Line lock for handicapped
 

Here's the deal. I have one leg (right leg for gas pedal) and I'd like to sit up my line lock so I could use it for staging at the lights as it's impossible to hold the brake and bring up the R's for the launch. A burn out in the box would be nice too. I know a trans brake would work but the car is street driven often and a T/B would be a lot of hassle.

The TB wouldn't help w/a burnout, it locks up the tranny by engaging two gears at the same time- so no driveshaft rotation (or the ability to do a burnout) is the result. But a line lock would work just fine for you.

The deal w/a line lock for staging and launching is the rpm has to be kept below the point where the front tires would be pushed by the rear tires. This isn't a problem when doing a burnout- you have wet tires for that. But once you pull up to the staging area, the tires are now hot and sticky, plus the track is (usually) prepped w/traction compound. That adds up to a situation where the rear tires are going to almost assuredly be able to overpower the front brakes or the tire's traction to the track, especially if you have wide sticky rear drag tires and/or skinny front tires.

That said, there's no reason you can't launch off the line lock- providing the rpm is lower than the threshold where the rears overcome the front's ability to hold the car from rolling. It'll take some practice (that's what the 'test and tune' sessions are for) but in a little while you'll be leaving like a pro.http://www.chevelles.com/forums/imag...s/thumbsup.gif

Not many racers do it now! but years ago we ran 2 line locks, 1 on the fronts for our burn outs and 1 on the rears for staging! Especially on the stick cars, Because when staging when using the front lock it would do exactly what Cobalt said! and with automatics we could carry the r's a lot higher with the rear staging lock!! And in gas class most of us had no front brakes so we could only use a rear staging lock!

Chris

I forgot to mention that Ray Rogenbush had a cutch come through the floor of his "A" modified 4 speed vette in the early 70s and took off his leg at the knee and ran 2 line locks from then on, and it worked fine for him! :thumbup:

2 line locks
 

Was kind of thinking about that. Forgot to mention it before but I'm running a 60's style Willy's gasser. Putting a 3500 stall TQ in it now. The 2500 stall isn't working right, to tight and comes in at about 1200 RPM. The manufacturer is making good on it. The button on the shifter for burnouts and one on the steering wheel for launch?

Or a toggle switch to select front or rear, using the same single button/button location for all functions.

Thanks Cobalt!!! All these years and I never thought of that :thumbup:!!!! Im going to do that this week end :D

Chris

Great idea! That's why cobalt gets the big bucks.

Haa! But a thanks is more than enough to make it all worthwhile, so thank YOU guys for that.

How to wire it?
 

Don't really understand toggle switch inner workings. Could you give me some examples of what poles I'd need? Your quote above is interesting. Another question, sense I'm using two line locks could it be set up to lock all 4 brakes or would there be a use for that?

Actually before I edited the post it read, "Or a toggle switch to select front or rear (or both)." But I didn't really envision a need for all four wheels being locked simultaneously. But I suppose you could do just that to launch, if the necessary launch rpm was too high for the fronts to hold it from moving in the starting beams.

But for using fronts or rears one at a time, you could use a single pole double throw (SPDT) switch, it makes a complete circuit when in either position. Position "1" would be front, position "2" would be rears, for example. You would still have an arming switch to power the line locks up, the toggle would select which line lock received that power. Now, I'm not that good (at all) at designing circuits- but I'm sure someone here can give you a better way of doing it.

From the interweb:
A Single Pole-Double Throw (SPDT) switch connects one terminal to either of two terminals (three terminals in all). A Double Pole-Single Throw (DPST) switch has four terminals that connect or disconnect two pairs of terminals simultaneously. And a Double Pole-Double Throw (DPDT) switch (six terminals) connects one pair of terminals to either of two other terminal pairs.

Great info, thanks so much! Now I have something to work with. It's guys like you that make this site so great!

Here is a simple circuit you can apply. When you throw the switch to line lock the emergency brake light will light up. Instead of adding another light.