Rear Suspension Question..

If youn drilled the front shocks, you might as well take them off! Either way, it can create a dangerous situation at the track and on the street. That was an old school trick when little or nothing else was available for Mopars.

The cheapest OEM replacement shock will still have quite a bit of easy extension and at least a little compression resistance. But I like aftermarket shocks that have a little more resistance to compresion to help keep the front up a little longer and it also won't bottom out as easily if you hit the brakes hard at the finish line or hit a pothole. I've seen oil pans get smacked and headers are on the hit-list too!

Adding weight to the trunk area (safely & securely) can actually result in better ET's because the extra weight in an advantageous location is more than offset by better traction.

Since you have more HP and extra weight over the nose, hooking better will be more work than usual. Cal-Tracs can be a helpful option if it can get worked into the budget down the road. Tuning the carb accellerator pump circuit may also help how well the suspension works. Lean or rich spots can unload the suspension enough to encourage spin.

Buy a magnetic protracter at Home Depot to help figure out the pinion angle.