Thread: Traction? *Confused*

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Ok, Im still searching out parts and pieces for the elky so i can make my shopping list. I've already covered wheels, tires, floors, carpet, seats, insulation, bed floor, engine, exhaust, and electronics.

(i don't already have it, i mean thats on my list for when i start buying. I want to have a plan before i just start throwing money around)

Now im to the point of traction. This will be a street car so none of this "run a 15 wide slick" stuff. That prolly won't happen and i know there are tons of other things that a builder can do to make the car hook up and go. I just don't know what those things are, how to go about deciding what is right for me, or how even to apply the concepts. Any info on ways to make the elky plant and launch would be much appreciated.

I'm also very interested in what kinds of things i can cut out of it, relocate, ect. without hurting its streetcar status. For example, i wouldnt cut my heater box out because what happens if my windows ice/fog over in the winter and i feel the need to drive it? Without a heater box i wouldnt be able to.

try putting a 250 pound hitch in the back. El Caminos are too light in the rear.

Indeed your biggest handicap is the lack of weight in the trunk... Once you decide whether you really want to put weight back in the car you can decide what you need to do to get it to the ground.

Cars "hook up" when rotational forces are turned into directional force. This happens principally in the differential and the tires. A lower gear ratio will help but is only the first step. Good tires (as good as you can afford) proper shock valving which allows the rear end to rapidly drop while the front end rapidly rises is another. Things like ladder bars, or their poor cousin a traction bar will keep the rear end from hopping while doing it's job.

There are kits to do this which start at $100. and go up into the thousands of dollars and require reconfiguring the rear mounting points. The simplest is simply replacing all the worn bushings and suspension pieces with the best eurethane pieces you can afford.

Some of the very best are from:

http://www.hotchkis.net/cgi-bin/EDCs...%3BEl%20Camino

There is a book by Herb Adams entitled "Chassis Engineering", it deals a lot with traction, you may want to check it out.

The old Lakewood style ladder bars were pretty much a bolt on deal and did a decent job on hooking the back end up. I recall seeing a set on eBay the other day, also sure someone is still making them new.... I had them under a GTO a couple decades back, they worked good.

Years ago when I had a 68 Elcamino I boxed the rear suspension links and added poly urethane bushings. I also split the airlines to the shocks so I could preload them seperately. I also hinged the panel in the bed,and moved the battery in there.That really helped my traction. Hank

hmm..That sounds good..

What is the difference between ladder bars and traction bars?

Originally posted by Hopper111
hmm..That sounds good..

What is the difference between ladder bars and traction bars?

The ladder bars replace the trailing arms on a stock car, or its a more simple trailing arm if you are building your own chassis. The traction bar bolts to the ladder bar to help hold the wheel to the ground, or keep it from what they call wheel hop. used more on leaf springs to keep them from wrapping up.

i have reworked all of my lift points on my goat and have one air bag on the pass side and put the battery on that side to . i have did alot of work on mine made all my chassis parts used a ford 9 rear end . soild bushing. made up new lowers and uppers with rod ends so i can move the pinion angle and made the lowers fully adjustable mounting points front and back of the lower bars and uppers to for more BITE this is the same chassis as yours . but you may not want to do all this. but my car will carry the front wheels in 2 gear on the street .no B.S but not all the time. be for i did all this it hooked good and i had stop hop brakets on the top bars and used gound garbbers on the lower. they replaced the stock lowers bars you may find them by south side to .you will have to make sure if you use the add on ladder bars they do not bind with the stock 4 link . not a big fan of them. stockGM is 4 link and can work better then the add ons ladder bars if you get the stop hops and the lower bars like i said

ok

Things like ladder bars, or their poor cousin a traction bar will keep the rear end from hopping while doing it's job.

So u can either use a ladder bar or a traction bar?

i would not run the ladders bars . lakewood or south sid lower bars and upper stop hop bars. this is a gm 4 link rear end this can be made to work better than a ladder bars add on

I had a hybrid elky, 68 frame 69 SS hood and cap on a 71 body, the car hooked up pretty good. Before you mess with the stock 4 link set-up try some 9" slicks on it and see what it does. I think you will be suprised. The weight transfer on those cars is pretty good.

For the street i want to run some

Goodyear GTHR 205/60/15's all the way around.

When i get ready to run out to the track and drive, I'd like to order some M/T or Goodyear 10 wide slicks...will 10 wide fit under the fenders on the 72 elkys? I dont want tires that poke out farther than the fender does...

That street setup ought to look great. Not real sure about a 10" slick, might be able to get it in there with some proper backspacing, that's just speculation though you would have to measure. I don't have my elky anymore to get a measurement, someone liked it more than I did and stole it and have never gotten it back. I sure would like to get another one day, you rarely see them anymore. I used to call mine a cruck or trar.

My Goal:
To have tires, floors, carpet, new bucket seats, bed floor, rear window, brakes, suspension (traction bars/ladder bars, ect) and 3.73 posi rear end all done by graduation day. (May 27 2006)
I hope to have the engine build started and be working on it through out the following months.

I want to have the the elky painted hugger orange, with a glass front end, the engine finished and tuned, and the final touches put on by next summer.

I already have ordered the tires for it. The 4 GTHR's cost me $238 and couple of pennies. Mounted and balanced.