[77TA]

I call John Calvert and he basically said uh they don't work so good on cars like yours Heavy,STIck,BIG CID, . To bad THey did nopt tell me this when I had credit card in hand buying the things. On the good side the stopped the wheel hop and he did say they would help some and gave some sugestions on front supension and that I needed another clutch and slicks. I know there has to be someone thats got these things to work !!! All Calvert told me was try everything screw one side down the otherside off both side in both out ect.... He had no Idea about where to start on a car like mine. Take the front shocks off see what it did stuff like that. I would have though he would have had a better Idea about how to set a car up than that. maybe he would if it were a mustang. So I'm here hoping someone else has soem Knowledge they are willing to part with on this subject. Not attacking Calvert he talked to me a while and really was trying to help. the PRoduct works I guess on the right set-up slicks and light cars maybe. I'm just frustrated he could not tell me something specific for a starting point.

1977 TA SE y82 I think. T-tops Black on black best ET [email protected] 1000 ft on DR's

[sdbob]

I agree with the adjustable shocks would be nice to have some expierenced help when you are testing.I am not sure this will help,I have used it got it from Herb Adams take front leaf spring mount(this is on rear now)take off car drill hole min 5/8" higher than existing hole. Then you must cut out top portion of bracket for spring to fit back in. This is supposed to increase your anti squat.Basically keeps car from squatting down because springs are pushing up. Wish there were some shock eng's out there that could help us all because I believe we make the power but need to getit to pavement.Just ballpark adj's would be enough. I tried Koni but I'm a nobody. I did this to 73 F-body with SD455 stock lift cam(407)3300 stall con,4.10's,slapper bars 9"slicks,1.50/1.52 60'.Good luck don't quit let us know. 'you just can't leave anything alone can you? Unh-a'

[Brian Baker]

DelaLum are the greasable type. Very expensive but they work like a roller/needle bearing giving virtually zero resistance in the up/down motion of the A-arms.

I redid mine over the winter and put in new stock type rubber bushings.

29x10 Hoosier slicks, on the bottle. Best 60' off the bottle has been a 1.72

[tom s]

Dude,77s problem is a stick shift car,not enough people on the board have stick shift cars.They present a diff experiance to hook on radials.Tom

[77TA]

Yeah I talked to John Calvert. He was nice enough to return my call and took the time to talk to me about 30 minutes about the problems I was facing. He did not seem to versed in F-bodys. He did have some stuff for me to try that he said would help all to do with the front suspension or clutch but without going to drag SPrings in the front 90/10 shocks and slicks he did not have much to say to help concerning his traction bars other than to fine tune things after I converted to a drag race suspension it seemed. HE had no suggstion further than what is said on the web site to put about 1 turn preload and experiment from there. He did help me understand what putting preload on the bars did and it was not what I though so maybe that will help. Basically he left it to me to try diffent settings to see what the car wanted. Dang 3-4 track visits a year to tune a engine, suspension ext..... hopeless !!! LOL

1977 TA SE y82 I think. T-tops Black on black best ET [email protected] 1000 ft on DR's

[77TA]

Thanks for all the input !!! I am running a Aluminum flywheel for the reasons mentioned. I think It will take a talented foot on the clutch to get a good 60 on these tires like the Dude said they don't take to shock very well. I was trying to easy off the clutch last time and I was getting better 1.89 to 1.95 but I was bogging the engine really bad mostly making it pull from about 1000 rpm. I think Ive got to slip the clutch more keep the R's up 2500-3000 but slip it enough to be on the verge of spinning but not blow the tires off. I am curious about a different softer spring though. That sounds like a good thing and Adjustable shocks yeah thats a good Idea to. I don't plan to make a handeling pig out of it but I will sacrific some for better 1/4s. I don't expect the car to get 1.5 or really 1.6 60 fts on the DRs but I hope I can at least get 1.7's That should be enough to get it in the high elevens as it seems to pull down track pretty well. What I need is to be rich and have two cars that look alike but one set-up for drag use the other for autocross. I'm not rich so I guess I'll just have to make do with this one. So Dude on the caltrac bars do you think more or less preload would help should I start at none and loosen or tighten or is it flip a coin.

1977 TA SE y82 I think. T-tops Black on black best ET [email protected] 1000 ft on DR's

[grnmnstr]

BB, Are the Delalum the greasable kind? Mine are not greasable, nor or they urethane. I believe they are just new, stock type bushings. The key word is new.

73 Firebird
(Old combo) 462 D-Port, 3250 lbs. Best ET: 9.93 @ 133 mph
(New combo) 477 E-head, 3200 lbs. Best ET (so far): 9.56 @ 140 mph

[Bartman]

One thing I was planning to use was a line lock the is made for a hydraulic clutch setup. It has an adjustable restricter so you can slow the clutch engagement which would make the hit a lot softer. I would suggest a metallic clutch disc with this set up though.
Everything I've seen with the DR's is you have to leave very soft. The hook up well after you get the weight transfered onto them. You'd be a lot better off with a ET street.
Bartman

Ponies run but Birds fly

[grnmnstr]

I don't have any experience with Caltracs but I do know that the front suspension needs to be "free" or not binding in anyway in order for the rear suspension to do its job.

Make sure the front end can move freely. Especially check the A frame bushings. When we changed them on my 73 Bird, it made a world of difference.

See my avatar.

73 Firebird
(Old combo) 462 D-Port, 3250 lbs. Best ET: 9.93 @ 133 mph
(New combo) 477 E-head, 3200 lbs. Best ET (so far): 9.56 @ 140 mph

[Brian Baker]

Welcome to the wonderful world of drag racing. You didn't expect them to work like magic by just putting them on, did you? I think the man calling you back and talking for 30 minutes speaks volumes! Not many companies give that kind of personalized customer service. He doesn't have any more ideas for you because you're running a stock front suspension. I've found you can get quite a bit of front end rise just on a stock front suspension (if it's worn) so just work on the basics to get the lift/weight transfer you need. Plus, you need to adjust the Cal-Tracs at race weight (meaning you have to be in the car).

[77TA]

Oh John was great and I agree the product is good I'm just a bit to far on the stock side to see how good they can work. I assume Brian your running slicks to get a 1.46 and on the Bottle right ? He said with slicks Id see a lot of improvement but the DRs being a stiffer sidewall and the manual shocking the tires more made it very hard to hook. He said what you said about the front having to lift. He said that would be my biggest area of improvement. I really appreciated his call and help. I did not mean to make it sound like a brush off or anything. I was just a bit frustrated and Like OMT said time and experence it takes one to get the other and I'll most likely have to pay my dues. I was just hoping ot save a step or to or mistake by asking for advice.
Thanks

1977 TA SE y82 I think. T-tops Black on black best ET [email protected] 1000 ft on DR's

[77TA]

I call John Calvert and he basically said uh they don't work so good on cars like yours Heavy,STIck,BIG CID, . To bad THey did nopt tell me this when I had credit card in hand buying the things. On the good side the stopped the wheel hop and he did say they would help some and gave some sugestions on front supension and that I needed another clutch and slicks. I know there has to be someone thats got these things to work !!! All Calvert told me was try everything screw one side down the otherside off both side in both out ect.... He had no Idea about where to start on a car like mine. Take the front shocks off see what it did stuff like that. I would have though he would have had a better Idea about how to set a car up than that. maybe he would if it were a mustang. So I'm here hoping someone else has soem Knowledge they are willing to part with on this subject. Not attacking Calvert he talked to me a while and really was trying to help. the PRoduct works I guess on the right set-up slicks and light cars maybe. I'm just frustrated he could not tell me something specific for a starting point.

1977 TA SE y82 I think. T-tops Black on black best ET [email protected] 1000 ft on DR's

[SCOTT ESTERLE]

The front suspension has to work properly or the rear will not work correctly.

[PONTIAC DUDE]

Ok, time to let secrets out of the bag? And possibly help fellow racers from my experience.

Cal Tracs, as John said, were made for a hard hit. He's right. Talked to him way back and had to throw his settings away. He designed them to go from Stock to Super Stock class and not cut up his Collector car and still run a 9" slick to compete against the bigger tire cars. He did it!!! And sucessfully.

I run the Cal Tracs and Radials. A totally different deal. I have run slicks, ET drags, Drag Radials and just about all forms of pure DOT tires to race.

9.06@150 with a 1.45 60 ft'er.
of course this is with Nitrous in a 3500lb+ street car.

The most important thing you can buy are totally adjustable shocks front and rear. Once I set the bars neutral with a Landrum single spring (you need the soft spring to hook that stiff tire). The shock will be your new tuning aid. Depending on track conditions. Front and rear. And let that front really lift and transfer.
Also found that going to a Glide made all the difference in the world hooking that tire with power. On motor it won't get out of it's own way, but then again I don't care what it runs on motor. It's not a "motor only" car. I was always on the edge with the T-400 and over depending on track conditions and constantly chasing the chassis. Had to pull all the gear out to get it to hook. Went from a 4:10 to a 3:55 to get the car to launch and go faster down the track.
If you start to get a handle on the shocks and add power, then you then need to kill some of the lower gearing or tighten the conveter up to kill the wheel spin at launch. A lot to do and it isn't an overnight thing. I have run the DRAG radials since they came out in the mid 90's.
In the beginning most ccars were in the low 10's to high 9's. That won't get u in a 50 car field today. They are currently running in the low to mid 8's on a stock suspension and a DRAG Radial.

Matter of fact. The same weekend as Norwalk there was a Radial race about an hr away. 15 cars all in the 9's and quicker.
AToyota Supra with twin turbos (181 cu.in.) ran in the low 8.40's and heard he has run some 8.20's on BFG's and stock suspension.
And gonna be at Orlando this year.

They're fun, but a lot of work to get them to work with any kind of power. Good luck and if you want e-mail me with what you find and any improvements that you run into with your combo. I'm always takin notes.

************************************************** ***************************
Owner of......The Quickest Pontiac Powered "REAL" Street car on the PLANET!!!!Will Race for Food.
Build it fast, build it right, build a Pontiac.

The #1 Smack talker on the Pontiac Boards.

http://PontiacDude.cc

[PONTIAC DUDE]

Tom,OK.

But the same senerio applies. You have to hit the tire softer. Maybe leaving close to an idle and let the rpms build while still maintaining traction. You can't smack that tire.
I've tried. Unless you have a small motor and then their is no torque.
That's why I gave him what it took to laod the tire and still try and leave.

I personally would go to an Aluminum flywheel and leave as low as I could and try and treat it like an automatic.

************************************************** ***************************
Owner of......The Quickest Pontiac Powered "REAL" Street car on the PLANET!!!!Will Race for Food.
Build it fast, build it right, build a Pontiac.

The #1 Smack talker on the Pontiac Boards.

http://PontiacDude.cc

[Ron]

Are you sure you talked to John Calvert? This is the guy that runs a NHRA Stock Eliminator, 1968 Mustang, 428 CI, stick shift, 3600 lbs., 9 inch tire, and runs basically 10.00 flat. I would think he would have been a wealth of knowledge.

Ron

[PONTIAC DUDE]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by tom s:
I think with his overwhelming desire to run 11s he sould give up on autocross and put a 9in rear with coilovers and ladder bars and go DRAG racin!
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


LOL. I agree. I finally saw his other post.

He needs to make up his mind with that tire.
Can't do both unless he goes to a slick and then he will have to make sacrifices somewhere.

************************************************** ***************************
Owner of......The Quickest Pontiac Powered "REAL" Street car on the PLANET!!!!Will Race for Food.
Build it fast, build it right, build a Pontiac.

The #1 Smack talker on the Pontiac Boards.

http://PontiacDude.cc

[Skip Fix]

77TA as the guys have mentioned FRONT suspension is critical to hook up. And it may want a tighter one than a looser. One of those things to expeiment with. I chased what I thought was a carb bog off starting line for 2 years til I put my tigther road race shocks on, gone. Front was lifting too easily then unloading rear as it came back down.Sure pulled the front wheels more for good pictures! I think several others including Jim Hand have had that experience also.

[PONTIAC DUDE]

Less preload works for my combo.

************************************************** ***************************
Owner of......The Quickest Pontiac Powered "REAL" Street car on the PLANET!!!!Will Race for Food.
Build it fast, build it right, build a Pontiac.

The #1 Smack talker on the Pontiac Boards.

http://PontiacDude.cc

[Brian Baker]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by grnmnstr:
I don't have any experience with Caltracs but I do know that the front suspension needs to be "free" or not binding in anyway in order for the rear suspension to do its job.

Make sure the front end can move freely. Especially check the A frame bushings. When we changed them on my 73 Bird, it made a world of difference.

See my avatar.

73 Firebird
(Old combo) 462 D-Port, 3250 lbs. Best ET: 9.93 @ 133 mph
(New combo) 477 E-head, 3200 lbs. Best ET (so far): 9.56 @ 140 mph<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

What bushings are you running up front? DelaLum?