Homemade Caltracs

1

10secgoal

Active Member

Dec 1, 2003

2,801

3

49

San Diego

Mar 18, 2004

#1

• Mar 18, 2004

• #1

Bare with me for the pics. They kicked my butt resizing them to upload. These are different than caltracs. I figured since he makes them for a general user I need something a little different. So that why the long connection in the back. These are Landrum spring and they don't twist much at all. So in order to get action out of the rod, I had to make it extremely long. The bellcrank on the front is long ,too. I wanted to see how the car does with the point of center moved far,far forward. I haven't radiused it yet so that's why it's so pointy, not like the back. But I don't know if I need it yet, so I don't want to make it purdy just to cut it off. At this point though, speed bumps scare me. I just put in 6 cyl spring and my god my car has a little traction. I should have 90/10's coming from Calvert Racing by next Wed.
What do you think? Not bad for a hundred bucks or so .

 

Attachments

• P10100141.webp

  28 KB · Views: 385
• P10100131.webp

  52.9 KB · Views: 511

F

fastcoupe68

Member

Mar 10, 2004

368

0

17

nj

Mar 18, 2004

#2

• Mar 18, 2004

• #2

have you had your car at the track

 

1

10secgoal

Active Member

Dec 1, 2003

2,801

3

49

San Diego

Mar 18, 2004

#3

• Mar 18, 2004

• #3

Once with the new heads and such... but not with these things.

 

F

fastcoupe68

Member

Mar 10, 2004

368

0

17

nj

Mar 18, 2004

#4

• Mar 18, 2004

• #4

what were your times 1/4 and 60ft

 

brianj5600

Active Member

Sep 19, 2003

1,964

2

39

Middle TN

Mar 18, 2004

#5

• Mar 18, 2004

• #5

How much for landrum springs?

 

1

10secgoal

Active Member

Dec 1, 2003

2,801

3

49

San Diego

Mar 18, 2004

#6

• Mar 18, 2004

• #6

I've only gone to the 8th mile track so far. That was with SSM's and 245/50/16. I pulled a 1.9 flat. Not bad I thought for lo pros. It ran a best of 8.21 at 74. I think I filled the tranny too much. It puked on my header every time and I couldn't see. Hence the low low mph

 

1

10secgoal

Active Member

Dec 1, 2003

2,801

3

49

San Diego

Mar 18, 2004

#7

• Mar 18, 2004

• #7

Oh the Landrums were 150 a piece. I stopped spilling fuel out the back when I put them on.

 

F

fastcoupe68

Member

Mar 10, 2004

368

0

17

nj

Mar 18, 2004

#8

• Mar 18, 2004

• #8

if you want a nice setup for straight line performance go to calverts web site the guy knows how to make leaf spring cars go real fast

 

1320stang

Founding Member

Nov 13, 1998

4,329

23

89

Edmond, Oklahoma

Mar 19, 2004

#9

• Mar 19, 2004

• #9

I think you need to weld a plate to the back of your spring plate mount so they don't try to twist. I think I'd do it to the upper part of that mount too. I'd also plate the front of your front mount, but I'm not sure you have enough clearance for the rod end. It doesn't look like the front holes are on an arc about the rear hole, so changing holes will require adjusting the length of the rods, or you risk a chance of upsetting the minute change you're trying to make. Did you get right and left hand threads for the rods so that you can adjust their length without unbolting them? I don't see one, but if you'll weld a spanner nut on the outside of your tube (if you have the right and left hand rod ends) you can easily adjust their length with a stubby wrench, provided you liberally coated the rod end threads with anti seize. I think some misalignment bushings would be in order too www.artmorrison.com/ampics/49g.jpg to keep the rods aligned and keep road debris from settling on the rod bearing surface and galling it.

 

68rustang

Active Member

Jan 17, 2003

1,537

0

36

Cleveland, OH

Mar 19, 2004

#10

• Mar 19, 2004

• #10

I would think the long brackets would just cause problems in the area of ground clearance. Not really help anything in the way of function.

 

jasonn

Founding Member

Sep 26, 2002

316

0

16

By Rochester MN

Mar 19, 2004

#11

• Mar 19, 2004

• #11

68rustang said:

I would think the long brackets would just cause problems in the area of ground clearance. Not really help anything in the way of function.

Click to expand...

I'm kind of thinking the same thing. One think to watch for is if you do race it, check with the NHRA rule books or a tech inspector. I think there is a rule in there somewhere about traction devices are not to be any lower that the lowest part of the rim. You have a lengthy goal but I wish you all the luck!!

 

68rustang

Active Member

Jan 17, 2003

1,537

0

36

Cleveland, OH

Mar 19, 2004

#12

• Mar 19, 2004

• #12

could you snap a pic of the from mount? Do the plates mount inside the spring mount or outside?

 

1320stang

Founding Member

Nov 13, 1998

4,329

23

89

Edmond, Oklahoma

Mar 19, 2004

#13

• Mar 19, 2004

• #13

jasonn said:

I'm kind of thinking the same thing. One think to watch for is if you do race it, check with the NHRA rule books or a tech inspector. I think there is a rule in there somewhere about traction devices are not to be any lower that the lowest part of the rim. You have a lengthy goal but I wish you all the luck!!

Click to expand...

I believe you're right, for in the event of a blown tire.

 

DarkoStoj

Founding Member

Sep 4, 2002

929

13

39

Detroit

Mar 19, 2004

#14

• Mar 19, 2004

• #14

http://www.hotrodsandhemis.com/Traction.html

 

1

10secgoal

Active Member

Dec 1, 2003

2,801

3

49

San Diego

Mar 21, 2004

#15

• Mar 21, 2004

• #15

I mounted them on the inside of the front perches. Uhmm. They are right and left threads. But you can't really tell but I have nuts welded on both sides and there are jam nuts up front.. As for twisting the only thing I've done so far is there is a bolt with a sleeve instead welding. There will be one of two outcomes. I will be putting my SSM's back on with these leaf springs. Or I will buy Calverts bars and mono springs. I just wasn't ready to spend that kinda money for something when I already had a combo that worked. Ya know ? So this setup is'nt permanent.

 

thehueypilot

Active Member

Feb 25, 2004

1,084

0

37

Medina,Tennessee

Mar 21, 2004

#16

• Mar 21, 2004

• #16

Your C4 needs a locking dipstick on it to stop fluid from pushing the dipstick out of the tube and spilling on your headers. A quick cheap fix is to cut a piece of spring steel(steel banding works great) 1/2 inch wide by about 3 inches long. Put a 90 degree bend on the end of it about 1/4 inch down and attach it with a hose clamp to the dip stick tube. If you place the clamp at the end away from the 90 degree bend you should be able tp bend it back enough to get the dipstick out and it spring back into position over the cap.

 

allcarfan

The Answer Man

Founding Member

Apr 8, 2001

2,458

1

56

North Atlanta

Mar 22, 2004

#17

• Mar 22, 2004

• #17

They look pretty darn good. I would Grind or cut down that front bracket though. The 'spiked' bottom just looks too big. Did you replace your front spring bushing with a solid aluminum piece as supplied by calvert racing ?

 

1

10secgoal

Active Member

Dec 1, 2003

2,801

3

49

San Diego

Mar 25, 2004

#18

• Mar 25, 2004

• #18

Nope the only thing I got from Calvert was some 90/10's no one carries.