Thread: 57 Chevy Cruizer

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It'll do some time at the dragstrip, but some street use too. I've got a lot of experimenting I want to do with some shocks, and use the adjustability in them to maintian consistency in the car. Everyone always sez a 4 speed is too inconsistent to drag race, but I've done well with them an observed most of the auto tranny guys want to do their chassis tuning with a throttle stop or delay box instead of the chassis. Launch and 60' times are so critical, think I've been leaving a bit on the table by not having adjustability where I want it. Shocks are so critical to a good launch and shocks can be easily tuned to match changing track conditions....

Dave, have you considered using coil springs in the rear instead of stock type leaf springs? Coils are infinitely more tuneable than leaves. There are dozens of different spring rates available and, by using stock-car style weight jackers, you can infinitely adjust the pre-load on them. I have coils with weight jackers in the back of my coupe and it is NOT a posi rear end. By giving my right rear spring a couple of turns of pre-load on the jacker, the car launches with almost no wheel spin and it's equal on both sides.

Ooooh! Throttle stops, delay boxes, stutter boxes, and even tranny brakes; DIRTY WORDS!! I hate them all. All that crap should be outlawed; use an old-fashioned line-lock and make the drivers DRIVE. I rarely go to the drags any more because it's a bunch of slot cars where everything is computer controlled except the steering wheel. If the sanctioning organizations would bring back the old gasser classes with NO electronics and NO computers, I know about six guys locally (including me) who would be scrambling to get back into drag racing...

I briefly considered coilovers, but I'm going with leafs for a number of reasons. I'll be using housing floaters and long ladder bars, so all the leaf spring does is support the weight of the car and not act as a traction device...my leaf springs will also be the much, much lighter composite leafs and not the stacked multi leaf springs. The height of the leaf spring mount points, even with housing floaters, do have some effect on forward bite...but again I prefer controlling forward bite with the shocks.....

Coilovers do have a lot of adjustability, but they really do little to improve the way the suspension works. That's the job of the shocks. Pre load may (or may not) be a useful thing with an automatic transmission car, my experience has shown that preload should be neutral, and the correct shocks mounted at the correct position with dual adjustability features are a much more effective tuning device. Pre load IMO is compensation for something not working correctly, usually the shocks. Many moons ago on coil spring suspended street cars we'd put an air shock on the right side and use air pressure to "pre load" the open rear end to make it think it was a posi..... Major downfall was if you actually had a fast car on slicks when you get to the big end of the track and lift off the gas, that pre load you just dialed in to launch the car will give you a bad case of the watusi on shut down!!!!!

When the track slicks up in the afternoon heat or tightens up as evening temperatures go down there's nothing in the non adjustable coilovers to keep the suspension hooked unless they are a really good set that are double adjustable. and even then them dang coil springs either wind up in coil bind if too soft, or bouncy if too stiff....


PS, I do love my two step stutter box!!!! Gets me off the line at the same RPM and should I miss a shift or break something in the driveline it prevents over revving and the eventual "oil pan failure" when the engine kicks the rods out the bottom and sides!!!!

Dave are gonna be using 90/10 shocks ???

Originally Posted by roadster32

Dave are gonna be using 90/10 shocks ???

Nope....going to be using some AFCO double adjustable's on the front along with conventional and alternative mounting locations....Still working out the valving and geometry....though 90/10 would probably be one of the settings. I really like the AFCO's, went to a rebuilding seminar on them a few years back, bought the tools and shock vise, can play with the valving and pretty much make the shocks do exactly what I expect from them.... One of the major purchases on my "list of things to get" is a shock dyno, some of the big race teams have the budget to get the Trick of the Month club stuff whenever a system is introduced that is better then what they have and the used dyno's sell quite reasonable.

Got a guy wants my trailer really, really bad! Guess you guys did a heck of a good job spec'n the thing out when I ordered it!!!!!! I want to get one that's a bit bigger and has 3 axles instead of 2...

This is a Pace 32' I've been talking wth a dealer on...lots of good options and a bit under $15k delivered... Got to have a nice new travel conveyance for the gasser when it's done, right???? Also moving this fall and a bigger trailer would sure help!!!!!

so far all I know is I've got to have some cabinets, and maybe a ladder to the top with a deck and railing, then of course an awning for them hot days at the drags........ I installed and wired my own generator in the other trailer, probably do the same on a new one...

They build them just a few miles from my home.

Nice looking trailer Dave. It would hold a lot of stuff for a move to Texas!

Wow nice trailer Dave.

Dave nice addition for hiding the car inside and keeping it clean .

Originally Posted by cffisher

They build them just a few miles from my home.

Hey, the best price so far is of course to pick it up at the factory!!!! So many trailer companies in that area, any others you might reccomend that could match the quality and perhaps beat the price on a Pace????

If I do buy one out that way, would be a blast to stop in and say hi Charlie.....Then if money and time permit I'd like to swing by Pro Z's 'maro ranch on the way home and get the graphics and lettering done on the truck and toter!!!

Well you get that close to Pro Z's I only live about 30 minutes from him . Let me know I will run down there to see and meet you in person . Oh we have a spare room with a Trundle bed .

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

Hey, the best price so far is of course to pick it up at the factory!!!! So many trailer companies in that area, any others you might reccomend that could match the quality and perhaps beat the price on a Pace????

If I do buy one out that way, would be a blast to stop in and say hi Charlie.....Then if money and time permit I'd like to swing by Pro Z's 'maro ranch on the way home and get the graphics and lettering done on the truck and toter!!!

You'd be welcome here anytime

Well, back to the great trailer search.....Got a great big check and signed away the title for my Featherlight this afternoon!!!!

Should get my cube-van-soon-to-be-reborn-as-a-toter back to the house this week.... I have some work to do on it, and am doing some research to convert it to either propane or natural gas instead of gasoline. I've been keeping it with the idea of putting a diesel in it, but with diesel above $4.00 and shooting for $5.00 by summer I'll be examining these other options!!!!

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

Well, back to the great trailer search.....Got a great big check and signed away the title for my Featherlight this afternoon!!!!

Should get my cube-van-soon-to-be-reborn-as-a-toter back to the house this week.... I have some work to do on it, and am doing some research to convert it to either propane or natural gas instead of gasoline. I've been keeping it with the idea of putting a diesel in it, but with diesel above $4.00 and shooting for $5.00 by summer I'll be examining these other options!!!!

Dave,I think your propane is about the same as our LPG,,I dont know what it costs up your neck of the woods,or availability,,but iut probably has a similar octane rating,,ours is a guaranteed 99 octane,,and while the little econo slug 2 barrel 302w goes well on it,the next engine,[the 351w stroker]will have about a 10-1 cr and a 4barrel carb,but in saying that,I still save $100[conservatively] over petrol,on an 8 hour return trip..I use IMPCO gear on my engine,as its built for V8s,[as you probably know]..Its cleaner burning,and the oil changes are further apart too..It would be my pick,but I am biased..
We had CNG [compressed Natural Gas]down here for a while,but it didnt give the distance per mile that everyone wanted,where as,LPG,while still uses a little more on start up,and short,stop-start type driving,it comes into its own for us,on trips..