Safety factors

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USCG CHARGER

USCG CHARGER

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Whats the fastest I can safetly go using a stock K frame and Arms? At what point do I need to buy a tube k frame (bobsprofab.com)?
 
Fastest as in what? 1/4 mile?

In reality it would probably be at the point you are putting a complete custom chassis under the car.


On the street you will never reach it's limit.
 
1968FormulaS340 said:
Fastest as in what? 1/4 mile?

In reality it would probably be at the point you are putting a complete custom chassis under the car.


On the street you will never reach it's limit.
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Yes 1/4 mile.... Its not going to be a street car.. the car is already backhaved and fully tubbed...
 
Many Super Stock mopars in the 8's on stock front susp. Many stock mopars in the 9's on stock susp. Needn't worry about it till you're going way faster than that, IMO
 
It all depends on the condition of the parts.
Be very careful to check all welds and especially for any cracking or obvious wear.
If in doubt, replace anything that looks even questionable, or repair it properly.
Reinforcing and extra welding up of all of the seams would be a good idea, the factory teams did that back in the day. (Sox & Martin, Petty, Landy, Ramchargers, etc.)
My .02 cents.
Tom.
 
I think if she gets to the point where she picks the tires up off of the ground, I would consider something beefier to catch them on the way down.
 
Ok thanks guys...

Lets talk about the frame.. so the car is obviously back haved, when do I need to go full framed or will frame connectors work? I just dont want to go 9 sec and not be safe.
 
The first question (and if it's answered by looking at pics... I cant see them from this PC...lol) is the brakes. Most racers worry about power, then chassis, then stopping...lol. Fantory brakes (little drums) will not stop the car safely so a brake upgrade is in order. Using 73-up discs will stop it. You still have (or might have) issues with bump steer when the nose comes down, not to mention weight and enough positive caster that the car feels stable at speed. If you have the money in the budget, I think a strong back-half car needs the upgraded suspension in the front. It will also allow for header clearance for the engine. If you don't have the cash, you must do the brakes anyway and I think the tendency for back half cars to stand up on launch and the inability to get 3-4° positive caster so you don't feel wobbly on the top end might change your mind. Gotta have teh brakes tho. Did I mention that?
 
My '68 Cuda is NHRA spec'd for 7.50 sec (1/4 mile) and SS/AH rules dictate I run a (much modified ) stock K member with stock upper and lower control arms. The lower control arms are boxed. I run a stock manual steering box with moly tube & rod ends in place of the stock drag link. The front shocks are Comp. Eng. 90/10's for now.

I hope this helps clear things up.

sscuda
 
Well I've said this before and I'll say it again, the car will only be as fast as the chassis will allow. Build the chassis first then the engine, you'll be far ahead in the long run.
 
Guitar Jones said:
Well I've said this before and I'll say it again, the car will only be as fast as the chassis will allow. Build the chassis first then the engine, you'll be far ahead in the long run.
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Thats why I'm asking these questions
 
moper said:
The first question (and if it's answered by looking at pics... I cant see them from this PC...lol) is the brakes. Most racers worry about power, then chassis, then stopping...lol. Fantory brakes (little drums) will not stop the car safely so a brake upgrade is in order. Using 73-up discs will stop it. You still have (or might have) issues with bump steer when the nose comes down, not to mention weight and enough positive caster that the car feels stable at speed. If you have the money in the budget, I think a strong back-half car needs the upgraded suspension in the front. It will also allow for header clearance for the engine. If you don't have the cash, you must do the brakes anyway and I think the tendency for back half cars to stand up on launch and the inability to get 3-4° positive caster so you don't feel wobbly on the top end might change your mind. Gotta have teh brakes tho. Did I mention that?
Click to expand...


That tubular K frame (bobsprofab) has the strange race disc brakes in the front along with the arms, etc...
 
Just out of curiosity... Who did the cage work? It's pretty strange looking to me. The halo bar seems low, and the forward bars are low and not tied to the body at the firewall. Has the chassis been inspected yet? What are your performance goals for this car?
 
moper said:
Just out of curiosity... Who did the cage work? It's pretty strange looking to me. The halo bar seems low, and the forward bars are low and not tied to the body at the firewall. Has the chassis been inspected yet? What are your performance goals for this car?
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car has not been inspected yet.... I bought the car like this and was told it was a shop in MI that did the work... my goals for the car is a low 9 sec car... thats why all the questions.
 
While it looks great, I would want to have a chassis shop look it over before you go too far. I'm not a chassis fabricator, but it looks like the job was done to save the dash, using a cage kit. That's not how I think it should have been done and it makes me doubt it's integrity. Again, I'm not wickedly experienced. I've done one car to that level. But it wasnt done that way.
 
moper said:
While it looks great, I would want to have a chassis shop look it over before you go too far. I'm not a chassis fabricator, but it looks like the job was done to save the dash, using a cage kit. That's not how I think it should have been done and it makes me doubt it's integrity. Again, I'm not wickedly experienced. I've done one car to that level. But it wasnt done that way.
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I'm gonna have my chassis guy take and look and add more if he can or needs.. I just want to be safe ya know
 
I've seen plenty of cars built that way and they pass tech. The front bars are tied to the cage but it is low. The halo shouldn't be a problem. The only thing I see from the pics are it needs a dash bar running from the front cage bars across to each other to tie them together.

Yeah if the bars went through the dash and the front extension bars were mounted higher it would probably be stronger but it may still pass a certification provided it has the dash bar.

But I would really have an NHRA certified chassis inspector check it first because if the cage isn't thick enough it will never pass. Then you'll be redoing the whole thing.
 
The height thing may depend on teh driver too. I'm over 6' and I'd be looking right thru that bar...lol. It would drive me nuts.
 
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