[Jagtec1]

Sweet! Congrats on the new best.

[Mikes455Wagon]

A lack of performance suspension parts out there for a Grandville????? No way My converter is like yours in the fact that it flashes very very quickly. I warmed the car up on the access road and found out from a roll on cold tires how much fun it could be flashing it from about 10 mph! Glad to see those wicked fast times! Looks like its tuning time for the suspension since everything else is there. I feel your track prep pain though. A local track here managed to take my 60' from a 1.58-1.60 at good tracks to a 1.70 first hit...that kinda hurt my feelings reading that time slip until I realized that the vht on the track had been there since before my car was built.

[Slick]

Good Job, Darby

Your hard work and diligence is paying off in a car that runs so hard we can all brag about it to our Chevy/Ford/Mopar friends.

Simply outstanding.

Stuart

[pontiac494]

do you have jet extensions? if you have a Holley style carb.

[66bonne]

Congrats Darby - You make the Poncho Posse proud !!
Go Darksiders !!

Jim

[mels80ga]

Thats a good pick up in ET and MPH. I have been interested to see how the converter change went for you cause I need a converter also. Good job.

[Jim Hand]

Darby,
Congratulations on the new performance. You may remember I told you years ago that making a heavy car with longer wheel base launch really hard was a different deal then the average weight car with W.B. of 108-112. And it takes a lot of trips to try to find the best combination to do it with.

I would repeat many of the above listed suggestions, except perhaps in a different order. Don’t spend more money until you are reasonably sure it will improve a known problem. Instead, try a range of adjustments you have for shocks and even the pinion angle. And get used to the new converter. It will tell you the limits of how much throttle (torque) your setup can stand on the initial hit.

I want to describe what I have found over the years of working with my heavy long wheel base car. It is a basic setup but with some aftermarket pieces.

Here is some good video to watch its launch action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWO4G-7pwr4

It is a 12 bolt rear from a Chevelle with Moser axles, 3.55 Richmond gears with stock limited slip, lower boxed control arms and an anti-sway bar from an Olds 442, stock upper arms, and one air bag with 18# in the right rear coil. And I keep the original front anti-sway bar on to minimize twisting. It does not inhibit front end lift at all on my car. And in the big picture, its weight is minimal!

The wagon has Competition Engineering three way rear shocks set to stiffest compression and softest extension. And I have Moroso rear drag style springs. However, due to the weight on the rear (station wagon), I believe standard or variable load springs would work as well because the shocks are the controllers. We have three way Comp Engineering shocks set to mid range on the front. The weight bias on the wagon is such that on the loosest setting, it has let the front lift, carry a ways, drop, and then lift again when the shocks were set for loosest rise.

This total combination allows the axle to drop when initially hit with power as the tires twist/wind - all without pulling the body down. However, as the chassis begins to move, the body wants to stay stationary so it tends to lift the front of the body and try to drop the rear. But the stiff shocks forces the body load down on the tires to keep them from unwinding and bouncing off the ground. If you watch the video closely, you will see the body rolls around the rear axle - that is it does not drop much over the axle/tires but rather the front bumper raises and the rear bumper drops, but the rear fender stays almost the exact height over the rear wheels. The single air bag absorbs the twisting torque of the differential (which tries to lift the right rear axle/wheel/tire) and thus holds the right rear tire down with the same load as the left rear - otherwise, the left hooks better and pushes the car to the right at launch. At this point, I would ask why you have air in the left bag?

This combination allows the rear wheels/tires to see most of the load of the body as it tries to lift off the chassis at launch, and the rear shocks don't let the axle raise back up unless it lifts the entire rear body! However, any sudden change in the front lift/hold action will immediately transfer to the rear and very likely let the tires lose traction. And with your long car, any slippage after launch will cause a lot more slippage – just as you experienced. So do whatever is necessary to prevent any jerk or shock to the front at launch. And as long as it keeps accelerating smoothly, the body load will continue to set on the rear shocks and down to the axle/tires.

Again, I would not change the tires or any other major component until you have tried a variety of settings and launch techniques – other wise you are just stabbing in the dark.

Good luck and incidentally, what does your car actually weigh with the aluminum heads and wheels? I recall 4600# is what you listed when you were running essentially stock with AC parts on it.
Keep on wrenching!!!
A fellow big car nut
Jim Hand

[ry57pont]

We were on the St.Croix river about that time, river was like glass. then waves appeared from out of nowhere, not a boat to be seen. now i know what triggered them.

[rad400]

Darby you got that Grandville flyin now. Great job buddy.

[Torment]

Originally Posted by grandville455

Chris
So u were there with the track rental guys? or u were one of them? Did they do anything to the track sat? cause it sucked sunday!

The guys that did the track rental were friends of mine. Don't know that they did much with the track. I was slipping a bit and my car usually doesn't slip. A radial car friend of mine that customarily hooks well running in the high 8's was all over the track... We all had a good time though

[garrity455]

That is really cool to hear. You hear all the time about changes that disappoint wih results, so it is always great to hear when things help as much or more than expected. Great job and congrats!

[grandville455]

Thanks guys!... Jim I plan on only trying to slow the front at this time by going to 60/40.. I an clearly see in the video the car comes up very quick and then it tops out u can see that in the vid and then it shocks it and starts down and its at that time I am loosing traction... I was stalling it up to 3000 then the just nailing it it may like more flash or it may not? at this time it comes out hard even spinning. You Know me Jim I do not just jump ship I keep trying stuff til i can't anymore! probably why the car is so fast ! It is all the little things that add up! I will let the air out of the drivers side. I did it more for looks to keep the ride height the same even tho it has new coil springs in back in 2000. I think the drivers only has 5 psi tho not much. On the weight thing the car was very close to 4900 when i first hit the track back in 2004.. after a bunch of changes and even with the aluminum heads it is still close to that 4600.. maybe 4580?.. but not that much to make a difference.

Ryan Thats funny

Chris I agree the track was terrible! With my change on the shocks and better prep I predict a 1.67 60 ft right out of the gate sunday! There talking close to 87 again! ... so still no good weather.

[Mikes455Wagon]

Darby, you need to bring that car over to Virginia for a weekend. I could win some lunch money from my buddies! That thing HAULS!

[grandville455]

Originally Posted by Mikes455Wagon

Darby, you need to bring that car over to Virginia for a weekend. I could win some lunch money from my buddies! That thing HAULS!

Mike How much Money we talking?

[rontiac]

Great work Darby! Now, you know that Grandville will have to go on a diet when you get close to having to put a cage in it! Swiss cheese Grandville!

[grandville455]

Originally Posted by rontiac

Great work Darby! Now, you know that Grandville will have to go on a diet when you get close to having to put a cage in it! Swiss cheese Grandville!

Thanks Ron!.. There is No place for a diet here