small tired Stocker you always run the risk of spinning the tires.

So you run the front end loose and if you have a car that is prone to doing wheelstands in good air and traction conditions you might find your up too high on the launch......If you lift you will probably cause some damage.....oil pan.....front end.....If you don't you could unload one tire when the rear sheet metal contacts the ground and wind up hitting something........like the guardrail or even the tree or the car in the other lane....

You have a 3 speed trans with a fairly steep rear gear and that makes a very low starting line ratio....and anyone whoever raced a Stocker knows the biggest ET gains are in the first 100 feet or so.....

If all this wasn't true all the cars that had powerglides and are now allowed 3 speeds would not have bothered to make the change.,....

I drove my old car a couple years ago when the present owner offered it to me for a couple races. It was doing some pretty high wheelies......I asked for the wheelie bars and put them on as I really did not want to hurt the car. It did a very high wheelie at the Dutch with the bars on and might have been a problem without them on for that run.....

Late model F-bodied Stockers are well known for doing big wheelstands and I recall one set of pictures form E-Town of a car that popped the hatch open when the rear bodywork dragged the ground....NO BARS....and it was pretty sideways when it came down......

I think it is rediculous to say a high class Stocker can be adjusted so it does not need bars.....If it is a wheelsatnd prone car like many it needs the bars.....and it is for safety....

Oh and the present owner of the car I was driving told me the reason he BLEW the Tires off at the E-Town Nationals in his other car was because he went a little to tight on the front end.....and that the only way to insure the car would hook was to do exactly what I told him two years ago .....leave the front end loose and use the bars......

06-19-2013, 07:26 PM	#44
Rich Biebel VIP Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Northern New Jersey suburbs Posts: 2,315 Likes: 25 Liked 544 Times in 213 Posts	Re: Wheelie Bars are not needed for Safety on Stockers! If you slow down the front end travel on a small tired Stocker you always run the risk of spinning the tires. So you run the front end loose and if you have a car that is prone to doing wheelstands in good air and traction conditions you might find your up too high on the launch......If you lift you will probably cause some damage.....oil pan.....front end.....If you don't you could unload one tire when the rear sheet metal contacts the ground and wind up hitting something........like the guardrail or even the tree or the car in the other lane.... You have a 3 speed trans with a fairly steep rear gear and that makes a very low starting line ratio....and anyone whoever raced a Stocker knows the biggest ET gains are in the first 100 feet or so..... If all this wasn't true all the cars that had powerglides and are now allowed 3 speeds would not have bothered to make the change.,.... I drove my old car a couple years ago when the present owner offered it to me for a couple races. It was doing some pretty high wheelies......I asked for the wheelie bars and put them on as I really did not want to hurt the car. It did a very high wheelie at the Dutch with the bars on and might have been a problem without them on for that run..... Late model F-bodied Stockers are well known for doing big wheelstands and I recall one set of pictures form E-Town of a car that popped the hatch open when the rear bodywork dragged the ground....NO BARS....and it was pretty sideways when it came down...... I think it is rediculous to say a high class Stocker can be adjusted so it does not need bars.....If it is a wheelsatnd prone car like many it needs the bars.....and it is for safety.... Oh and the present owner of the car I was driving told me the reason he BLEW the Tires off at the E-Town Nationals in his other car was because he went a little to tight on the front end.....and that the only way to insure the car would hook was to do exactly what I told him two years ago .....leave the front end loose and use the bars...... __________________ Rich Biebel S/C 1479 Stock 147R Last edited by Rich Biebel; 06-19-2013 at 07:40 PM.