Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Broome
Thanks for the compliment Mark.
Actually Joe we might, I have made more than a few passes at Atlanta Dragway a couple of decades ago.
As I recall your car is more of an "old school" setup. A lot of folks used to basically lock the front end down and didn't pay attention to the quality of the (limited) front end travel.
The front end needs to be (very) free to travel, the springs need to contain a lot of stored energy to allow the weight transfer to take place, and the shocks need to control the rate of reaction. Then you can control the height of the wheelstand (if need be) with front end travel.
I'll enclose a picture. This truck was built as a super stocker, with ladder bars and coil overs, they upgraded the front end components and got this result.
I haven't seen it on scales, but it's pretty nose heavy. No big chunks of lead in the back of the truck.
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Good info above. Also, I always remove the teeth from the ends of a new set of upper control arm bushings, and put longer bolts through them, ground to length to bottom out, that come out just tight enough I can rotate the big washer, but no end play. If you pick up the control arm & ball joint (not connected the the spindle, of course) and drop it without it falling back down, it is too tight. I lube the inner shaft with a good moly lube, since the bushing will now be rotating on the shaft. Drilling the bolts for a grease zerk, with a cross drilled hole makes keeping them lubed and moving freely won't hurt. Did all this back in the 1960s with my old '56 Chevy Jr Stocker. Zero track prep back then, and 7" tires. You get creative. My present car is done the same way. It does not know a slick track.
Also, back off the lower control arm inner shaft bolts a bit. Everything (IMHO) should move freely. Longer coils, wound from smaller diameter wire for more stored energy. Shocks controlling how fast they move, travel limiters (Mine are cables) controlling how far they move, it should hook anywhere. Controlling, not trying to do, wheel stands will be your new pastime. Front shocks are a big deal. don't cheap out. There is a big difference there. Look into Santuf shocks. And, having an Eastexas race car doesn't hurt anything.