BB Valiant Suspension Setup for Drag
- Thread starter mohni
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Judging from the scale image I am guessing the battery is still in the front right of the car?
Tom
Tom
weedburner
Well-Known Member
Hard to tell from the video if there's wheelspin or clutch slip during launch, but the engine does bog. Then from the sound during the 1/2 shift pulldown, it sounds to me more likely clutch slip instead of tire spin.
If the 'tamer is in place, sounds like you are launching too low!
...say a 425ftlb engine is launching from 4000, that 425ftlb engine is only making at most 324hp during launch. If it loses any rpm during launch, hp will drop even lower. That's how a bog really kills a low rpm launch, little chance of carrying a wheelie. Also hard on the clutch, as it has to slip a long time to keep the 324hp from dropping even lower.
...but if you bump that launch up to 6000, now that 425ftlb engine is making up to 486hp at the drop of the clutch. In addition to that 486hp, it's also got a substantial inertia discharge boosting it's output during launch as the clutch pulls the engine down to its torque peak. Guys taking full advantage of a 'tamer launch within a few hundred rpm of the high side limiter.
Grant
If the 'tamer is in place, sounds like you are launching too low!
...say a 425ftlb engine is launching from 4000, that 425ftlb engine is only making at most 324hp during launch. If it loses any rpm during launch, hp will drop even lower. That's how a bog really kills a low rpm launch, little chance of carrying a wheelie. Also hard on the clutch, as it has to slip a long time to keep the 324hp from dropping even lower.
...but if you bump that launch up to 6000, now that 425ftlb engine is making up to 486hp at the drop of the clutch. In addition to that 486hp, it's also got a substantial inertia discharge boosting it's output during launch as the clutch pulls the engine down to its torque peak. Guys taking full advantage of a 'tamer launch within a few hundred rpm of the high side limiter.
Grant
ValiantRacing
Well-Known Member
I run my cal tracs with a 1/8 gap between spring and pin, goes straight with wheels up. make sure the triangle piece moves freely too.
Also mountet in lower Hole?
Stick Shift Car?
ValiantRacing
Well-Known Member
My bar is in the lower hole, not a stick car, people i know run the 1/8 gap, i know the instructions say something else, but A bodies have a very short front part of the spring which may play into a different setting.
Hi Guys, so the last Race for this year is next Weekend.
I have lowered the rear to Stock height. I keep the Shock Settings from the Last Race.
Cal Tracs are now with a small gap in the lower Hole.
Clutch Tamer is in place ;)
But i think i dont understand the tamer Settings at this moment
I have lowered the rear to Stock height. I keep the Shock Settings from the Last Race.
Cal Tracs are now with a small gap in the lower Hole.
Clutch Tamer is in place ;)
But i think i dont understand the tamer Settings at this moment
360duster
Well-Known Member
Hi Mohni, see you there and will watch your launch to give my input and support. Still fighting with a leaking radiator....new one is on the way 
. Got stuff to do for 10 days the rest of this week....
Michael
. Got stuff to do for 10 days the rest of this week....Michael
I don't see the rear suspension really working much at all. There is almost zero body rise. That tells me the tires are not biting. I know exactly how I would set that car up, but I would get laughed off the forum.
Race only. I would set it up like the older Mopar Suspension book says. Cheap hydraulic shocks on the front, with holes drilled in the bottoms to drain the fluid. 002 and 003 Super Stock springs on the back with 2" longer than stock PLAIN heavy duty hydraulic (non gas charged) shocks on the rear and tune from there. But you have a lot of dough in that Cal Track setup. You have the slant 6 torsion bars right.
weedburner
Well-Known Member
The inner dial is basically the anti-spin adjustment, adjust it first...
......turning the inner dial clockwise makes the clutch hit harder, more likely to spin the tires.
......turning the inner dial counter-clockwise makes the clutch hit softer, less likely to spin the tires.
The outer knob is basically the anti-bog adjustment, adjust it after the inner dial is in the ballpark...
......turning the outer knob clockwise reduces engine bog during launch.
......turning the outer knob counter-clockwise makes the clutch pull the engine down quicker.
First thing to do when installing a 'tamer is to make sure your pedal stop adjustment dialed in, as you will be launching from the pedal stop and any later changes to the pedal stop adjustment will also require re-adjusting the 'tamer. Especially important of you have synchros, as a pedal stop adjustment that is too shallow will cause hi-rpm shifting problems.
Also make sure any clutch pedal switch that releases a line-lock releases near the bottom of the clutch pedal's travel, not all the way at the top. Top release of the line-lock will cause a safety issue with the 'tamer, as a 'tamer controlled clutch pedal won't immediately return to the top.
Next get a feel for adjusting the 'tamer's outer knob by slowly turning the outer knob counter-clockwise. The point where you feel that slight resistance is the "0" point in the setting. There are about 10 turns of clockwise adjustment from "0" before you feel slight resistance at the other end of the adjustment range.
First set the outer knob to "10" turns clockwise from zero, the slowest setting, as the slower pedal return makes it easier to ballpark the 'tamer's inner dial adjustment. Basically at this point, you want the 'tamer's inner dial to hit the 'tamer's slide bushing about 2/3rds of the way up after a simulated clutch dump from the pedal stop with the engine "off".
With the above step complete, re-adjust the 'tamer's outer knob back to "1" turn clockwise from zero.
Next decide on a launch rpm. Low launch rpm results in more wear/tear on the clutch, as the slower the car accelerates, the longer the clutch needs to slip to keep the engine from bogging. Low launch rpm with a 'tamer will also cause your clutch to slip excessively after shifts made using the clutch pedal. Generally 2000rpm above the engine's torque peak is the goal for a really good 60', try to start out at least 5500rpm.
We are now ready to make actual hits, but at this point we are just looking for an inner dial setting that bogs the engine as fast as possible without spinning the tires. It helps to have a friend watch the tires from outside the car to verify the difference between tire spin and clutch slip, just make a quick little one second long WOT hit and adjust from there.
......Do the tires spin? adjust the inner "initial hit" dial a couple turns counter-clockwise, repeat the hit.
......Does the clutch slip? adjust the inner "initial hit" dial a couple turns clockwise, repeat the hit.
After getting the 'tamer's inner dial in the ballpark, let the clutch cool.
Now it's time to use the outer knob to dial out engine bog- If the clutch is well matched to the combination, the outer knob setting required might be "0". A clutch with a lot of excess capacity might require an outer knob setting of "7" turns or more. The basic goal of the outer knob setting is to keep a properly hitting clutch from pulling the engine below it's torque peak.
Grant
Hey guys, unfortunately, some time has passed. But I still wanted to tell you how the last race went. It all started really badly. First, a tire puncture, then I noticed that I had no power above 4000 RPM. I needed all the qualifying runs and two elimination runs to adjust my carburetor for the new TrickFlow SinglePlane.
Then, starting in the quarterfinals, the Valiant was running again, delivering solid 11:00 times.
With a bit of luck, I won the semifinal against Michel because he had a breakout.
I was able to comfortably win the final with an 11:01 to a 10:99 dial-in.
This actually allowed me to win the ProET class.
Then, starting in the quarterfinals, the Valiant was running again, delivering solid 11:00 times.
With a bit of luck, I won the semifinal against Michel because he had a breakout.
I was able to comfortably win the final with an 11:01 to a 10:99 dial-in.
This actually allowed me to win the ProET class.
Thanks again to everyone who gave me tips. I adjusted the suspension a bit and rode with the clutch tamer for the first time. I had some really good starts with the tamer, but you could already smell the clutch. So I backed it off a bit. You can also see in the videos that the engine is bucking a bit.
But take a look at the weight transfer in the videos.
But take a look at the weight transfer in the videos.
Congratulations to you!! That's just terrific - especially before what looks like some serious cold winter moving in. Well done!!
360duster
Well-Known Member
well done my friend, even if i lost it was good to see you win! 
it seems that you are going in the right direction.....as already discussed i´d rise the shift points a little bit, the engine can handle it (my cast crank **** is running to 7000rpm)
Chassis wise i can see that it does not separate in the rear as much as it did before - due to more rebound in the shocks or due to the different Caltracs setup? It seems to be positive, causes the car to rotate around the rear axle and shifting weight to the rear where we want it.
Already looking forward to lining up the cars next year!!
Michael
it seems that you are going in the right direction.....as already discussed i´d rise the shift points a little bit, the engine can handle it (my cast crank **** is running to 7000rpm)
Chassis wise i can see that it does not separate in the rear as much as it did before - due to more rebound in the shocks or due to the different Caltracs setup? It seems to be positive, causes the car to rotate around the rear axle and shifting weight to the rear where we want it.
Already looking forward to lining up the cars next year!!
Michael
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Frank Mopar
Well-Known Member
Late for party but you’re not going to get leaf springs to squat. You want the rear to separate and drive the tire into the track
Also full rebound is the low setting. Compression is high.
Also full rebound is the low setting. Compression is high.
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weedburner
Well-Known Member
I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but setting a 'tamer up for low rpm drag strip launches is hard on the clutch! That's because it takes a really soft 'tamer setting to prevent a bog when you have little to no inertia to pull you thru, and that resulting soft setting will also cause excessive slip when you use the clutch pedal to shift.
Most guys have spent a lot of money and broken a lot of parts before trying a 'tamer, so its pretty understandable why they are gun shy about high rpm launches. Need to get over that, as the 'tamer's primary function is taming hi-rpm launches. You've got several tenths of 60' potential hiding there!
Grant
Most guys have spent a lot of money and broken a lot of parts before trying a 'tamer, so its pretty understandable why they are gun shy about high rpm launches. Need to get over that, as the 'tamer's primary function is taming hi-rpm launches. You've got several tenths of 60' potential hiding there!
Grant
RockinRobin
Well-Known Member
Looking better. You might want to do some research on burnouts for drag racing and see why most get up to an rpm and finish the burnout without varying it. Also what gear are you doing your burnout in?
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