Stock suspension racers

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mechanic190

mechanic190

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I am in the process of building my 72 swinger and since I bought the car my plans have had to change from a back halfed car to stock suspension due to my budget. Originally I bought a set of cragar super tricks 15 x 4 and 15 x 12s (for sale too now) now I have a set of stock steels that I'm gonna run. I plan on frame connectors and maybe a 4 pt cage max with pretty much stock 440 727 and hopefully 8 3/4 but now I believe I have a 7 1/4 rear with sbp. What would be the max tire size I can run on the rear and any other tips and tricks would be helpful. Oh and I'm thinking bout trying to build my own set of caltracs for the rear.
Thanks
Brad
 
mechanic190 said:
I am in the process of building my 72 swinger and since I bought the car my plans have had to change from a back halfed car to stock suspension due to my budget. Originally I bought a set of cragar super tricks 15 x 4 and 15 x 12s (for sale too now) now I have a set of stock steels that I'm gonna run. I plan on frame connectors and maybe a 4 pt cage max with pretty much stock 440 727 and hopefully 8 3/4 but now I believe I have a 7 1/4 rear with sbp. What would be the max tire size I can run on the rear and any other tips and tricks would be helpful. Oh and I'm thinking bout trying to build my own set of caltracs for the rear.
Thanks
Brad
Click to expand...

Frame connectors: good.
4pt cage: not going to need it with a stock 440 (or a warmed up one for that matter).
7 1/4 rear: You will break this MUCH sooner than you think. My best friend broke one in the first 5 minutes of driving with nothing more than a warmed up 318 in it. I would highly recommend not using this rear end at all. 8 3/4 would be fine, or Dana.

My old suspension combo with my current motor was stock springs (bone stock, not super stock), CE drag shocks front and rear (90/10 front, 50/50rear), and pinion snubber. This was good for 1.49 60' times (best), but normally 1.50-1.53, and high 10's in the 1/4....however, you will have a considerably more weight over the nose of the car than I do (stock 440 vs small block with aluminum heads and intake)...just food for thought. My current setup with Caltrac's, mono's, and their shocks had run 1.45 60', but normally runs 1.47.

The real key to getting the suspension to work is getting the front end loose enough to transfer weight.
 
I agree. Especially on the rear end, when it goes bang it'll likely take the sprag with it, now you're pulling a trans too. Swingers have a weird wheel lip, maybe a 275/60 with the perfect offset rim.
 
Ok so definately a no on the 7 1/4 which I figured. But I don't have the stock seats so my interpretation of the rules is that to run even just a plastic racing seat it needs bracing in the back with at least one bolt. Which I am assuming it has to be mounted to the frame/floor which leads me to believe that I need at least a main hoop. Any other options there?
I have a c body 8 3/4 and axles at home in storage and 742 and 489 cases both with 3.23s just don't have means of narrowing it without sending off to be done and paying for it unless you guys got ideas on how to narrow it at work.

How do you guys feel about the caltrac "slapper" bars on stock 318 springs? Worth the time to make or just stick to a snubber?
 
Oh I also have a Dana 60 out of a ford pick up that's complete just no yoke so that might be a possibility too just can't really afford axles narrowing either one
 
Well, here's a thought. Sell the 8 3/4, sell the D60 and get an 8 1/4 or an 8 3/4 you can bolt in.
 
Some cars I've seen use a 3 point bar right behind the seat, only as wide as the seat with one leg coming back to brace it.
 
ok if you are looking for a inexpensive route on the rear go with a ford 8.8, put c-clip elims and it will be narrow depending on what you pull it out of. you might even find a built one for the money you get out of selling the others. these are very strong rearends and cheap to build.
 
Just had to do some reading on 8 1/4 read ends real quick. Since my car was originally a 318 car I was kinda thinking it might have an 8 1/4 already I always just assumed it was 7 1/4 hardly ever hear of 8 1/4s I think anyway. I'm gonna have to check when I get home today. Not a big fan of running ford or Chevy parts.
 
very easy and inexpensive route to brace that seat without a cage. I did this in my old 67 belvedere street/strip car until I finally had to get a cage as the car got faster.

on those plastic seats you know where the rectangle like indention is about where your upper back would be? make 2 rectangled plates out of some 1/8th'' thick steel that will fit inside the indention on the front and rear of the seat. now mark and drill two 3/8'' holes side by side in the plates. use the plates to locate where to drill the holes through the seat. so what you have is a plate on each side of the seat so that you can tighten bolts without pulling through the plastic.

now, if you look at the floor pan right behind the seat you will notice that it goes from horizontial to vertical where the bottom for the back seat sits. in the vertical part of the pan you will do the same with 2 plates and bolts as you did with the seat. one plate inside the car and one under the car bolted together. now all that is left is to weld a 1''-1.5'' peice of pipe or square tubing from the plate on the back of the seat down to the plate bolted to the floor pan.

I made this brace in about an hour in my shop and painted it. it looked great in the car and was solid as a rock. I bet I made over 200 passes with it until I put a cage in, and it never flexed the floor pan one bit despite some high 1.50's sixty foot times.
 
Well damn my car does deffinately have a 7 1/4 rear. May have finally got a contact to get buy some used mopar parts locally.
71gtdart I might have to definately go that route. If I run a racing harness does it still have to be in date even though I'll be running the slower classes for awhile?
 
I would say get an 8.8 out of a late 90's ford explorer. They come with 31 spline axles, posi unit, 3:73 or 4:10 and disk brakes and are almost the same width as a b body and should fit under the dart fine. Use a 15X8 and 6.5 backspace. Youshould be able to get a 275 on it.

You can pick up an 8.8 from the local you pull it junk yards for about $175 and you have everything listed above. Just buy some spring perch's for about $20 or cut and reweld the ones that are onit onto the bottom.

No need for clip eliminators on these. I ran one in my Mustang with 2 kits and never had an issue.
 
Alright I'll have to look and see what I can find in the junk yards up here. What are your guys thoughts on caltracs bars with stock springs or pinion snubber with stock springs?
 
SpareParts said:
I agree. Especially on the rear end, when it goes bang it'll likely take the sprag with it, now you're pulling a trans too. Swingers have a weird wheel lip, maybe a 275/60 with the perfect offset rim.
Click to expand...

with the springs moved in and the out lip rolled i can run a 275/60/15 et street radial or a ET street radial pro with a weld drag light that is 15x8 with 4.5 inches of back spacing. the tire is close to the front 1/4 panel but it will work. i did end up moving my rear back 1-1/4 inches for a bigger tire but have not tired one yet. i have been 10.49 at 125 in the 1/4 so far with my 3520 pound 73 big block dart. best 60 foot has only been a 1.48 but that was with a miss matched converter. i have the mopar 002/003 super stock springs, cheep dodge ramcharger shocks in back. stock front end with summit brand 90/10 shocks in the front. best of luck on your car. mopar65
 
Really just stock napa brand shocks off a ram charger? Why not stay with factory off the car or upgrade to something?
 
mechanic190 said:
Really just stock napa brand shocks off a ram charger? Why not stay with factory off the car or upgrade to something?
Click to expand...

thats what a member over on moparts sugjested i try. he has a 64 dodge that now runs in the 8 in the 1/4. i did buy some calvert rancho 9 way shocks for the year and some of the caltract 90/10 shocks for the front, but have not had time to put them on. which i might just hold off, because as soon as my 73 duster gets painted. i am going going to put the engine etc out of the 73 dart into the duster.
 
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