Chassis advice needed..Drag car.

[74duster383]

I took my Duster to the track for the first time on the 18th.  By lowering the tire pressure and playing with the pinion snubber I got it to hook up pretty good.  But, guys that watched me said I wasn't getting any weight transfer.  I watched a video and they are right.  I'm getting enough to not spin but the car raises up in the rear like a leaf spring car does, and when I launch, the front really doesn't come up that much.  It looks like the whole car just raises up about 4-6 inches and goes.  I'll list everything I can think of so maybe you guys can help me out here.
 
74 Duster, mini-tubbed, MT Slicks 28X11.5, 8 3/4 rear 4.88 gears
New OEM style Leaf springs, JC whitney RJS company.  Solid front eye bushings.
Mopar A body rear shocks from Summit, used lakewoods in the front.
Stock front suspension 33 yr old bushings and all.
383 bored, 906 heads, solid motor plate, 727 auto
Dynamic 9 1/2 converter 4200 stall
I launch at 2800 foot braking, no trans brake.


1/8 mile times;  60ft 1.65, 7.50@91mph.

[doug 371]

i would say the car et pretty good for the mph

[74duster383]

I do think the 60 ft times are right in line with the ET and MPH and thats why I believe its hooking up alright.  But I watch another Duster that runs about 1-2 tenths quicker and he is bringing the wheels off a few inches.  I don't even come close.  If I wanted to try some things should I lower the front end or raise the front end.  I wish I could load the video but its 31mb.  Its not a good quality video.


Thanks

[dartracer]

I wouldn't worry about it. Did you try stabing it off idle and letting the converter do its job? Just work on your car. The setup on the other Duster may not be even close to yours. Besides no two cars are going to work the same at the track.

[oldkimmer]

I wouldn't worry about it. Did you try stabing it off idle and letting the converter do its job? Just work on your car. The setup on the other Duster may not be even close to yours. Besides no two cars are going to work the same at the track.....................................................................................................................................

..............................................My buddies duster runs  11.001, without seeminly much weight transfer.....1.31 sixty....119 -121 trap.............all that with an oldschool cheater cam shifting at 5500.......kim........

[74duster383]

thanks for the advice, I guess the old saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" holds true.  Its hookin, running good.  With my sixty foot times right in line with the ET and MPH I'm not losing any traction. 

[bOb shingler]

I wouldn't worry about it. Did you try stabing it off idle and letting the converter do its job? Just work on your car. The setup on the other Duster may not be even close to yours. Besides no two cars are going to work the same at the track.

  try it you'll like what happens.

[signet]

just because the rear of the car is not squating is giving the illusion of no transfer.

but the opposite is happening,the wieght is transferring but the rear is rising at the same time pressing even more on the pavement.

sounds good to me.

[sbduster44]

 

[farmington]

Do you have a front sway bar on there?  If so get it off.

[375InStroke]

As said before, the rear is doing it's job.  If the rear squats, the rear is actually being lifted into the air.  When the rear lifts, the tires are being pushed down against the track.  Removing a front sway bar, smaller torsion bars, and 90/10 shocks help the front lift.

[74duster383]

I have lakewood 90/10 front shocks.  No sway bar.  The torsion bars are what ever came in it, 318 car. 

Actually after reading all the replys and putting in the numbers in the wallace racing calculators that shows the 60 fts are right in line with ET and MPH I think its working pretty good.  Raced again over labor day weekend and so far I have 25 passes on the car.  Throw the first few out where I worked out some traction problems and the last pass that I screwed up, that leaves 18 passes 7.50-7.57.  I am pretty happy with it so far.

THanks for all the help and replys

Pete

[PureGTS]

Also rememer the bulk of the weight of a is on the front axles. It takes alot of weight managment to overcome that. That's why there are no SCCA road racers. 60% of the weight on the nose is hard to deal with going around corners. Let's face it, we are predominantly drag racers here, not by choice, just reality and an understanding with our bank accounts that it is easier to live this way. Oh sure, there is a couple nut-burgers out there, but that's alot of aluminum and fiberglass we all can't afford. Hence the rise in poularity of stroked small blocks. Now we get the power of our beloved big blocks without the weight trade off. I'd run my old 383 GTS against my 408 clone in a heart beat around a corner...   and back when the /6 was still in it too!

[JohnnyfromChicago]

I use the MP drag torsion bars - made a big difference. Also I set my ride height up in the front to make sure the car is level, and that helped a lot also. After I spent a few hours messing with the ride height, I went to the track and people were asking me how I got the stance so cool with SS springs in the back and tall slicks. That made it all worth it.

[7173Duster]

If you have access to a set of wheel scales, see what your weight distribution is.  I have been fighting a similar problem.  I put a 50 lb sandbag at the bumper and the front flies right up now.  I just bought a set of .810 bars to replace my .890 and will be either putting in roller bearing control arm bushings or a set of Bill's tubular a-arms to loosen the front up more.  Put this link in your browser for what my car does with 50 lbs.  I went from wheel spin to this with that being the only change.

http://www.photosportsusa.com/index.php?option=com_gallery2&Itemid=121&g2_itemId=482944

[496dart]

im going thru the the exact same thing with my dart . I might try some ballast in the trunk. different shocks made no change . 

1.53    60'

heres what its doing now :

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v225/solrizzo/?action=view&current=4rthPass-ERP.flv

[Capt Jack]

working better than mine by far

just stuck two optimas in the spare well on mine.  we'll see if that does anything at all, but until I get better rubber back there, I doubt it'll change much.

[7173Duster]

I still need to work on getting my pre-load right since the car isn't level when it leaves, but it's close enough that I've won more rounds in the last two weeks than I have all year so I hate to mess with it.