Spin Control Question

[Alan Roehrich]

With ladder bars and leaf springs, the rear end housing must be mounted in "floaters" in order for the leaf springs and ladder bars to work without binding.

If you do not have something like this : http://www.competitionengineering.co...?CatCode=10047
on your car, and you're running ladder bars and leaf springs, your rear suspension simply does not work.

Given the choice, I'd never bother with ladder bars again, ever. If I wanted full aftermarket rear suspension, it would be a four link with a wishbone locater and coil over shocks.

For a car like yours, if you do not intend to go faster than 9.30 or so, and you want to run smaller tires, say 9" and 12" slicks, the by all means I'd put a complete Cal Tracs system under it, their leaf springs, their bars, their mounts, and their shocks.

Sure, full aftermarket suspension is the ultimate, if it is allowed, and you're going really quick, it's the thing to have.

But you're running in the mid nines, and you're running 9" tire classes at times. I would not go to the expense of a four link for that.

[Ron Gusack]

Originally Posted by Alan Roehrich

With ladder bars and leaf springs, the rear end housing must be mounted in "floaters" in order for the leaf springs and ladder bars to work without binding.

If you do not have something like this : http://www.competitionengineering.co...?CatCode=10047
on your car, and you're running ladder bars and leaf springs, your rear suspension simply does not work.

Given the choice, I'd never bother with ladder bars again, ever. If I wanted full aftermarket rear suspension, it would be a four link with a wishbone locater and coil over shocks.

For a car like yours, if you do not intend to go faster than 9.30 or so, and you want to run smaller tires, say 9" and 12" slicks, the by all means I'd put a complete Cal Tracs system under it, their leaf springs, their bars, their mounts, and their shocks.

Sure, full aftermarket suspension is the ultimate, if it is allowed, and you're going really quick, it's the thing to have.

But you're running in the mid nines, and you're running 9" tire classes at times. I would not go to the expense of a four link for that.

I do have the floaters and I grease them. What if I want to stay with a 13 or 14 inch tire, will a Cal Trac work with them?

The thing that turned me off to CalTracs was a video of a rear rotating what I thought was a long way on a car with Cal Tracs. Paste this in and have a look. http://flic.kr/p/cfLT6W
Here's another shot from the back. http://www.flickr.com/photos/simpkinsfamily/7387114350/
Isn't that a Cal trac system?
I can't see how my set-up could possibly rotate that much. It looks bad to me

[Alan Roehrich]

Ron, there are big block Chevy cars that weight 3400# going mid nines on 9" tires with the CalTracs setup. It works, there's not a lot more to say.

I have no idea how the car in the video is set up.

On a 9" tire we're carrying the front wheels all the way to high gear consistently with CalTracs and the rest of the setup I described. If we can't hook, no one can. There are big tire cars that will go home if we so much as spin the tires a 1/2 turn.

[Ron Gusack]

Thanks Alan, I'll call them tomorrow. Hopefully they'll work with the slider box currently on the frame rail. Plus I'll need a couple perches.

[CrateCamaro]

Originally Posted by Ron Gusack

Thanks Alan, I'll call them tomorrow. Hopefully they'll work with the slider box currently on the frame rail. Plus I'll need a couple perches.

Whats the saying....you can lead the horse to water but you cant make him drink....LOL. Out of the 30+ posts in this thread, 15 of them are experienced racers telling you to get rid of the sliders and run all the calvert stuff. Set it up like a stock eliminator car and you wont be dissapointed. Set it up they way they tell you to and you will never ever have a problem.....after 5 years of beating my springs up I went under the car and re adjusted to bars per calverts spec and the car is leaving harder than it was prior to the adjustment. Good luck!!

PS they have a real nice set of perches that I would recomend you but.....way beefier than a moroso mount.

[Ron Gusack]

Originally Posted by CrateCamaro

Whats the saying....you can lead the horse to water but you cant make him drink....LOL. Out of the 30+ posts in this thread, 15 of them are experienced racers telling you to get rid of the sliders and run all the calvert stuff. Set it up like a stock eliminator car and you wont be dissapointed. Set it up they way they tell you to and you will never ever have a problem.....after 5 years of beating my springs up I went under the car and re adjusted to bars per calverts spec and the car is leaving harder than it was prior to the adjustment. Good luck!!

PS they have a real nice set of perches that I would recomend you but.....way beefier than a moroso mount.

I'm not quite the horse I sound like. I just want to be sure that we all understand the total situation. I value the advice from you guys more than any other source by far, that's why I come here. I appreciate the fact that you don't shun a low level bracket racer like me and I know my questions can be redundant and annoying. I over think almost everything I do, but usually pay a price when I don't.

I plan to buy Calvert's perches. I'm hoping to get this stuff from Alex/Moneymaker, cause I've bugged him a time or two. I got the shocks from him a couple years ago and he was very helpful.

About how long should it take to install once I get the perches welded?

[Bob Pagano]

Not more than a couple of hrs. Alex is a class act and can be very helpful. You will not go wrong with the cal-trac setup, the company is first class and stands behind their stuff and are also there if you need questions answered.

[CrateCamaro]

Originally Posted by Ron Gusack

I'm not quite the horse I sound like. I just want to be sure that we all understand the total situation. I value the advice from you guys more than any other source by far, that's why I come here. I appreciate the fact that you don't shun a low level bracket racer like me and I know my questions can be redundant and annoying. I over think almost everything I do, but usually pay a price when I don't.

I plan to buy Calvert's perches. I'm hoping to get this stuff from Alex/Moneymaker, cause I've bugged him a time or two. I got the shocks from him a couple years ago and he was very helpful.

About how long should it take to install once I get the perches welded?

Low level bracket racer? Buddy we are all racers doing the same thing....unforunatly some of us have rules to follow so most of us leaf spring racers play follow the leader. At the end of the day we are all bracket racers, bench racers, grease monkeys, noise polluters...bla bla bla. HAHAH. Doesnt take long to install at all...if you have everything probably the afternoon would do...have a good look at all your hardwear and make sure that if anything looks used up or sketchy...change it. New hardwear wouldnt hurt. Go out and get some good synthetic grease for the solid bushings too. And I didnt mean to call you a horse...lol. Just a saying.