Spin Control Question

[Alan Roehrich]

You do not need aftermarket control arms. Save your money. They're only a deal if they are very close to the price of the bushings, shafts, and ball joints.

Honestly, we run stock small block Moog or TRW springs in the front. The key in the front, and they are not cheap, is Santhuff shocks.

If you're going to change the rear suspension, then leave it for now, don't just put coil over shocks on it, wait, save your money, put a four link under it. Otherwise, take the ladder bars and the stock springs off, and buy the springs, bars, and shocks from CalTrac. CalTrac springs, bars, and shocks will get a mid 9 second Stock Eliminator car down the track on a 9" tire. I'd rather have the CalTrac stuff than ladder bars for a small tire car.

[MAURICE BLENDHEIM]

Front springs... Moroso 47195 Summit $119.95 or Jegs $119.99 ... Moog 6314 Rockauto $69.99 or AC Delco 45H00054 Rockauto $73.79 all sold in pairs. The choice is yours, make it and invite your biggest strongest friend over to help you install them. Buy him dinner for helping, then find yourself a set of 27" or 28". tall front tires. Charge your video camera battery get your same buddy to record your next 2-3 passes at the closest 1/8th track compare your starting line to 300ft. results from what would normally have (we are trying to move the car to that point quicker) Let us know how you make out.

[Ron Gusack]

Originally Posted by Alan Roehrich

You do not need aftermarket control arms. Save your money. They're only a deal if they are very close to the price of the bushings, shafts, and ball joints.

Honestly, we run stock small block Moog or TRW springs in the front. The key in the front, and they are not cheap, is Santhuff shocks.

If you're going to change the rear suspension, then leave it for now, don't just put coil over shocks on it, wait, save your money, put a four link under it. Otherwise, take the ladder bars and the stock springs off, and buy the springs, bars, and shocks from CalTrac. CalTrac springs, bars, and shocks will get a mid 9 second Stock Eliminator car down the track on a 9" tire. I'd rather have the CalTrac stuff than ladder bars for a small tire car.

What about for a 14" tire? I run them when I'm not running the 9" class. The 14's are on the car in the second video, at MIR.

[Alan Roehrich]

I'm not sure you're going to find a suspension system that will work correctly with two radically different tire sizes. Can you not run the 9" tires where the 14" tires are acceptable? Or maybe a set of 10" tires?

I think once you get it right, you probably will not need the 14" tires.

[Bob Pagano]

Alan is right, besides the 14s will slow you down.

[Ron Gusack]

The trouble with the 9's in a 1/4 mile race is the rpm's that I'd like to avoid.

I need the car to hook for the 9" class so I'd rather have a suspension set-up for that. I've got a few disadvantage in the class. I run a 400 where most others have glides. I'm a foot braker and they all have t-brakes. I'm all motor and they are NOS. It's a .400 tree so I deep stage to get a good light and never know exactly where I'm at. Other than those few things, the car is perfect for the class.

The 14's are for bracket racing and I've adopted the bracket racers mentality....Less power and more tire. Some of the tracks I've run on are very slippery. However, 12" tires would allow me to get the back down. Wouldn't that be a major step toward keeping the weight on the rear?

Kenny Keir likes the solid aluminum or steel bushings. What's the consensus on them?
Can lower bushings be installed without taking the control arm off?

I appreciate the advice and if you can tolerate it, keep giving it.

[Alan Roehrich]

You can get a fairly tall 12" tire to keep the RPM down for the 1/4. We run 10.0 at 129 or so with a 5.00 gear and a 9x30 Hoosier radial, even with the converter being too loose, we're at 7850 or so, and the radials do not grow.

I'd run the Del-A-Lum bushings, the Moog ball joints (long upper), and the Moog upper shafts with the big offset.

I think if you get the car set up right you can get a decent light on a .400 tree without deep staging. That car should go 1.28 in the 60', and when it does it'll leave hard enough to cut a light.

[Ron Gusack]

Originally Posted by Alan Roehrich

You can get a fairly tall 12" tire to keep the RPM down for the 1/4. We run 10.0 at 129 or so with a 5.00 gear and a 9x30 Hoosier radial, even with the converter being too loose, we're at 7850 or so, and the radials do not grow.

I'd run the Del-A-Lum bushings, the Moog ball joints (long upper), and the Moog upper shafts with the big offset.

I think if you get the car set up right you can get a decent light on a .400 tree without deep staging. That car should go 1.28 in the 60', and when it does it'll leave hard enough to cut a light.

Global West kit ETK 6769 with bushings, offset shaft and joints, but I can't find the length of the joints. The Moog joints seem to be 3/8 long, whereas some others are advertised as 1/2 longer than OEM.

The only way this car could go 1.28 is we put one of your engines in it.