How do you get a Suspension to hook, when the track surface is marginal at best

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If you are going to stick with SS springs it's time to replace them. Mine got old and started sagging, 60 ft went away and then couldn't make it hook on poor tracks.

Brand new SS springs from summit fixed it. $128 each I believe. I don't run a snubber but add clamps in front section and remove clamps in rear section. Has been best of 1.54 60 foot.
 
OK , Scampy i think i answer all of you questions last night. Except angle
Well when out and got ready to check in. With all of these thought in my mind, i'm looking at my car going Hmmmm them SS Spring really isn't got the stink bug look any more......
So raise it up and supported it on jack stand. got my angle finder out and, well it is 1 degree Nose UP!!!:eek:

So that settles it. TIME FOR A NEW SET OF SS SPRINGS!!!
I could just add a front segment of leaf spring, but finding a used set of leaf spring that i can cut the back half off and are the same or equal length segment may be difficult.
I could get some CalTrac's BUTT, i would still have to buy a set of spring and then install there set up, plus some high dollar shock exc.
Orrr i could just purchased a new set of SS Springs. IN the long run it's the simplest way. I mean, they lasted me some 30+ year. can't argue with that.

Now to decide if 10 inches' is enough rubber on the ground. Or if i need to step up to a 28 10.5 15 as well.
I need more gear to run at the 1/4 mile tracks and havent decided to do it with gears, or tire height.
Needing to lower the top end rpm by 1000 rpm. My new converter took car of 300 of them need rpms(yes my old converter was slipping 300 more rpm then my current one at the top end of the track.
 
SS spring were proven to work with the pinion snubber years ago.
Personally if I were you I'd put a new set of super stock Springs in it put the snubber in it preload it just a quarter of an inch against the floor and go racing.

Then if you want to change tire size or gear size to go quarter mile change it.
My thinking on the super stock Springs is it if you don't run the pinion snubber they're going to wind up just like the ones you've got only sooner.
 
Do you thing that's from the full throttle stomps or that it gets beat up by the suspension/ road suffice?
 
AJ/FormS said:
My snubber beat the floor up quite a bit, so you might want to contour yours to fit the floor better and spread the pressure
Click to expand...
It has been suggested that a flat steel plate be welded above the pinion snubber for that very purpose.
 
I'd still invest in some good adjustable shocks. That way you can control the rate of rise and fall in the front.

Garth
 
As others have stated above already if not going to go to a cal trac set up,imo complete with the mono leafs and can use their shocks as well they work i would for sure get a fresh set of ss springs for the weight of your car,and even a set of competition engineering 3 way adjustable basic rear shocks with them,however you may need shock extensions so you don't top out on launch.recheck pinion angle,get the snubber really close to the floor and add a plate or it will beat the floor pan,make sure your rear shackle angle is maybe 20+deg rear ward.Front end keep that 5" travel and get a bit more if you can,set the nose really close to the lower bumper.Taller tire will give you more footprint.I run a 28x10 14 psi went cal trac set up about 1200 i think for everything and has been working well even with the new engine this year,but no doubt the ss springs work so its all in the budget the cal tracs do give some adjustability over the ss springs
KSL_6092.jpg
 
I got nothing to add, just wanted to say how much I'm enjoying this thread.

I'm rebuilding the rear of my car so this couldn't have come at a better time.

Thanks to everyone for all the great info.

Sticky?
 
You might want to have close look at that 8 3/4, to see if it's twisted and lost pinion angle. Seen that happen often, especially with one used for a long time.
 
dart_68 said:
I've even heard of racers adding a bar from that plate to the roll bar seat cross bar.
Click to expand...
Good thinking. That just reminded me that my car builder had 2 bars going to that area with a big screw that I think was used on oval track cars to adjust their coil springs. There was a round steel plate underneath the car attached to this screw which came up through the floor. He could adjust pinion preload by turning that big screw from inside the car.

A lot of rear suspension talk here. Just don't forget about the front suspension for good stable driving at high speeds.
 
sst3193 said:
You might want to have close look at that 8 3/4, to see if it's twisted and lost pinion angle. Seen that happen often, especially with one used for a long time.
Click to expand...
I haven't noticed anything, but like the rest, time to get the magnifying glass out.
I didn't want to hear that! but thank any ways.:(:D
 
So here is my next question.
Been looking at Drag Slick. when you get above 26" slicks, there is more options
Is a stiff sidewall for heaver race cars? or is it for higher HP cars or........... maybe stick shift cars??????
What is the difference between M5 and L8 compound
 
Wow just went out and look at the part #s on my SS Spring
Ok Im a idiot......or was a idiot some 25 plus years ago.
P4120866 and P4120865 Ahhh these are 3300 pound spring. My car weighs 3860. now mind you i weigh 100 pound less than. ......scratching my head.......
Ahhhh!!!! Got out my old Direct Connection Performance book and now i know why i chose the 3300 pound spring. It shows a A eng, E-Body weight from 3200-3400 pounds. mine has/had AC so i chose 3300 pound.
Now i fill a little bit better about my stupidity!:BangHead:
It just took me this long to over power the wrong SS Spring:D
 
Cudafever said:
So here is my next question.
Been looking at Drag Slick. when you get above 26" slicks, there is more options
Is a stiff sidewall for heaver race cars? or is it for higher HP cars or........... maybe stick shift cars??????
What is the difference between M5 and L8 compound
Click to expand...
They say a stiff sidewall tire will react quicker but i'm still running the regular wrinkle wall with tubes just don't have the coin to try a set of stiffwalls and not have them work.Without looking at the chart m5 and l8 are the compound of the slick one will be softer,mine are the m5 and are holding up well.
The 8 3/4 i would recommend making sure the housing is straight now and get it braced well on the back they will bend.
 
Right off, I noticed your brakes aren't holding good enough when you're on the converter, and it's taking all of your 'wind-up' out of the suspension. It's removing all of the 'hit' on the tire. Not what you want on a strictly 'leaf' car.
It's a lower stall converter, and you're taking all of the multiplication out of it by loading it that high. Try leaving at 1500. It will shock the convert better and leave harder because of it.

Tire pressure is too low, the hide is practically rolling over itself.
If it's skating around on the top end, it's probably wobbling on the snubber.

Keep the springs, and throw on some CalTracs. The Caltracs work better with a softer spring anyway. Besides, the Caltracs reduce the springs function to just holding the car up, like a ladder bar car. Only with more tuneablility.
Buy the recommended Calvert shocks with it. John designed those shocks to work with his bars. cheaper too.
Pinion angle is less critical with the CalTracs. 3° down is all you need.

Defiantly check the diff housing. They're known to bend.

I've done everything stated here with the OEM 6 cyl rear springs in place along with the Calvert 'sliders' in place of the rear shackles. The car will practically hook up in a car wash on MT 295 DOT's.
 
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I agree the caltrac are a better setup than the SS Spring. But even calvet will tell you that it won't work well with SS Stock springs. worn out or not.
The other factor is price. A new set of SS Spring will get me back in the game. Caltrac's: by the time i buy a standard spring and all the rest of there set up. I'm way WAY more money!
I'm a poor boy. So SS Spring are the best value at this level of performance.

Could you tell me where to look for damage on the 8-3/4 housing?
Does it show up between the third member and the spring pad or the spring pad and the flange?
Even better, anyone have a pic of a damaged housing?

Thanks for everyone's input so far:thumbsup:
 
Unless its destroyed you wont see the bend in the housing.

I'd wager there's a lot of folks running around with bent housings but they just dont know it...
 
On one had i think, it's only a high 11 sec car, should be good....
Then my thoughts go to well, it's heavy, so it could do damage to the housing sooner......
then i think, I don't even have a trac brake and a auto is a lot softer on everything then a stick shift.

What say you !?!.
 
Even if it is bent, I dont think that's your issue.

Only way to know for sure is find someone with a jig or pay a shop to check it.
150 or so bucks.

If it's not bent I would brace it before it goes back in, only proble with that is it can bend when you brace it. Then it's back to the shop, cut the ends off, back with the jig and reweld the ends...
So it's not cheep....
 
I agree with Cope.. The housing will have to come out to verify it's integrity.
(but the end's always go on last, so when the brace/welding pulls stuff around, it can be corrected when the ends are installed)

So, new SS springs it is. I know a lot of guys who run a snubber with SS springs.. to each their own, but they were NOT designed to run with a snubber.
Just for the record.. before the CalTracs made their debut (1990?), there were LOTS of guys in Stock Eliminator with shivi's and phords (even John Calvert) running Mopar SS springs. None of them used a snubber. (that I know of..) Just sayin..
 
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