Bear with me, and try to remember I'm
mostly a street guy....

I've got stock, big torsion bars and SS springs on my GTX, and all newer OEM type rubber bushings in it.
On a launch, the rear lifts a bunch but the front just sits there and does nothing.

It does drive nicely on the street, but 60' is very inconsistant at the strip, and over the years I've found it's a little too dependant on track prep compared to more strip oriented cars than mine. Best 60' ever has been a 1.55, but that was with stellar track prep on a perfect day. Average seems to be in the 1.6s and I'd like to improve on that a bit.

Which is going to make a greater improvement in front end rise...lighter torsion bars, or freeing up the control arms? I'm looking at a pair of MP drag bars for sale and thinking about trying them.

Thanks

what front shocks are you using on the car?

Mopar Enthusiast Article



Rich - I did this a few months back and was surprised at the gains we saw.

Cab, currently QA1 Stocker Stars set full loose
(which I feel is still too tight, and could probably use a revalving to QA1R instead).

Dave, Yep I have that article...probably should have mentioned I subscribe in old fashioned paper format

What I was really looking for is some guess at a noticeable gain with a torsion bar + shock change. If it's worth it to try that, I wanted to leave the control arms alone for now since the OE bushings have only got a couple thousand miles on them and I didn't enjoy replacing 'em at the time.

No need to change anything with the upper control arms.
Cheap OEM shocks can provide quick lift, but they also have very little resistance on compression. Not good for headers or deep oil pan. I found Koni SPA-1 shocks to work well for my combo. I took my time and followed instructions carefully to get them equal. But i forgot "where" I set them at, possibly about 3/4 loose, but it's been a while since I installed them. Smaller torsion bars will also help. Unfortunately, there will be some compromise in handling on the street with these changes.

A little extra carb tuning (pump cam and squirters) may also help by minimizing any rich or lean spots, which may not always be obvious. The purpose is to keep the application of power to the suspension as smooth as possible so it doesn't unload to any degree.

A long time ago I had a home-built Challenger with ladder bars. It wasn't the best set-up, but worked ok. Adding 130lbs helped consistency a noticable amount.

Zipster...do yourself a favor and get a set of Calverts! Just about everybody who's tried them REALLY like them! I went from Lakewood 90/10's to them and it made a BIG difference in front-end rise! NO PROBLEM AT ALL on the street either! The smaller bars should be beneficial as well! I put on the .840 drag bars about 3 yrs. ago,noticeable difference from the stock bars! RandyB

I like the way your car leaves Randy, your chassis is working 100 times better than mine. thanks

I changed my 340 GTS bars for 6 cyl and went from 1.74 to 1.62 and pulled both wheels off the floor.
Mick

Sounds promising, thanks.

I think I need to try the bars and find out how they act, and whether they're going to be liveable on the street for me.

Appreciate the responses

I agree with Randy,,,

there was someone on the board selling some .840 bars
the calvert shocks are fairly inexpensive,,,,

I put them both on the Belvedere as well recently,,but havent had the chance to try them out.

On my 71 i raised rear a little and stiffened shocks - improved 60' .2sec.....it was a 4 link car though but same front setup as yours. oh well ...just thought i would put my 2cents in...maybe help????

BACK IN THE DAY WE DRILLED A HOLE IN THE FRONT SHOCKS

Any pics of these drilled shocks??

Mike,I'll post one tomorrow! Mike Ricketts(Macomb Missile)gave me a set to try out a few yrs.ago! They definately transfer the weight nicely...just don't hit a hole on your return trip!!! I thought ALL my fillings and bridge were going to come flyin' out of my mouth! Needless to say,they've been on the pole barn shelf since! RandyB

LOL...Thats funny!!!!

What is the size of the small block V-8 original factory torsion bar?
Compared to the .840 drag bar Im wondering whats lighter and would transfer weight better between the S/B V-8 and the .840 drag bar??