Project Traction.

[charliemccraney]

Technically, this project started about a year ago with the installation of wider rear wheels and tires:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=21420&

I wasn't kidding myself. I knew that alone wouldn't do it... and it didn't. It was mostly a cosmetic thing. In fact, I could tell no difference when it came to traction.

So, step 2, level it out.
I had lowered the front about 3" years ago, so it has a real hotrod looking rake. It looks cool but I don't believe it does anything good for traction. My method is to de-arch the springs. I left every leaf in, thinking that I'd like to retain much of the load capacity, if I want to haul something, which is likely, it's not a trailer queen show truck. This may not have been the best idea because the 3 helper springs are now in use at ride height. The ride doesn't seem too bad but time will tell. It's still a hair higher in the back but I just put the springs on and I think they settle a bit and I prefer that it be a bit to high than a bit too low. I'll get a more similar after picture of the whole truck.







I don't really like it as much as I had hoped. It looks more custom or lowrider (even though it's not really low) than hotrod to me and I'm a hotrod kind of guy but more so, I'm mostly a functional kind of guy, so if it actually does help provide better traction, I can live with it. Unfortunately, I probably will not find out until later in the year.

Some advice when dealing with old gunked up, rusty fasteners, whenever you can, clean the threads with a wire brush or a dremel with a wire brush attachment and then spray them with wd40 or a real penetrating fluid for weeks or months. If you do that, it should come apart pretty easily. Oh, and use 1/2" drive sockets and 6 point wrenches on bigger things. Patience and planning. It works.

Next, step three, traction bars... (hopefully within the next 2 months)

[dotcentral]

Looks like the paint is holding up on your wheels.

[charliemccraney]

It's holding up very well. I figured it would. I hand sanded them and used a rusty metal primer, then 3 coats of purple. They have a few chips in them now but that's expected. I have pretty good luck with paint. My dad has been in construction all his life and is one of the best painters I know. I learned from him how to paint cabinets, both with a spray gun and a brush. It seems that a lot of the basics carry over to painting metal quite well. I hate the prep work, though. Couldn't do it professionally.

[charliemccraney]

Summit do have some cheap ones but there are a couple problems. The cheap ones are mostly for spring under axle (the truck is spring over), and they don't really work that well - you get what you pay for. I'm spending money on something I know will work for traction while still providing reasonable street manners because I have several friends with 12 and 13 second street cars and trucks with them - Caltracs. They're pretty expensive but I know they work. They should be here by the end of next week!

[Hunter's 64]

What model # are you ordering , I have been looking at slide-a-links , not a whole lot of choices out there for a S.O.A. set up.I may end up going with ladder bars ?

Thanks , Danny

[charliemccraney]

I can let you know, if there is a model number, when I get them. They don't have them for our trucks "off the shelf." You fill out a dimension sheet and they set you up. Apparently they had the components in stock to put together a kit. Who knows, maybe a preexisting kit happens to work. It really should be pretty standard stuff - there's nothing too odd in that area of our trucks.

[Hunter's 64]

Thanks, slide-a-links the same way , They have one for a 94+ lightning they told me would fit my dementions, Just haven't puledl the trigger yet Keeping open to other options .
Danny

[charliemccraney]

Step 3, traction bars.



The hangers required some clearancing.





Other than that, it was pretty painless.



The test drive was great. My biggest concern was that the 2 piece aluminum/steel bushings would make the ride more harsh. It actually feels more cushy, like a truck that had a Cadillac in it's lineage 40 generations ago, but don't get me wrong, it still feels very much like a 50 year old truck.
The roads are wet so I am not really able to get a sense of better traction. It actually seems easier to spin than it has been in the past in similar conditions(wet roads), but there is no hop. It's like butter when the tires (or tire, no posi yet) spin and that is definitely a good thing. We'll see what it's like on a dry day.

So step 4 will be some form of positraction but that's after I track down some shorter gearing from the junkyard to see if something like a 4.11 works better overall. Once I find a gear that's a good compromise, then I address the rear. That probably will not happen this year. Gotta finish other projects.

And after that, I think that's about all I can do without significant changes to the frame and suspension. Oh, well I guess I could get some slicks. And then that's all I can do.

[BobbyFord]

FWIW, BFG's are not the best tires when it comes to traction. I have a set on my 63.
I wound up mini-tubbing my 72 and running 325/50/15 tires on 10" rims and I still roast the tires at will.

[charliemccraney]

I'll invest in some slicks when I really need it to bite.

The Cal-Tracs also have 2 positions to play with. The instructions say to start with the one which is most parallel to the ground and that's where it's at. Once I've had a chance to play with it, maybe I'll find that the other works better.

[BobbyFord]

Decent power with no weight to speak of in the rear will always result in wheel spin. On my 72 I have the fuel tank behind the rear axle, battery under the bed, mini-tubbed with 13.5" drag radials and I still roast the tires with absolutely no wheel hop. It's a lot better with the fatties on there but it will never hook up strong because there is no real weight transfer. If I warm up the drag radials, it's better but if I powerbrake and get the R's up to where the cam wants to work then the tires spin.

[charliemccraney]

What do you run?

I know this setup will work well for 14s in a truck and probably better. With my current motor, I doubt I'd be faster than that. I'll know more once my friend gets the bugs worked out of his turbo setup in his '60 F100. His best so far is about 14.5 on normal street tires but he has to let up due to fuel issues at about the 1/8th. He's running a blow through carb. It leaves pretty hard. Last time I talked to him he was going to try something with E85. Fuel injection has come up a few times but I don't think he's quite ready to give up on the carb. He has 402hp/468ftlbs at the wheels at 4500rpm - didn't rev it higher because of the fuel issues.

But that is another thing, if need be, I can add weight over the rear. So there are still a few tricks to exploit.

[Greg D]

Charlie,
have you considered a pair of shocks for the front that are valved for weight transfer?
We used to call them 90/10s.
They work like a normal shock over bumps etc. but when the front lifts the valving allows the front axle to stay planted on the ground instead of trying to lift with the front end.

[charliemccraney]

I have not. That's another idea. Even if they turned out not to be great for street driving, the shocks are easy enough to swap for a weekend of racing.

[charliemccraney]

I've done some work with the shock mount on the rear axle to both correct the angle after lowering, and to better fit the newer axle into the truck. I don't know if it will help with traction. That wasn't really the goal, but we'll see. It is outlined here:

http://slick60s.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=29903

[HiBoy63]

sorry miss post.....

[jercasche]

Any word on the model of the Caltracs? How is the traction on a dry day?

[charliemccraney]

There is no model. You fill out a dimension sheet and they send the stuff. It's all pretty standard back there, so they should have everything in stock.

I haven't tried the other position yet, but with no posi, or slicks, it still spins easily, but no hop. Doesn't matter if it is wet or dry. In normal everyday driving, you will not notice any difference.

[digler005]

my first 65 had major wheel hop issues, around 350-400hp ran low 13s on street tires, wish I had known about these back then. If you don't mind me asking what is 'pretty expensive'?

[charliemccraney]

$369 for trucks.

http://calvertracing.com/products.php