anyone know of a good chassis builder / suspension specialist

[BSeery]

for drag cars?

I am looking for a good chassis / suspension person in Middle Tenn to look over a drag car that I have. We have videos to demonstrate the last 8 runs of the car and would like to have someone look at the videos and the car and help determine ways that we could be better. Someone with scales to make sure we have the car set right and knows what the heck they are doing. We need someon to show us how to do it better or let us know if we are doing things right.

Any recommendations.

[LINELOCKSRUS]

ask matt at delk he has a cage in his stang :up:

[Big_Shannon]

ask matt at delk he has a cage in his stang :up:

I think he needs suspension help

[Ashley P]

Can you post the vids here?

[Bob-E]

What suspension set up do you have now? What's it doing? Wheelying, twisting, spinning?

[raceman383]

I have thought about buying a book on chassis tuning. My race car dont seem to launch right either. We scaled it, so the weight is right, the car takes off straight but i think the weight transfer could use some help, it could be pinion angle or moving of the 4 link bars. This thing only 60 ft like in the 1.40's and it should be in the 1.30's. But it is consistant so I am leary of start tinkering with it now since we are in the midst of a tight points battle.

[Tungsten]

But it is consistant so I am leary of start tinkering with it now since we are in the midst of a tight points battle.
I don't think I'd monkey with a single thing on it until you had some off time. That could be the difference between staying consistent or having a complete cluster-F on your hands. :meh:

[Mighty Mouse]

for drag cars?

I am looking for a good chassis / suspension person in Middle Tenn to look over a drag car that I have. We have videos to demonstrate the last 8 runs of the car and would like to have someone look at the videos and the car and help determine ways that we could be better. Someone with scales to make sure we have the car set right and knows what the heck they are doing. We need someon to show us how to do it better or let us know if we are doing things right.

Any recommendations.

I would highly recommend Steve Matukas @ Matukas Motorsports Race Cars 270-842-4409 but he is in KY. The only people in TN that I know of is Gene Steele or Gary Jennings. Steele would be your best bet locally. Also in KY is Billy Webb @ K&B Racecars. He and Steve Matukas have both done work for me. As has been asked , what suspension? My car has ladder bars under it. Matukas did the back of my car. 1.2 60' on a true 10.5" tire he knows what he is doing.

[raceman383]

I don't think I'd monkey with a single thing on it until you had some off time. That could be the difference between staying consistent or having a complete cluster-F on your hands. :meh:

I am going to wait till the points season is over. I also want to switch to alky, but i dont wanna touch my combo until we have hopefully won a championship. Like 4 weeks ago we was 190 points from the lead now we are 50 behind, 2 wins in last 3 weeks.

[BSeery]

What suspension set up do you have now? What's it doing? Wheelying, twisting, spinning?

It launches straight, gets up on the bars for a moment. Lifts the wheels just a bit, but the drops back down in the front like it looses power, and then pulls the front back up again. It never looses power or traction.

Videos are on YouTube.com - search for "BSeery" and you will see 4 videos of our launches from last year. You can download them from the links below. Use quicktime and use the arrow keys and you can move frame-by-frame.

http://racingbs.com/videos/111806/PICT11181.MOV
http://racingbs.com/videos/PICT0001.MOV
http://racingbs.com/videos/PICT0002.MOV
http://racingbs.com/videos/PICT0004.MOV
http://racingbs.com/videos/PICT0005.MOV
http://racingbs.com/videos/PICT0006.MOV


We would like to know if we are "topping out" the rear shocks, why the wheelie bars have so much movement without equal movement of the car, and why the front keeps dipping down and back up again.

It's a ladder bar setup - welded on wheelie bars - 9" for rear end, coil over shocks -- very simple setup built in the late 80's.

[Mighty Mouse]

The front end is dropping because it is hitting the wheelie bars too hard. It appears that the rearend is rotating allowing the wheelie bars to touch the ground before the front end is very high off the ground. I would try to slow the the rear shocks down on extension and see if that helps. Or you could take the wheelie bars off and see what it does then.

[Ashley P]

I agree. Watching vid #3 you can see the wheelie bars react WAY before the front suspension lifts, what's up with that?? The bars plant hard and when you look at the distance between the wheel well opening and the wheel (especially in vid #4) it looks like the distance could be getting bigger at one point. That would mean the bars are taking weight off of the rear tires. Mark the tire with a big white mark to help see wheel spin on the next vid.

[Mike]

Eddie down here at Performance Concepts has quite a bit of experience setting up drag suspensions. Give him a call, he should be able to help you. 890 9755

He has a big block tube frame Vega himself.

-Mike

[BSeery]

The front end is dropping because it is hitting the wheelie bars too hard. It appears that the rearend is rotating allowing the wheelie bars to touch the ground before the front end is very high off the ground.

I thought it looked like the rear end was rotating as well. But how can the rear end rotate independent of the car? It's a ladder bar suspension and that would mean that if the rear end rotates it has to do so by rotating the entire car. But then the videos seem to show otherwise.

I would try to slow the the rear shocks down on extension and see if that helps. Or you could take the wheelie bars off and see what it does then.

We are looking into adjustable shocks to dampen the extension.
And as far as taking the bars off --- :eek:

Eddie down here at Performance Concepts has quite a bit of experience setting up drag suspensions. Give him a call, he should be able to help you. 890 9755

He has a big block tube frame Vega himself.

-Mike

Thanks - I will probably call him after the 4th of July. If he can't help there was a reference in Kentucky a few posts up I will try as well.

[Mighty Mouse]

I thought it looked like the rear end was rotating as well. But how can the rear end rotate independent of the car? It's a ladder bar suspension and that would mean that if the rear end rotates it has to do so by rotating the entire car. But then the videos seem to show otherwise.

We are looking into adjustable shocks to dampen the extension.
And as far as taking the bars off --- :eek:.

It shouldnt unless you have something moving that isnt suposed to, like the ladder bar brackets. Are the wheelie bars mounted solid to the rear end housing? If they are then it almost has to be rotating the rear end to look like that. As far as the bars, that is one way to find out for sure if they are knocking the front end back down........take em off :D Heck if I can run mid1.20 60' with ladder bars and no wheelie bars you should be able to also :eek:

[BSeery]

It shouldnt unless you have something moving that isnt suposed to, like the ladder bar brackets. Are the wheelie bars mounted solid to the rear end housing? If they are then it almost has to be rotating the rear end to look like that.

The ladder bar brackets and wheelie bar mounts are all welded to the rear end housing. we have checked all the heim joints and they are all good (not legal, need the safety brackets installed).

When I get time I will take it to a shop, put it on the scales and get the car balanced as close as possible. The front springs need replacing too. They have spacers inserted in them now and they still sit too low. After new springs in the front and maybe some new rear shocks we may try some runs without the bars to see if that helps any.

[raceman383]

I almost forgot about another chassis guy, Ken Clinton is his name. I think he is some where close to Dickson. My car was built by this guy, and I know of 2 other cars he has built. I dont wanna look dumb, I got my car half finished from another guy, thats why I didnt think about this guy. I have this number for Clinton 1-615-646-5506.

[hybridmike]

1badstang
thats what he does for a living.

[ZTwentyAteU]

Gary Jennings..i'll get you the number. Lives in Mt Juliet, he builds top notch race cars..He is one of those old men that has been building race cars for like 30 years. He does a lot of Comp, Super/Stock, and Pro Cars. He could probably just look at the car and tell you what to do, no joke..

[BSeery]

Gary Jennings..i'll get you the number. Lives in Mt Juliet, he builds top notch race cars..He is one of those old men that has been building race cars for like 30 years. He does a lot of Comp, Super/Stock, and Pro Cars. He could probably just look at the car and tell you what to do, no joke..

and his number is ?

[Mighty Mouse]

and his number is ?


You can call Gary if you get his number, but I think he normally does more high dollar rolling chassis / turn key jobs. He usually does not work on many bracket cars. He does excellent work just not much that the average man can afford.