[2x4]

My 80' Camaro wont hook for anything, so I'm looking over the whole suspension. It hooks right off the line, then it loses grip, usually I have to feather it by the 330' mark or I'm up in smoke. I have a few ideas on the rear suspension & would like any ideas!

The rear springs are 5-leaf Moog factory replacements. Shocks are KYB, but they are getting tossed out & drag shocks are going on all 4 corners. I have SSM lift bars & subframe connectors. Poly subframe & leaf spring mounts, BFG drag radials. Thats about it...

The rear is stiff. I'm thinking of removing one leaf from each side. Then taking off the rear clamp on the springs (like the Dodge Super Stockers do). My thinking is to soften it up overall by taking a leaf out, the letting the springs "unwind" a bit as it leaves the line.

Am I on the right track?

[johnnymopar]

can you fit a taller or wider wire under there?

JB

[sst4530]

I have an 80 Z-28 I run in Div. 4 Super Street with in 10.5 slicks. Hooks hard. can you tell me more about your combination. Engine size and components, battery location, car weight, trans type, stall converter Etc...

[sst4530]

Also the rearend type and ratio posi unit spool or open style (single track).

[2x4]

I run a 275/60/15 tire on mine, I dont really have much more room for tire without breaking out Mr.Sledghammer <img src="graemlins/spank.gif" border="0" alt="[spank]" />

SST-
Here we go, hang on!
383, 11.3:1
5.7 rods, 400 crank, Speed Pro pistons, Melling oil pump, moroso windage tray, Iron Eagle 215cc heads (box stock), Manley valves (2.05/1.60), harland Sharp rockers, Professional Products "Hurricane" intake, Accel HEI, Holley ignition, Msd coil, 750 vac Holley, Hooker Comp headers, 2 1/4" full exhaust w/h-pipe, TH-350/TCI 10" converter, 3.23 posi, dirt track solid cam-adv duration 287/295, duration @ 50 256/264, lift .545/.563, 105 LSA. The battery still sits up front, weight is estimated around 3500-glass hood, lots of bracing removed. I'll get a real weight on it in 2003.

All that mess was good for 12.85@106.98-carb not tuned in right, no suframe connectors, through exhaust with the drag radials & SSM bars at a track with an elevation of 809 ft. I only got 7-8 passes in last year due to parts breakage (3 trannies, 1 MSD box, 1 fuel pump(?) and dumb stuff). I use it as a street/strip car. I just swapped to a massively smaller cam to help move the power band down lower and to give it better street manners. My 2 second 60' times are bugging me to death

[ December 15, 2002: Message edited by: 2x4 ]

[ December 15, 2002: Message edited by: 2x4 ]</p>

[Deuce]

Just a guess .......

The 3.23 gear is killing your 60 foot times. Why not go ahead a put some gear in it? You said you use it on the street too but a 3.73 or 4.10 is liveable. The car is most likely just getting into its power and second gear at 330 feet with a 3.23.

With a bigger gear (3.73-4.10) and a bigger more high end cam, you would leave quicker and then motor on down the track more consistantly with sacificing street manners too severvely.

[dmorris1200]

I agree with Deuce, even without changing the cam I would definately go for a gear change in the rear. In my opinion 3.23's are street cruising only. I'm running 3.70's in my 9-inch and drive it regularly on the street.
Also my cam is very streetable, .471 lift In./Ex. and 218/228 @ .050 duration 114* lobe seperation, and she responds great with the 3.70's in the rear. You could probably go with a more aggressive cam than me considering the specs of the rest of your engine, put some good gears in her, and have a mean ride.

[ December 15, 2002: Message edited by: dmorris1200 ]</p>

[deuce_454]

i second than deuce regarding your gearing 3,73 id say is still liveable. and also your problem might not be suspension at all, if i were you id get a set of BF goodrich DRAG radials, they hook up much differently and will most definatey be worth tha extra bucks, and remember drive around the watertrap as water can get caught in the thread pattern and kill traction on anything other than slicks.

[Frisco]

It's already been said; Get rid of the 3.23 rear gears. I like the 3.73 range for the street and it will help you at the strip. If it was just for the strip, I'd go with 4.56 rear gears.

[2x4]

Thanks!
I'll have to kick around the gear idea some more. I really wanted to stay away from that till I get a 200r4 trans in it (since I like long road trips), but that might be the right thing now..

Hey-check out my avatar! Thats my puppy

[deuce_454]

honestly your traction problem wont go away with the lower gearing, (allthough the lower gearing will be a must to go fast) your traction problem is tire related. what is your ET on slicks??

[2x4]

All these times are on the BFG drag radials. I'm thinking just like you Deuce_454, big gears will make the problem worse. That was the whole reason for using the 3.23's, I figured it would get off the line easier (and easier on parts). Maybe I over-did it..
I just got the new, smaller cam in there, trying to move the powerband down more. It feels good, but I still got work to do! Thanks

[dmorris1200]

I have to disagree (just my opinion). The gears will make a difference. By going with say a set of 4.11's if you break your tires loose they will be spinning at a slower rate than with the 3.23's. This will tend to make them catch quicker. The trick is to learn how hard to lay in to her when launching, but in my experience the gears definately help. This issue was discussed in this older post <a href="http://www.hotrodders.com/cgibin/ubb/16/000998/1" target="_blank">HERE.</a> I switched to a set of 4.56's in my Vega (photo in album) and man she just wanted to pin you in your seat and go. Even if you broke the tires loose she would pull right out of it. Like I said, this is just my opinion.

[ December 17, 2002: Message edited by: dmorris1200 ]</p>

[tm454]

Is there a way to find out how HARD the tires are? Maybe the compunds it to hard for the tack?
Maybe a different tire would Hook Up. I know that racing tires get harder as time goes by, but I'm not sure about street tires.

Todd

[ramblerman]

Tire size also has to do with your gearing.Also their are a couple of sites you might want to check out . Please email me and i will sent these to you. They both have been very helpful to get my wagon to hook and go in a straight line.