first track day with caltracs

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71gtdart

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I've always run SS springs on my cars with good success. my dart was set up as follows.
SS springs with extra clamps on the front segments. adjustable pinion snubber FOR INSURANCE ONLY. the snubber was set 2 1/2 inches from the floor just to save the u joint if something went wrong and the rear over rotated. I painted a spot above the snubber with white paint so I could check to make sure it was not hitting on launch. it was not hitting and the car was working great. it would repeat 60' times within a few thousandths.

fast forward 150 passes later. I have won the last 2 races with the dart that I have entered, but have gotten very lucky. in both races the car has spun VERY bad during practice rounds, and luckily has gotten exceptable traction during eliminations. I was having to guess the dial in first round because of spinning during practice, and luckily was good enough on the tree to get on the brakes and win.

I have hooked in much hotter track conditions and could not put my finger on where the spin was coming from. then I happen to think to check and see if the snubber was hitting my white paint. not only was it hitting it, but it has dented the contact spot in about 1/4 inch!

that means the springs are bending at launch over 2 1/2 inches! after some internet research I found that the SS springs are made in mexico now and are giving up very early due to weaker metal being used. I have no doubt that is what has happened to mine.

so I ordered a complete Caltrac set up and went to the track with them for the first time today. I set them up just the way the tech guy at Calvert said to, and it went straight as an arrow with the wheels up right off the trailer!

I never had to touch them. the only thing I will say is that my 2step was not working. the MSD digital 2step module has went bad and I didn't get to use the trans brake. I normally leave at 3200 rpm. I just footbraked it to see if the car would go straight and get a base line. I was able to footbrake it to 2900 rpm so I got close to my 3200 trans brake rpm. however the only thing that may make a difference is that my suspension is loaded when I footbrake vs it not going to be when I get the 2 step fixed. not sure it will matter very much, but I think if it does it will be minimum adjustments to make it work.

over all I am happy with the Caltracs and will not go back to the cheap SS springs. if I had the old SS springs that were made in Canada then I'm not sure there would be much difference.
 
71gtdart said:
I've always run SS springs on my cars with good success. my dart was set up as follows.
SS springs with extra clamps on the front segments. adjustable pinion snubber FOR INSURANCE ONLY. the snubber was set 2 1/2 inches from the floor just to save the u joint if something went wrong and the rear over rotated. I painted a spot above the snubber with white paint so I could check to make sure it was not hitting on launch. it was not hitting and the car was working great. it would repeat 60' times within a few thousandths.

fast forward 150 passes later. I have won the last 2 races with the dart that I have entered, but have gotten very lucky. in both races the car has spun VERY bad during practice rounds, and luckily has gotten exceptable traction during eliminations. I was having to guess the dial in first round because of spinning during practice, and luckily was good enough on the tree to get on the brakes and win.

I have hooked in much hotter track conditions and could not put my finger on where the spin was coming from. then I happen to think to check and see if the snubber was hitting my white paint. not only was it hitting it, but it has dented the contact spot in about 1/4 inch!

that means the springs are bending at launch over 2 1/2 inches! after some internet research I found that the SS springs are made in mexico now and are giving up very early due to weaker metal being used. I have no doubt that is what has happened to mine.

so I ordered a complete Caltrac set up and went to the track with them for the first time today. I set them up just the way the tech guy at Calvert said to, and it went straight as an arrow with the wheels up right off the trailer!

I never had to touch them. the only thing I will say is that my 2step was not working. the MSD digital 2step module has went bad and I didn't get to use the trans brake. I normally leave at 3200 rpm. I just footbraked it to see if the car would go straight and get a base line. I was able to footbrake it to 2900 rpm so I got close to my 3200 trans brake rpm. however the only thing that may make a difference is that my suspension is loaded when I footbrake vs it not going to be when I get the 2 step fixed. not sure it will matter very much, but I think if it does it will be minimum adjustments to make it work.

over all I am happy with the Caltracs and will not go back to the cheap SS springs. if I had the old SS springs that were made in Canada then I'm not sure there would be much difference.
Click to expand...
could you give me the measurements from the spring eye, back to the first(next longest) leaf , on both of the ss springs? I`m assuming they are the 002-003 springs. Ithink mine have the upper leaf mixed up! thanks, bob
 
famous bob said:
could you give me the measurements from the spring eye, back to the first(next longest) leaf , on both of the ss springs? I`m assuming they are the 002-003 springs. Ithink mine have the upper leaf mixed up! thanks, bob
Click to expand...



I had the 863 and 864 part number springs
 
OK, I NEED HELP!

the 2 step is working now, and there is NO TRACTION!

first left at 3400 and blew the tires off. then I dropped it to 3000 and it did the same. I called Calvert and the guy said the rear shocks had to be loose to get the tires in the track before the shock to the suspension. I already had the QA1 adjustables set on 3, and can only go 2 clicks looser. then he told me to run 14 pounds of air in my slicks instead of 16. I didn't get a chance to try the car after I talked to him, but I have little faith that a 2 click shock change and going to 14 pounds will fix this. the tires are already waded up big time at 16 pounds. he said the bars needed to be in whichever hole sets them closest to parallel with the ground. I have them there already.

if I footbrake the car it hooks great and I even came within .001 of having my best 60' ever while footbraking. my car is much more consistent on the transbrake, and I need to get it working.

any ideas from you guys using a transbrake in a 10 second car?
 
71gtdart said:
OK, I NEED HELP!

the 2 step is working now, and there is NO TRACTION!

first left at 3400 and blew the tires off. then I dropped it to 3000 and it did the same. I called Calvert and the guy said the rear shocks had to be loose to get the tires in the track before the shock to the suspension. I already had the QA1 adjustables set on 3, and can only go 2 clicks looser. then he told me to run 14 pounds of air in my slicks instead of 16. I didn't get a chance to try the car after I talked to him, but I have little faith that a 2 click shock change and going to 14 pounds will fix this. the tires are already waded up big time at 16 pounds. he said the bars needed to be in whichever hole sets them closest to parallel with the ground. I have them there already.

if I footbrake the car it hooks great and I even came within .001 of having my best 60' ever while footbraking. my car is much more consistent on the transbrake, and I need to get it working.

any ideas from you guys using a transbrake in a 10 second car?
Click to expand...
Tires: Drag radials/slicks? 60 ft. times with the S/S springs & Cal Tracs ? Cal Tracs are different ,need a learning curve.


Have you read this? ...


http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...mudZj7KBu7h4s8XX8NR-uqA&bvm=bv.75775273,d.cGU
 
I never got them to work consistently with a stick car, which I'm assuming is pretty close to an auto w/brake. After 3 years, I gave up and went w/ladder bars
It was probably the best money I spent on a car
 
Abodybomber said:
Tires: Drag radials/slicks? 60 ft. times with the S/S springs & Cal Tracs ? Cal Tracs are different ,need a learning curve.Have you read this? ...http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.forabodiesonly.com%2Fmopar%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D116509&ei=IW8fVJWnC9L6oQT114G4AQ&usg=AFQjCNHbI1ymudZj7KBu7h4s8XX8NR-uqA&bvm=bv.75775273,d.cGU
Click to expand...
29.5x9 mickey Thompson bias ply slicks. best 60ft with the ss springs were 1.456 but averaged about 1.47's. that was on the transbrake. best 60 time with the caltracs so far is 1.457 and averaging low 1.46's. that's footbraking.


I had read that link a good while back, but had forgot some of the info there. will try those for sure.
 
I think the one thing I should have tried is good double adjustable shocks on the rear. Do you have any pictures of your launch? If you can try to get a picture that shows the position of the shackles. Once the shackle is forward and aligned with the spring, the rear tires come off. I had all 4 wheels off the ground at one time.
 
I know this is an older thread, and I have not gave any updated info.

I got the car working and hooking really hard with the trans brake. I won the last 4 out of 6 races at my local track this year.

Going to put this info out there for guys having trouble. Just keep in mind that every car is different, and what worked for mine may not for yours.

So, after hours of looking on the internet forums talking about Caltrac tuning, I found a post that made sense to me. On a Ford forum a guy was having the same trouble that I was with getting his Caltrac car to work using a trans brake. Guy on the forum told him that they had found a transbrake car needs to be setup different with the Caltracs.

He said to put a nickels worth of air gap between the spring and the Caltrac bracket, and to run the rear shocks to the stiffer side.

Completely the other direction from what the tech guys at Calvert had been telling me.

I tried it, and I'll be danged if it didn't hook like a bear straight off of the trailer!
Nice and straight with the wheels up even on both sides. worked best with the shocks set on 7 clicks.

with the springs preloaded and the shocks so loose, the car was simply bouncing the tires off the pavement when the trans brake hit them. No different than a basketball.

Hopefully this will help someone else.
 
71gtdart said:
I know this is an older thread, and I have not gave any updated info.

I got the car working and hooking really hard with the trans brake. I won the last 4 out of 6 races at my local track this year.

Going to put this info out there for guys having trouble. Just keep in mind that every car is different, and what worked for mine may not for yours.

So, after hours of looking on the internet forums talking about Caltrac tuning, I found a post that made sense to me. On a Ford forum a guy was having the same trouble that I was with getting his Caltrac car to work using a trans brake. Guy on the forum told him that they had found a transbrake car needs to be setup different with the Caltracs.

He said to put a nickels worth of air gap between the spring and the Caltrac bracket, and to run the rear shocks to the stiffer side.

Completely the other direction from what the tech guys at Calvert had been telling me.

I tried it, and I'll be danged if it didn't hook like a bear straight off of the trailer!
Nice and straight with the wheels up even on both sides. worked best with the shocks set on 7 clicks.

with the springs preloaded and the shocks so loose, the car was simply bouncing the tires off the pavement when the trans brake hit them. No different than a basketball.

Hopefully this will help someone else.
Click to expand...

It just might, know a few guys running CalTracs. Glad you found, an answer
 
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