Slide a Links VS CalTracs.....

[ericsz]

Which do you prefer and why for a 69 Camaro...Thanks!

[SSDiv6]

Street, use the Slide-A-Link. Race, use Caltracs...

[Jeff Lee]

I've seen some Camaro forums were there are pictures of some mangled slide-a-links. Not pretty.

[ericsz]

Here is why I ask, I run slide a links it is a race only 1/8th miler, I just bought a new converter and the car just doesnt work now, it really only worked well with near perfect track conditions, I went with a Coan 8 inch 45-4800 converter my suspension is as follows, Koni SPA1 in the front with the lightest rate trick spring with Rancho 9 way adjustables in the rear, Afco multi leafs and CE Slide a links, 28x9-15 tire . On a good day the car was pullin the wheels about 8 inches witht the 10 inch converter, car thinks about hooking then goes away. what can I do?? I have the fronts set to 3/4 full stiff, and the rears set on #7, I tried the fronts on full soft with the 10 inch converter and the front end was coming up way to fast and unloading the tires. Please advise.

[Mike Pearson]

Eric,

You will need to run the shocks on the loose setting on a less than perfect track. try putting a rubber snubber on the top A arm where it hits the frame. This will help to soften the top of the travel. The rear shocks should be lose also on a slick track. How many runs on your tires? With your motor combo and the small tire that you are running the tires will need to be fresh. I only get about 40 - 50 runs on a set of tires on my super stocker. I use M/T 12.5X31.25 radials. You might try a 10.5 X 29.5 tire on your car. I ran that tire before I tubbed my car and built it into a super stock car. If you are using a trans brake lower the leave RPM to soften the initial hit. Have fun!

Mike

[Arnold Greene]

I tested the first slide-a-link on a stick car, and believe me, it was ugly. Moroso worked with me, and I believe the later version slide-a-links are very good. The front bracket needed to be made from heavier material, and the rear plate also needed to be thicker material. In A/S, 3570 pounds, I have been mid 1.30s on a decent track. In AA/S, just over 3200 pounds(because I can't get to minimum wt.), I have been 1.29 on 9 inch GY's and 10.5 MT's. I don't have first hand experience with the Calvert bars, but I think you can get more adjustment(pre-load, side to side balance, etc.) with the slide-a-link. It is very easy to get either of these in a bind, if you stiffen the shocks too much. BTW, the Calvert split spring is great.

[Grant Eldridge]

Eric,
I run the slide-a-link on my Nova stocker, but modified them by replacing the main bar with a length of steel tubing threaded in each end to accept the rod ends. A further improvement could be made by getting one new reverse threaded end and making it a finer adjustment. On my car they work best with a neutral setting on the drivers side (with driver in the car) so you could slide the bolt in easily, and 1/2 turn of preload on the right. By the way, I placed a 1/2" aluminum plate between the spring and the slide-a-link bracket because the bracket was bending when I tightened the U-bolts. This drops the back of the bar a bit but it seems to work well and has stayed put. Using the Hoosier radials C06 9"x30 tires at 21 lbs, our best 60' has been 1.41. The biggest improvement came from running more tire pressure in the radials, rather than less. Car weight is 3570 with driver. Front springs are light Moroso, front shocks are 90/10. Hope this helps....

[Bob Gullett]

I run the Cal Tracs on the Nova (327 G/S) with the split springs and they seem to work well. I was using their supplied shocks (Ranchos). I just changed them to a QA1 double adjustable hoping to get the car to leave better. Not sure what to adjust them to but I'm sure I'll figure it out.

[Jeff Lee]

Bob,
If the track is good on your first outing with the new shocks, start at mid-point on extentsion and keep going stiffer. I think your goal should be to see how stiff you can get them on a typical day at a typical track. That should be your baseline. In killer conditions, add to that baseline. In crappy conditions you'll be amazed to find going full opposite will save the day.
I'm re-valving my AFCO rears so that lightest extentsion setting will be 3 sizes stiffer than it is now with stiffest being +3 over what it is now. That should tell you something...
I could make a Viagra ad out of this...

Eric,
I have AFCO's all around, Cal-Track springs and bars. I can go 10.00's w/ 1.38 60' on the rear tires w/ 9" x 29.5 M/T's. That's a stick car which typically have slower 60 foot times that comparable a/t cars.

[Bob Gullett]

Thanks Jeff. The QA1's have 28 setting on each the compression and rebound. Setting them to 8 on the rebound seems fairly stiff. I set them to 15 and I couldn't pull them out. I set the compression fairly stiff. (10 setting) Suspension never has been my specialty. My Ranchos were fairly loose even on the stiffest setting on extension. They compressed fairly easy which could account for the squatting on launch.