Pure Stock Drag Racing tips & tricks

[COPO PETE]

Spring clamps work! Period. Two per side.... on the front only..... and it is allowed! Make your own out of 1/4 bar stock.
Peter

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

Can you install a larger or better pinion snubber to help stop the rotation of the housing? I guess I better start making some spring clamps.

Pete;
I got the photocopy yesterday, thank a major bunch!! Looks like a an el-strippo car, burnished brown to boot! Very cool, thanks.

[Casey Marks]

Now dangit .......

Marlin needs to learn this stuff on his own. He NEEDS to bring his b e i g e Nova out and start from scratch like the rest of us ........

OK - maybe not scratch.........he can run re-pop bias-plys. [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/smirk.gif[/img]

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

Casey;
The SuperCar guys are a friendly bunch, always willing to help a beige brother in need of speed [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[JoeC]

To adjust the pinion angle on a leaf spring car 4 deg wedge plates are used between the axle spring pad and the spring. Not sure if it is legal under pure stock rules.
Spring clamps are good for racing but not for driving on the street.
The early traction bars used a spring clamp on the forward end of the bar. I have a set of 1967 ET bars on my Camaro with the clamps. With these clamps bolted on it rode like a cement mixer. I removed the clamps and bolted rubber blocks in their place. Now they work more like modern traction bars.

[Salvatore]

Marlin, Spring clamps do help. In one of the old magazines I have it shows Dick Harrell using spring clamps on a ZL1 road test. They do work a little better on an automatic car though. You can keep your car pure stock and run it in that capacity. When you are happy with those times, you can bolt on some performance options and see the difference. Bolt on things are easy things to do. Doesn't take away from originality, because you can change it back. Just my opinion. Give me a hollar when you will be up at your garage. Sam

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

I hear you Sam! I have a set of brand new Doug Thorley headers in the basement, just waiting for their day on the Deuce - and trip to the grove. I also have an old school pair of traction bars on my '69 Nova that might find their way onto the Deuce for the header days at the track. But first, I want to see what the car can do in pure stock form, and traction is the biggest hurdle that I've seen so far on other Deuces.

I'll be at the shop later this month, depending on the temp's. Anything above zero degrees F, and I'm in there!

[Salvatore]

Ok Marlin, Anything I can do just hollar! Maybe we should take a ride up to Petes. We can pick his brain a little. Have fun!!! Sam

[68l30]

Here is a spring clamp on the Dick Harrell Camaro owned by Bill Ogle.....I made a set for my Camaro after talking to Joe at the reunion,they work great.I mounted mine upside down,the traction bar on my car hits the flat bar not the spring.I had some severe "S" bends in my springs.After installing these clamps my springs are now straight,no more windup,and I now launch straighter.I have used the set-up before without the connecting flat bar,but the difference between the two is noticable esp with traction bars.Good luck.

Steve

[Chevy454]

I had never ran spring clamps on our Camaro (don't ask me why!) until this past fall, when I was at a bracket race. I had the clamps and thought I would try them...they dropped an easy tenth off my 60 foot times, and made the car VERY consistent. You want the front leafs as still as possible, and many people even clamp an extra "leaf" or piece of steel to the top of the leaf to stiffen it. It is legal to adjust the pinion angle, but I have yet to do it. Maybe Pete can shed some light on how much it helps.

That spring clamp pictured looks EXACTLY like the clamps I picked up this summer at the local parts store...Mr. Gasket, I think?

Marlin, I won't except "no" for an answer, so I will see you in Martin, Norwalk, and/or Stanton with your Deuce!