If I were to make a change...

Here is what I have underneath my 87. SSM lift bars. Now that I'm adding some power (600-625HP expected) and a t-brake my buddy's are saying the SSM bars are going to make my car blow the tires off and twist up hard on the launch. I have no anti roll bar at this point. I'm getting 1.50-1.53 60ft times now footbraking. My torque boxes are mint and fully welded. Should I add the ARB or ditch the SSM's all together? If so - what would you guys put in place short of mini tubing it and going coil over (just a lower and upper arm change) or would you change anything ???? I'm running 28 x 10.5 stiff side wall ET Drag's.
 
 

 

 

 
Here is an old pic of my car with a 418W/Glide leaving at 5500 on the brake, the rear suspension is exactly what I have now expect for the strange 10 way adjustables I installed in place of the 3 way Comp Eng's.
 

1) Keep your current uppers as they are fine. (check their condition)
2a) give those lowers to richter69 since he loves them so much. lol
3b) any regular good quality lowers will be fine. Use one with a quality heim joint. Since you have stock springs I would use single adjustables to set the rear square in the chassis such as these:

3) needs an arb now
4) needs to be set up properly

whatbumper wrote:1) Keep your current uppers as they are fine. (check their condition)
2a) give those lowers to richter69 since he loves them so much. lol
3b) any regular good quality lowers will be fine.  Use one with a quality heim joint.  Since you have stock springs I would use single adjustables to set the rear square in the chassis such as these:

3) needs an arb now
4) needs to be set up properly

What about the rear springs?, I have no idea what I have no - just look stock to me.

They will probably be fine. It's amazing what the stockers can do.

Drop the front hole down on the lower bar will help some..... and they do work despite what everyone says.

I'll be glad to take um if your gonna toss um.....

X2 on what whatbumper says. Use the springs you currently have, get your new goodies on and see where your IC is, then go out and test it and see what the 60' does. Stock springs in the rear from a V-8 fox body is recommended. Once you get a baseline of your rear suspension and some 60' results then you start to work on removing coils from your rear springs, that changes your ride height which in turn changes the IC. Have fun, I've gone through this and I'm still going through it  

I need an ARB either way so I guess that should be the first change.

Junky ass SSM lowers and 235 MT ET Street radials..........1.32 60'

richter69 wrote:Drop the front hole down on the lower bar will help some..... and they do work despite what everyone says.

I'll be glad to take um if your gonna toss um.....

You have me confused on this one?

you can lower the mounting hole in the torquebox for the front of the lower bar 1", it will take some of the hit out of the junk ass SSM lowers....... or just send um to me I got a buddy that can use a set lol

Not until I blow the tires off and prove my buddies were right LOL....I'll drop the hole and put in a ARB kit and see how it hooks. It's worth a try for the sake of two holes.

Judging from the one launch pic IMO the car looks like the air pressure is too low and it's over wadding the siht out of the sidewalls. It's winding them up so much that it's running over the sidewall wrinkles & leaving a scuffed ripple pattern where the sidewall meets the tread surface.

I'm running 11psi in them and they are stuff sidewall slicks
Too.

And the car has wayyyy to much AS. Look at the separation of the body from the top of the tire.


The torque boxes are mint now....wait a few seasons with some decent power.

yellowhorse7 wrote:And the car has wayyyy to much AS. Look at the separation of the body from the top of the tire.


The torque boxes are mint now....wait a few seasons with some decent power.

That's why it's pounding the hell out of the tire as you know.  That's what those lift bars are for.  Low torque motors.  High anti-squat and super short IC.

Looking at the condition of money tree - they are going to be under the car for the first race for sure - if I make it at all...My engine is still in pieces and I'm slowly gathering up the cash I need for machining and balancing. I'm going to try and get a ARB kit for the first race if my engine is done, I'll likely be foot braking for the first one. I doubt I'll have the money for my tranny build before May 24 and I'm not slapping the brake in my old used tranny with a gut-load of passes on it.

I'm looking at ARB kits on line, any kits preferred? I was looking at the Team Z, UPR and other sites.

Team Z.
The cheaper pieces use junk heims and bearings

I was look at the Bear's Pro kits, two of my buddies have them and said they work well and the best part is they are in Canada, saves me duty and some shipping.  

I found a Comp Eng 247-2020 kit for $250cdn locally, new in the box. Anyone here use this kit?

http://www.jegs.com/i/Competition-Engineering/247/2020/10002/-1

if that kit has the cast adjustable rod ends I would replace them with some good stuff.the Aje kit I used cost me dearly the end links broke on a launch twisted up the lower link brackets and ruined a new wheel.

I brought this post back from the dead... ...I ran the car all summer un-unchanged. With the new 600HP 472" and the t-brake it ran a best of 10.08 at 3022lbs race weight. The best 60ft I saw with brand new 28x10.5 slicks was a 1.43, usually it was 1.46/47 until the slicks gave up and it was in the mid to high 1.50's....Now that the slicks are just about toast it wouldn't hook worth a damn. Blew the tires off 4 of the last 5 runs... ...It has enough MPH for 9.80's or better so I'm hoping to get there with some 60ft help.

My plans for the winter are:

New 28x10.5 slicks
Strange ARB kit
Strange or QA1 double adjustable stock location coilover conversion (my upper shock mounts and plated/welded already)
new double adjustable lower arms
solid bushings on the rear of the upper arms (rubber there now)

I'm thinking of the Strange stuff mostly because I can buy it here in Canada with out eating it at the border with our shitty dollar right now.