Reading materials for chassis and suspension

[djfxall]

I have a 71 chevelle I am going the pro-touring autox route along with a regular driver if I can come up with a nice balance for right now I have a 350 with about 425hp desktop dyno guessamated and a 700r4 conversion that I just lost 2/4 gear so probably the band but going to to put some more money into to beef it up more. But anyways different topic there. I was wondering what books you guys suggest as far suspension setup and chassis work I want to pull the body off and do some chassis modification along with building the suspension up but I believe in not throwing tons of money at it but putting money into it properly and knowing why I am. I am in no rush and money is an issue as I have a 14 month old son. I know a little about suspension and how things work I used to be really into sport bikes before my son was born I was building a track bike which I sold and put some of the money into the chevelle a nice set of AFR 195's. But what do you guys suggest for reading material for me. Also a book on track driving techniques would be nice. I found allot of info when I was into sport bikes from books and it made me a much faster and safer driver. These books taught allot of technique along with explaining why they worked.

Thanks guys

[T-CHRGD]

I have to suggest
http://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-Musc.../dp/1934709077

[Ron Sutton]

For driving, the best books are from Ross Bentley. He has written a series of books over the years that were awesome.

Ross did a new book last year, titled "Ultimate Speed Secrets." It covers just about everything in all the books. He updated some out of date info, cleaned up some writing, and now it's all in one book.

So that's what I'd suggest.

[Ron Sutton]

For chassis & suspension books ... covering design, engineering, theories, tuning, etc ... I think the right book for a person depends on how in-depth they plan to get. There are great books, good books, ok books & horrible books written on the subject. Some books contain old school information ... some cutting edge ... and some in-between.

I often recommend books ... but it depends on the person's goals. Based on what you said in your post, I would second the recommendation of "How to Make Your Muscle Car Handle" by SC&C owner Mark Savitske.

[djfxall]

I am going to check that out but I would also like to go more in depth not limited to just muscle cars but also into chassis building

[Ron Sutton]

I am going to check that out but I would also like to go more in depth not limited to just muscle cars but also into chassis building

If you will better define what chassis means to you, I'll steer you the best direction I can. Are you referring to the frame ... frame & cage ... frame & suspension ... frame, cage & suspension?

[bret]

I have to suggest
http://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-Musc.../dp/1934709077

That's the one I recommend as well. Mark does a great job of simplifying some complicated principles. Do further research on shocks, however. Recent developments have changed the landscape.

[djfxall]

Frame cage and suspension want to learn about it all even if I never put the knowledge to use or build my own I want the knowledge. I have always wanted to built a race car and my first steps are to educate myself more. I have the skills of welding and the ability to fabricate. But the in indepth yet

[Ron Sutton]

The best books ever are from Carroll Smith (passed away several years back). They are a little hard to read, for a rookie & non-engineer, but a very solid foundation The two I suggest you start with are "Engineer to Win" & "Tune to Win." Go HERE.

Herb Adams was a "go-to" guy in the 70's & 80's, but technology has advanced quite a bit. It's still a good read & much of it is still relevant. Just be open minded that suspension set-ups have advanced & changed Dramatically. Go HERE.

When it comes to books, they're all behind what professional teams are doing. Top race teams with 30 Engineers, full Research & Development staffs & state-of-the-art testing technology ... are understandably reluctant to share info ... until it's so old it won't hurt them competitively. So with books, there will always be a lag.

Steve Smith books is the easiest to understand & has some what up to date stuff. Don't ignore it because it's oval track. While there are some differences ... handling is handling ... and NASCAR teams utilize cutting edge technology today. I recommend two books from them.

1. Here
2. Here

Best wishes.

[djfxall]

Thank you very much I think you really hit the nail on the head

[feeble]

Race Car Vehicle Dynamics - http://books.sae.org/book-r-146/

[djfxall]

Another good looking book to buy 900 pages sounds like a really great informative book