New front clip for the 'Cuda.

Posting this up so you guys can see what current TA/GT race cars are using and get some ideas! Had this made specifically for my 'Cuda. It will weld in at the front torque boxes. I'll keep the top of the aprons where the fenders mount and core support, and remake the sections down to the new frame rails.













[img]http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t445/340cuda/IMG_1181_zpswzhknkoo.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t445/340cuda/IMG_1183_zpsethvirre.jpg[/img]

Awesome looking piece ! Who is the builder?

Looks awesome.

I'd like to see it with the steering shaft installed, and then with the engine in. Be sure to continue to post pictures of the install.

Why are the nylock nuts on the cross shaft to steering knuckle not screwed down far enough for the locking to be engaged? picture #4, and steering box, picture #3. Do you take those spacers out after/during instillation?

That has Ron Sutton written all over it.

Literally!

Thanks! Nylocks are one time use. This will need to be disassembled and assembled several times while putting it in. Ron provides the spacer so it can be tight, but not engage the nylon until final assembly. He also installs a shim in all rod end locations to account for paint powder coat thickness when building. Remove the shim after painting and it goes right together.

What will serve as the upper coilover mounts?

Their will be upper bars from the cage, to serve as crash/rigidity structure, that will incorporate the upper mounts. I plan to enclose the area between the bars to act as shear plates and give it that Mopar apron look.

Thats some good suspension porn right there!!

Looks great! I love the tires.

I'm not a suspension expert by any means, so I'd like to ask, why are the LCA adjustments handled by heim joints where the UCA look like they need to be shimmed for alignment?

Good question. This setup was designed to be crazy adjustable, but also easy and quick to adjust for running AutoX and then the road coarse. The upper shim is the major camber/caster adjustment. The lower has hex adjusters on the outside of the control arm. Simply loosen the jam nut and turn the hex adjusters to fine tune caster/camber or make a track width change. The major setups will be AutoX, and whether the track is predominately slow, medium, or high speed turns on the road course. I'll have a shim/slug setup for each that can be changed in about 10 minutes. The roll rate (which I can adjust as well) is probably the most significant difference between the setups, but some alignment/track width changes can be optimized for the length, speed, and corner radius of differing courses.

For you technical guys, I'll copy a reply that Ron answered on this clip:


"My highest level front suspensions are called "Track-Star GT" & require the engine to be moved back substantially, so the pulleys are behind the front axle centerline.

Craig's front suspension is my "Track-Star TA" front suspension. It is the meanest front suspension I know how to build ... without moving the engine back behind the front axle centerline. The LCAs are a special Laser cut design I did. The UCAs are on roller bearings. The shocks adjusters allow the ride height to change up to 2" without affecting the shaft gap showing on the shocks. It utilizes a special bump stop system for easy landings & consistent corner entry grip & braking.

The spindles are my GT "Zero Scrub" with my GT narrow XHD hubs. Bearings have twice the rating of street car stuff. The steering arms are slugged, so Craig can make them anywhere from 4-1/4" long to 5-1/4" long. Excellent for switching from autocross to road courses, like a lot of my Optima clients do.

Of course it has crazy high end hardware, Tubular Chromoly bolts with AN washers & Nylock half nuts on all the double shear mounts. 170,000 PSI 12-Point bolts & full height Nylocks for all the single shear mounts. Howe zero stiction XHD ball joints (not the standard versions). All chromoly rod ends, curved tie rods to allow the spindle to go deep into the wheels, which are 18x13 w/10" BS.

Craig's TA package has all of the possible upgrades over the "standard TA package. His came with a full range (70+) of suspension slugs, Caster Slugs & Camber Shims so the geometry can be changed or optimized for any set-up or any ride height he dreams up down the road. Plus Craig's has the triple adj JRI shocks with my special Race-Star valving & the Draco 9000 Series springs. Ridetech Triples with Track-Star valving & Draco springs are standard with the TA. Front Brakes will be my new StopTech ST60 Trophy system with lightweight (16.2#) 14" x 1.25" rotors.

The "Track-Star TA2" front frame & suspension is a lower cost version of the TA. It has the same frame, geometry & control arms, but uses lower cost shocks (Ridetech SA w/Track-Star Valving), Hypercoil 4000 Series springs, no C/O adjusters, TA2 Spindles & hubs with a 5/8" more scrub. It only comes with one set of slugs & Shims to optimize the suspension for the target ride height & setup. Everything else is the same.

The "Track-Star TT" (TT = Track Toy) is the lowest cost version. It uses the same frame clip design as the TA & TA2. But it uses off the shelf stock car control arms (non bearing), GN spindles, GN hubs, non-slugged steering arm, etc. It uses plain ol' grade 8 hardware. But it still uses the bad ass Sweet dual power rack & Ridetech SA shocks w/Track-Star Valving. It is designed for a guy that whats to have a durable, fun, safe, good handling track car (or street & track car) but isn't trying to set lap records. The geometry is "good." It is as good as I can achieve with all the shelf LCAs & GN Spindles. So it will be very good, but not in the same league as the TA & GT stuff.

Craig is pairing this with my "Track-Star GT" rear suspension which will make for one mean MoFo."

Hi Craig -- interesting setups, etc. A good friend of mine, who is extremely active with the current new-gen SCCA T/A classes, as well as a co-owner of a T/A team, and of the SCCA marketing rights for the T/A new-gen series, has recently acquired a surplus of Dodge Challenger T/A PRO racing parts -- suspension, bodies, radiators, brakes, engines, etc. He intends to put it on the market for sale, very soon.

IF you're interested, send me a PM... or anyone else who may be interested. I'm pretty sure the parts are close to Chicago-area.

What is the best way of welding that front clip in? Just welding it where the frame rails meet the torque boxes doesn't look like a whole lot of support.

I suspect the robust cage tie in will be the expected solution.

When I provided the dimensions for the clip, this is where I plan to splice in. You can see how long I had the tails made, they go across and tie into the front torque box, rocker, and the forward cage leg. It will then have an upper section from the cage to the front of the clip, and shear plates from the firewall to all of that.

seen this over on Lat G. Very nice.

Do your rules require the stock engine location, or are you trashing the firewall and setting the engine back? I only ask 'cause it doesn't look like the engine would fit that far forward.
looking forward to see how it comes out.

The rules allow pretty much anything, but I personally don't want a tube chassis race car. I am retaining the stock floor and firewall, so to me, it's still a street car and a Mopar car....not a shell. I'm hoping to see a few rule changes that would require the stock firewall and floor and push the tube chassis race cars into there own class.

How thick do they do on those rails? .100 wall? 1/8?

Glad to hear it!
What class?

.120 wall.

I'm GTV in USCA and CAM-T in SCCA. I have a "special" class in NASA, but all good; track time is track time!