Need Caltrac set-up advice. with video

68 Dart. 3500lbs with me

500HP maybe??

Stroked RB
11.2-1 comp
Straightline cam .540 lift 307/318 250/263 @ .050
RPM intake with Biggs stage 3 850DP
OOTB Edelbrock RPM heads 84cc
Full MSD ignition timing 36* total by 2200 rpm
2" TTIs, 3" x-pipe and Ultraflows

727 filled with CRT stuff
reverse manual VB
PTC 9.5" converter 3800 stall

Dana 60 with 3.73s

MT 325-50-15 ET street drag radials

Caltracs, mono leafs, and Rancho 9 way adjustables. CE 90/10 shocks up front.

What would be a good starting point to set the caltrac setup?

Yesterday, my fisrt run of the day gave me a best 60 of 1.63.

I had 18 lbs in the tires, and did a "light" burnout. About 2 flats of preload on the caltracs, and Ranchos set on 8. The bar is in the top hole in the front.

This is airport racing mind you, so traction isn't what most of you guys are used to i'm sure. I just think it should be better.

Best ET was 7.33 @ 95 mph.

Going from a marginally hooking track, to a real track with good traction, would the settings need to be changed? Or once the set-up is dialed in for a given car, it should work evertwhere. This is all new to me.

Thanks for the help.

Here is a poor quality vid too.



codfish

I cant see in the video if its spinning the tire or not, so if its not spinning take the tow flats out.
If it is spinning the tire, drop the shocks down to 5 and keep the preload.
I would also try the front of the Cal Trac in the bottom hole to see what it does.
I would also get rid of the CE shocks and get a better front shock

Tires were spinning.

On a not too good track, would you need to set it up for a harder or softer "hit"? Softer right?

codfish

looked good to me I would leave things as they are for now about what I like 7 to 8 on the shocks and 2 to 6 flats of preload
Kinda on an 11.4 ish run so if you spun not more that a turn or two. good track you may find your set up is bang on.

shifting low??
what size and kind of tires.
I like my timing 38 all in by 1200 to 1500??

Shifting at 5700.

Tires are MT ET street drag radials. 28 tall, 13 ish wide.

I'm sure the 3.73s aren't helping, but this is a street car. Gotta drive it everywhere so SOME streetability is good.

Going to Minot ND in a couple of weeks to their track so hopefully I'll see some better numbers there. With the old smallblock combo, I picked up nearly 3 tenths going from here to there. Hope to see at least a couple of tenths anyhow. Or maybe this is all it's got.

codfish

I would change the bar to the lower hole.. You might need to loosen the shocks up a little. I start a 5 and work up from there. You just want it not to spin.. Harder is better. I gained a tenth and a half by going stiffer on the shocks.

Put M/T et streets on it.The radials suck for this type racing.You are way off on the caltrac setting.

If I'm way off on the settings, what do you recommend?

PM sent.

As I stated above, my car hooked the best in the bottom hole.. Two flats of pre load is a good starting point. I just have the drivers side touching and the passenger side has two flats.. The shocks are set on 8, but on bad tracks I still need to play around with it.. Your going to have to play with the settings but what I stated above is a good start point..

With a radail tire never lossen the rear shock.It needs to be as stiff as you can get it.Lenny

This is with bar in lower hole,,,shocks on 7,,,front shocks loose,,,,

60' 1.42 (old video from last year) (best 60' is 1.40)

I still think my car leaves like a brick,,,lol

i have since taken 45 lbs off the front,,re-did the Caltracs a bit....
also lowered the front so i get about 5" of travel...

we'll see.......no new video yet.........below is some old video,,,

http://s212.photobucket.com/albums/cc79/69CHARGERMD/?action=view&current=MVI_1713.flv

http://s212.photobucket.com/albums/cc79/69CHARGERMD/?action=view&current=MVI_1711.flv

Thanks for the replies and videos. You car looks awesome . My favorite and hopefully next body style. What was your ET btw?

I think I may leave it as is for the next race. Run a couple of passes as is to try and establish some sort of base line, and then probably drop to the bottom hole, leave the shocks as is, and see what happens.

codfish

Quote:

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Thanks for the replies and videos. You car looks awesome . My favorite and hopefully next body style. What was your ET btw?

I think I may leave it as is for the next race. Run a couple of passes as is to try and establish some sort of base line, and then probably drop to the bottom hole, leave the shocks as is, and see what happens.

codfish

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that is wise you set it up pretty much the way john would have told you on the phone. I can see a couple three tents on a good track and IMHO you should be shifting 6200 to 6500