Setting up Cal Tracs

[Scott P3274]

Originally Posted by Jeff Lee

I'd be hard pressed to identify a situation where you want the compression at max stiffness on a double adjustable rear shock. Try it in the middle for compression.
On extension, start in the middle and progressively adjust towards a stiffer setting. Bad tracks need the extension softer, great tracks can take it stiffer.
Once you have the extension figured out, then you can work on the compression.
But no matter what shock valving you have, get rid of those 26" slicks! Taller is better.

Jeff, Thank you for the input. I will try to get a video of the car leaving and post it so there is more information to diagnose the problme with. I really like the advise on the bad track vs. good track, adjusting with extension. The track I go to is prepped very well for the weekend serise that I can't always attend. The Wednesday night program doesn't get as much attention and is sometimes much worse. I will likely have to adjust the shocks based on the race I am competing in.

I will make your adjustments and keep you posted in the event anyone else can learn from my trial and error.

If you were talking to me about the slicks, I am running 29.5 x 9" slicks. They are bias tires and I may want to try a radial at some point.

Thanks again!
Scott

[Scott P3274]

Troy, I measured the front suspenstion travel, it is 5 1/8" from resting to when the tires just start to lift off the ground when jacking up the front. The rear travel extends all the way until the shocks get to full extension and stop.
I'll keep adjusting and keep you posted.

[Ian Hill]

i have cal track everything in my 68 Camaro. The adjustable rear shocks are set the way all of my foot brake cars have been setup with fully adjustable shocks (this is the third car) at 50/50. i have tried everything but going to a really great prepared track and setting them on kill to see if there's a difference. The fronts are 90/10 with no snubbers. The bars, as per Calverts direction are set at 1/4 turn per load and have never been changed. the car pulls big wheel stands and is one of the quickest f/cm cars i know of. it launchs straight and drives straight. My sixty foot times are consistantly between the ultra quick Lancaster Dragway times of 1.32 and Toronto Motorsportspark times of 1.36-8. The only thing i can see using on a 9" tire car to calm the wheel stand down a bit would be wheelie bars, Ken Kier makes a great bolt on kit that i have been using when i run the oxygenated 109 fuel as it makes just enough torque that the car starts to drive under the wheel stand.

ian

[Scott P3274]

Ian, thanks for your advice. The way you describe is the way the car was set up and I was foot braking the car. It was consistent with 1.44 60ft times. I am trying to figure out a set-up for using a trans brake. I want to be able to run some Super Street but I can't find the sweet spot for traction with the trans brake.
Have you used a trans brake with the Cal Tracs? If so, how did you get the car to hook consistently?

Thanks, Scott

[Ian Hill]

i have not tried a trans brake in the 68, but have used them in the past. From what caltrack told me the tighter the bar, the harder the launch. This being said, if i was doing what you are, i would call them and ask. they are great.

From what i have heard...the higher the rpm on the brake, the softer the hit on the converter. obviously your would be putting the engine closer to the max torque of the engine so that statement may make no sense to someone that is struggling with wheel spin. i would start with adding wheelie bars, then try the 2 step at 2200 and 4800 and see what happens. i would think 2800 to 3200 rpm, wheelie bars set to allow a good 2 feet of space under the front end, 30x 9 light weight radials by Hoosier set to 16-19psi (i run 18 foot braking, but have pumped thm up to 25 without issue on a great track) (also my car is 3000 lbs and has a 500hp crate engine, so use your own descresion).

Ian

[cad]

We now run a Coan 2.03 glide with a trans brake.
It is a 385sbc, ATI Tree Master 4700 stall, 3280lbs, 4.88s, 29x9 goodyear bias, calvert front shocks, leafs...everything. Set the 2 step at 3600.
Last year at ET Finals Topeka, it went 6.95 1/8, 10.90 @ 123 in 1900' DA with 13 psi in the tires.

We race on a marginal track every week at home though.
Last week at home, we were running 7.036 and 7.039 when the track temp was about 50. 60's were within .004, until the qtr finals and we spun a little.
At home, we pre-load 1/4 turn, top hole, ranchos on 3, 11.5 psi in the rears.

At well prepped tracks like Topeka and Eddyville, it doesnt matter how we set up, it hooks.

Clark Doukas

[Scott P3274]

The Nova weighs 3400 with me in it. The front has QA1 single adjustable stocker star R serise shocks with moroso trick springs. The rear has landrum mono leafs with cal tracks and new QA1 duble adjustable stocker stars. The engine made 568hp and 533 torque on the dyno. The trans is a TH 350 and has a 8' 5000 stall converter. The rear is a 12 bolt with 4.56 gears. I am running 29.5 x 9" M/T slicks and they have 16psi in them. The cal traks have two flats of pre load in the passenger side and 0 pre load in the drivers side. The bar is in the lower hole.
Foot braking the car at 2800 nets pretty consistent 1.44 60ft times and has run a best of 6.67 at 101.50 in the 1/8th. (10.58 at 125 in the 1/4) It has only hooked once on the trans brake and it went 1.39 60ft and 6.65/10.54 in the quarter. (With an almost bumper dragging wheel stand.)
Before I will need wheelie bars, I need it to conssistently hook with the trans brake. I will test tonight if possible with some softer extension/slightly softer compression and keep adjusting until it consistently hooks. The shock instructions for the rear suggest 0-4 clicks on extension and 12-16 clicks on compression. I have ignored that so far but will try it tonight.
I will also try Ian's suggestions as needed.
I greatly appreciate all the feedback and hope anyone reading this will continue to share success stories and recommendations. Hopefully I will get this worked out sooner than later.
THANK YOU ALL!!

[Scott P3274]

I set the rear shocks at 50/50 and the front shocks back to 90/10. Foot braking is fine. I won the race last Wed night with consistent 1.46 60ft times. It was spinning a little but consistently. (typical for the Wed night conditions at the local track) This weekend, I will have a chance to run on a much better prepped track. I'm hoping to make adjustments with the shocks to get the trans break to work. I will not have many test runs to work with though. I plan to leave the compression at 9 (18 total clicks) and soften the extension (also set at 9 now) a couple clicks at a time to see if it works out. Anyone have any additional suggestions?

Thanks,
Scott

[Scott P3274]

I tried the shocks at 9 clicks on extension and 7 clicks on compression this past weekend and it worked out pretty well, foot breaking. I had a best of 1.42 60ft and pretty consistent 1.43 to 1.45 60ft times after that good one. I also had a friend of mine watch the car leave. He said the slicks were wadding up quite a bit and suggested adding air. I went up from 16 to 17psi on Saturday and up to 18 on Sunday. It was pretty good so I'll add another pound at a time until it starts spinning again and then drop it back.
I'll keep updating when I get back to testing with the trans brake.
Scott

[Troy Henderson]

The June 28th National Dragster has a good shock article starting on pg 144..