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  #1  
Old 03-27-2001, 12:23 PM
CudaDave CudaDave is offline
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Question

I am currently running some Firestone slicks
size 31.25x12.2x15 on my 3000 pd Cuda runs 7.2-7.4 in the 1/8th, 4.56 gears and a 440. I have 165/15 front runners leaving the car with a lot of rake. This wasnt a big problem when I was using a pinion snubber, as the rear suspension goal was to rise the car and plant the tires. I have removed the snubber and gone to a cal trac system and now the goal is to lift the front and shift the weight back like non Mopar cars. I need new slicks as mine are cracking on the sides from age. I would like to gt a long lasting consistent slick that isnt as tall so I can reduce rake to aid weight transfer. I am considering Hoosier #1819, MT #3072 and any other you recommend that will take an inch or more off of the diameter of the tires without reducing the tread any if at all...
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  #2  
Old 03-27-2001, 09:57 PM
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Christopher Christopher is offline
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I have found that the Firestone/Phoenix last longer than the Hoosier.Also why not change the front tires to a 7.10x15?? This is what I use on my Demon and I use the same size Phoenix as you and I also swap to a set of 13x31's depending on the track conditions. Have the Cal-Trac's improved ET or the 60ft times??
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  #3  
Old 03-29-2001, 01:06 AM
blackcuda blackcuda is offline
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Question Times???

Hey cudadave, I am thinking of going to the caltracs on my 70 cuda, are you running the factory springs or did you get the mono leaf? I have been running the super stock springs in a heads up class and the guys with caltracs are the only cars that have beat me.....

I don't know if this is just a coincidence or the fact that they get a 200lb weight break on me for running a sm block. I would love to know how they turn out on your car, I have not seen any on a mopar yet!
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  #4  
Old 03-29-2001, 08:31 AM
CudaDave CudaDave is offline
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Default Hey black cuda

I m going to run them with stock springs moved inboard and boxed. Ivew been told not to run them with a snubber or superstock springs as the bars tend to raise the front and squat the back which is kind of the opposite of the SS/snubber setup which raises the bac and front to plant the tires. I havent made any full runs yet just put them on this winter but there are some Mopar guys using them with success. "ERIC" has them on his mild Duster, has helped with consistency and 60 fts
hope this helps

dave
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  #5  
Old 03-29-2001, 10:00 AM
JERICOGTX JERICOGTX is offline
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Unhappy

The M/T tires seemed to last longer for me over the Hoosiers and Pheonix tires.
I had Cal Tracs on the car last year with super stock springs and they did absolutely nothing! I just installed ladder bars and now the car sits low to the ground and level.
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  #6  
Old 03-30-2001, 12:06 AM
blackcuda blackcuda is offline
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Cool Track

Hey CudaDave, what part of Tn. are you from. I grew up in Mempho. What what track do you go to? I would like to see a Mopar with the caltracs at the track! I have a bunch of work to do to the cuda to get it ready for the heads-up races in Jackson that I have been running in. I had some tranny problems and while the car is down for a while it would be a good time to change to the caltracs, if they work as good on our cars as they seem to work on the leaf spring chebby's.....

Keep me posted and if you are in the area I would like to see your car run!!! Thanks.

Blackcuda
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  #7  
Old 04-01-2001, 05:36 PM
CudaDave CudaDave is offline
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Default Blackcuda

Be glad to have you run up here, I run at Bristol, there are a couple of other Mopar guys who run cal tracs and like them on the web here, Brad H and Eric are two that I know of ...just dont run them with the SS springs
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  #8  
Old 04-01-2001, 08:31 PM
BIG RED MACHINE BIG RED MACHINE is offline
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Cool

Why not talk to Luneack at Tri City Competition about his launcher springs,most all of the fast stock eliminator cars run them also his shocks,,A way to help your weight transfer deal is to use 6 cyl torsion bars up front and a good pair of shocks,,Also remove your upper control arms and have the rubber bushings removed and have a good chassis man make a set of upper a arm bushings out of lightweight steel or aluminum and add some grease fittings to ensure their freeness,,Lower the nose by shaving the front suspension snubbers some that way at the track it will enable you to get the front as low as needed,,If you get a chance look some of the faster A/SA mopars at a race(NHRA OR IHRA) and you'll see they do not run the Cal Trac system,,Mopars rear suspension is designed so this is not needed,,After all If Joe Aluise,being the fastest A/SA(63 Max Wedge Belvedere) has gone as fast as low 6.40's in the 1/8 and just missed being the first stocker in the nines by a short #(10.02) on 9 in slicks(NO CAL TRAC SYSTEM)why buy them,,Do some research before you buy,,AND if you ever get to see Aluise's car,BREATHLESS,,You'll see what I mean.....
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  #9  
Old 04-02-2001, 08:46 AM
CudaDave CudaDave is offline
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Thumbs up Research

Hey Big Red,

I did plenty of research before I bought my Cal Tracs...and for a bracket car they are a great solution, lots of folks use them and win. Im not trying to run an index in NHRA, I dont have that kind of scratch to build a custom suspension, Im just looking for some tuneability. Cal tracs were the best alternative for me among those I checked, which included running custom springs or SS springs.
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  #10  
Old 04-02-2001, 10:23 AM
BIG RED MACHINE BIG RED MACHINE is offline
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Cool

Well the idea's I gave were certainly not custom suspension,they were all PROVEN reasonable tricks that do indeed work,,Tuneabilty is a common sense deal,I mean, if your bracket racing then you need to run the number consistently(both 60 and e.t.) just as we do,,You see after we punish our indexes to qualify ,we are nothing more than bracket racers also,hence the help,,If you have a good working knowledge of the Mopar suspension and can tune to run in any air conditions,it will be consistent ,,Hoosiers are an adequate choice as are the Phoenix's for an automatic car,,However a stick car,will work better with a Goodyear,,Radials with help also,,My problem with the Cal Trac system is only this,,It was designed to help the brand-x cars with bad cases of spring windup and wheel hop in high HP cars and with the design of our rear suspension(short in front and long in the rear) our cars are designed to prevent that,,Most times clamping the rear leaves on the car is all you need,,There is no science or elaborate suspension parts involved,just a common sense solution to an easy question...Just tried to help sorry if I didn't......Remember this though:::BREATHLESS:::: Once you see her on the bumper and Aluise in the 9's on 9 in slicks and leaf springs,with no trick suspension,You'll understand......BREATHLESS MAN,,SIMPLY BREATHLESS!!!!!
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  #11  
Old 04-02-2001, 04:27 PM
CudaDave CudaDave is offline
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Cool

Im fairly new to bracket racing and dont pretend to have a good working knowledge of the Mopar Suspension, Ive studied the Mopar Chassis book and talked to other racers and Cal tracs seemed to offer the best option for me...perhaps it will be an expensive lesson if they dont work, we'll see.
I'd like to see that car sometime, will he run at Bristol at the NHRA event in April? BTW arent Cal tracs banned from use on Stock/Super Stock cars?
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  #12  
Old 04-02-2001, 08:01 PM
BIG RED MACHINE BIG RED MACHINE is offline
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Cool

'sMan who designed them name is John Calvert,and he runs a stock eliminator stick mustang(class eludes me for the moment,minor brain fart),,He will run the car in superstock at some events and has been sucessfull(SS/G),but he will only do it when no other fast SS/G cars are there as in SS he can barely run the index,,I myself do not know of any cal tracs in SS out here,most all of those cars are 4 link or ladder bar(coil overs or leaf rollers) cars,,My experience with those two systems are the four link is a couple of hundreths quicker,,BUt as soon as you begin to think that a ladder bar car runs by you,hooked hard and in the air,,There are a few of the faster brand-x stockers,auto and stick using the Cal Tracs,but none of the Mopars out here are that I've seen,,Breathless at Bristol,can not say,depends on the weather and if any chance of punishing the record could exsist,,Aluise wants one thing and one thing only,FIRST LEGAL stocker into the 9's,and to get it I'd say you'll never know where he'll go for it,depends on his chances and the weather,,Its called the endless pursuit of MINESHAFT AIR....... BREATHLESS,,SIMPLY BREATHLESS!!!!!!
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  #13  
Old 04-03-2001, 06:15 AM
jkailholz@aol.com jkailholz@aol.com is offline
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Default mopar suspension

On my 67 Dart, The car runs 11.40s @118mph with Stock leaf springs with the clamps removed on the rear section and has the pinion snubber with long drag shocks. Tires are goodyear 11in. 28in. tire diameter. I didn't want the car to sit like a highjacker and I didn't want to go to a non-mopar suspension. 60ft times are in the 1.6's I think this is a decent set-up for the money invested. I try to keep everything as simple as possible. I've seen guys using superstock springs running about the same ET's and cutting the same 60ft. As for the cal tracs, I would like to see someone running a leafspring car With 60ft times compare with and without before I would consider switching.
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  #14  
Old 04-03-2001, 10:10 AM
CudaDave CudaDave is offline
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Biggrin

Interesting, now Im being disloyal to my brand for running Cal tracs...LOL.. Aluise wont find that air here we are above sea level and typically dont see records set. Further discussion on the link below
http://www.moparts.org/ubb/Forum1/HTML/028635.html

cheers
dave
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  #15  
Old 04-08-2001, 02:38 PM
BIG RED MACHINE BIG RED MACHINE is offline
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Cool

Breathless HAS held the record,both ends, at a track that is much higher than your area,,,It was set a Boise,Idaho a few years ago,,I'm not putting you out for your purchase,ultimately its your decision in the end,,What I've been tring to get you to do is look at what and where you want to go as far as performance goes,do the research then make your decision,,I've seen it before and even done it myself at times,looking for the edge and ending up with flea market materials instead,,I just wanted to give you a different take on your question thats all,, Hope you find what you seek Oh and by the way I NEVER called you dis loyal to the Breed of MOPAR racers,,Its not my style,,Remember this and I'm done,,To the weekend racer,wether your car is a driver during the week or not,Racing on leaf spring is not rocket science,rather simplicity at its finest,A car that transfers weight well will hook hard and leave consisently even on springs,,It is not hard to make these cars hook,wheels in the air,just takes a little knowledge of your cars suspension then purchase what you need to make it work,,THATS IT!!!!
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  #16  
Old 04-09-2001, 11:05 AM
CudaDave CudaDave is offline
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Thumbs up

BIG RED,

I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me about this, I can be guilty of trying the next big thing, which is why I always ask a lot of racers before I change anything on my car. This year will be one of sorting my combination out in an effort to find consistency. I actually went to the Cal tracs after a couple of folks had problems with the superstock springs which are now made in Mexico (I believe)...should be an interesting year!

dave
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  #17  
Old 04-10-2001, 10:23 AM
BIG RED MACHINE BIG RED MACHINE is offline
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Biggrin

Best leaf springs are still Tri Cities Launchers,,call and talk to Luneack,, You may be surprised at what you find......
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  #18  
Old 04-11-2001, 11:42 PM
340-1 340-1 is offline
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Thumbs up

Hey Big Red- Keep up the good fight. I agree with you whole heartedly. However to each his own. There's more than one way to skin a cat. If the Cal Trac bars were soooo good you'd see them on Aluises car and others who run Mopars in stock (Rayburn, Dvorak, Etc). Keep in mind there's alot more to getting the car to hook up than just bolting something on. Wheel width, tire pressure, ballast, stall speed, weight transfer, etc, etc, etc, etc. I'd recommend buying the MP Chassis book to anyone building a bracket car. Not the most up to date book, but simple, proven, and affordable tips- especially for the slower bracket cars.
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  #19  
Old 04-12-2001, 08:44 AM
CudaDave CudaDave is offline
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I have the chassis book, and a flat spot on the back of my head from reading it while lying in bed. Is good, but outdated, no mention of the mono leafs or the caltrac type sytems at all.
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  #20  
Old 04-12-2001, 08:00 PM
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Christopher Christopher is offline
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Default s/s springs

Why should Mopar mention Cal-Tracs or mono leafs?? They didn't design them or even suggest using them.The s/s spring was developed in the early 1960's and was used by Chevrolet and Ford teams as well.I have used the s/s spring setup for 25 years with no problem,in fact my Demon can hook up in a car wash if I want it to.The current stockers and the Pro Stock cars in 1970-71 were using this exact same setup and it worked then. You will see some Mopar super stockers using mono leaf springs,but these are just to hold the back end of the car up while using a ladder bar set up.I look at it this way..The Mopar engineers are a lot smarter than I am,and if a new suspension set up was needed,they would have it avalible.
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  #21  
Old 10-28-2003, 12:40 AM
JWest440 JWest440 is offline
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Here is my take on the Cal-Tracs. I did some research on them, talked to Calvert racing, and put a set on my 73 Duster drag car. (7.00 1/8 mi.) They (Calvert) said that they would work with the SS springs. They just would not make as much of an improvement with them as they would if I were running another make of car. Because of the springs stiff front segment, it was not going to be a large difference, but they would improve my times. It did not make one bit of difference in the ET, or the 60 ft. time. I do think that it might have gone down the track a little bit straighter. But maybe that was just wishful thinking on my part. Usually have no problems with it hooking before or after installing the Cal-Tracs. After talking to Calvert again they suggested that I put the monoleaf spring on. I didn't want to spend another $300-$400 to do it. So to sum it all up. I would not spend the money on the Cal-Tracs. Go with the SS springs and maybe a snubber. Mopar knew what they were doing with their set up.
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  #22  
Old 10-29-2003, 09:37 PM
b-1ken b-1ken is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by BIG RED MACHINE
Breathless HAS held the record,both ends, at a track that is much higher than your area,,,It was set a Boise,Idaho a few years ago,,
That record is altitude adjusted. I don't think Bristol is high enough (1300 ft?) for adjusted record runs. By the way, Joe Sorensen has the record in A/SA at 9.96 with a '69 Camaro, and that was NOT set at Boise. Also, there are NO LEGAL stockers that go fast. They may get through tech., but they sure ain't LEGAL. They all have bogus heads, hidden lead, set back engines etc.
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  #23  
Old 11-09-2003, 06:43 PM
70mopar 70mopar is offline
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Default caltrac

I seem to be having the same questions about the caltracs for my attempt at a full race 70 cuda, the guys at caltrac, did say that the mono leaf had a good spring rate,(i'm not sure about spring mecanics though), and that the mono leaf was a good deal lighter than the ss spring, and came in three different ride heights. For me, i want the better system, whichever it may be, havn't assembled a complete system yet, but i do have a dana 60 that will be shortened to fit e-body specs( no one around here seems to know a competent palce to have it done). i think that just the offset shackle hangar will be enough clearance for my tire, a 10.5 x 30 mt., ive been told that that is enough tire to keep a mid 10 sec 1/4 car hooked up if my other areas are acceptible. thanks for all the good comments already posted.
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