Pure Stock Drag Racing tips & tricks

[Seattle Sam]

Marlin,

Does the Pertronix ignition conversion perform better than the points/condenser? - Yes, it gives you more reliable spark at high RPM.

If you put spring clamps on the rear leafs, do you put a clamp at the end of each leaf? Do you put them before the axle, after the axle or both? - In front of the axle, it makes the springs act like traction bars. If they are worn, put in some new spring eye bushings while you're at it.

Is it better to put strong shocks on the front or worn out ones in order to allow more travel, and therefore more weight transfer? Do worn out shocks on the rear allow for more weight transfer or do they contribute to spring wrap and wheel-hop? - Soft in the front, stiff in the rear. You want the front to rise up for weight transfer, but you do not want the rear to squat. If the body is squatting down over the rear axle, it is unloading the rear wheels.

Hope that helps!
-Sam

[Chevy454]

M:

The Pertronix is just "ok" in my eyes. Yeah, you don't have to mess with points, but we've had a couple of BOTH versions go out on us. FYI, we ran points up until last year, when I went ahead and went back to Pertronix. I am currently entertaining "other" ignition options, one of which is the new Crane ignition conversion unit, which includes a built in rev limiter (4k-8k).

As for the spring clamps & shocks, Sam hit it right on the head. BUT, I did some testing with a st of 90/10s on the front and couldn't tell a difference than the set of "run of the mill" shocks we had on. Maybe if we were running a decent stall and decent tires, then the 90/10s might be helpful. This might be different on a manual car, but I seriously doubt the little tires will handle much of a shock. Just my thoughts...

Oh, as for your "Pure Stock information exchange", it's slim pickings, except for the Pure Stock board and here. So, how about those "theories"?