Hooking up

[S.o.b]

Hey everybody new here and new to cars in general (just worked on 4x4 trucks in the past) so i dont really know much concerning suspension....I've got 69 camaro that's getting a 750hp/700tq big block. This is going to be a street car used for drag racing The rear suspension is stock with multi leaf springs and air shocks. I want this thing to hook up and go. What are yalls suggestions on getting that done? (Ride quality is not a big concern here)

[Rod]

dont skimp on tires, learn your suspension (that your running) geometry

[S.o.b]

In no way will I be skimping on tires. My concern with this post is suspension.

[David Pozzi]

Be polite here or you will be banned - Period. I won't tell you twice.

[Rod]

In no way will I be skimping on tires. My concern with this post is suspension.

I understand that you asked about suspension, but hooking up a drag car is a design of both front and rear suspension and GREAT tires, a lot of guys like The bolt-on "Slapper Bar", but the best results the guys at the shop had were with the Slide-A-Link.....Traction devices are only half the story. When used properly to transfer the torque action created in the differential into the chassis, other aspects of the car must also be enhanced.
the chassis is the backbone of the car, the "action" of transferring power into it must not result in the "reaction" of twisting and flexing. the chassis must be as rigid as possible. Frame Connectors are used to connect front and rear camaro subframes, effectively making them one piece. that eliminates unwanted flex in the chassis and prevents it from absorbing the power needed for acceleration.
Solid Body Mounts, Solid Motor Mounts, Engine Torque Links, Engine Cradle Braces, Solid Transmission Mounts and Strut Tower Braces contribute to forming a rigid structure and help eliminate unwanted twisting and power loss.
Finally, Roll Bars and Roll Cages help make the chassis and body solid while providing an extra measure of safety.
and then some good Drag shocks front and rear, the front shocks play a dual role. When the front end lifts, they extend freely to increase weight transfer. When the front end begins to lower, these same shocks provide resistance to maximize the duration of weight transfer
and the TIRES! the best tires make all the difference find the drag radial you want to use and then build the car around those, if you change brands the suspension will react different to the different traction compounds

[SRD art]

That's a lot of power to lay down for a "skinny" tire (non minitubbed fat tire) car so what Rod said is great advice. Stiffen things things up. Sometimes adding weight might sound like it will slow you down, but roll cages and bracing and such in the right places can actually make the car faster. Loose drag specific shocks/springs up front and ditch the sway bar, slide a links or if you can find a set of cal tracs seem to work best with leaf spring cars. I've heard again and again QA1 makes great drag shocks. My Nova runs Koni 90/10s up front and Comp Engineering adjustables out back. Ladder bars and coil overs if you're more serious about drag racing. Move any necessary weight like the battery to the rear, make the front as light as possible, skinny aluminum drag wheels/ tires and lots of fiberglass work real well. You've got to get the weight transfer to the rear to plant the tires. Sticky slicks work best. On my Nova, about 560 hp at the flywheel, picked up .3 sec and almost 3 mph by switching from a DOT wrinkle wall bias 25" tall M&Hs and going to a 28x9" full drag slick. Doesn't make sense other than the slick just plain stuck to the track while the M&H had some mild slippage right off the line. I was launching at 4500 and have 4.56 gears out back. Ran 1.63 60' times, not bad for was at the time my daily driver.

To build a drag car that really hooks hard ride quality will be near non existent. My Nova drives like an old worn out tractor with the suspension falling apart, but it halls beans in a straight line. I don't dare take turns at any sort of speed with it, unlike my pro-touring wagon which hauls beans around corners and is so much more fun to drive.

If you've got a pro-touring car and trying to hook 750 hp, well good luck with that. P-T cars' suspensions are naturally too stiff to get the weight to the rear and the tire sidewalls too stiff to flex enough to spread the contact patch.

Not trying to be a smart donkey, but really this is the wrong forum for asking about setting up drag cars. I enjoy both worlds, but many members here don't much like drag racing. You may not find that much feedback here because folks are mostly trying to get their cars to corner like roller coasters, traction in a straight line is a secondary concern.

Another thing, unless you really know how to dial in a suspension, don't plan on traction on the street. That's like driving a muscle car in South Dakota in the wintertime. My 11 second Nova hooked HARD at the track but if I stayed in it I could spin all of 1st and part of second with slicks on the street. That's with about 200 less hp and less tq in a small block than what you're expecting. If you plan on street racing, spinning = you just lost your $. Learn to control the car in a spin situation. I once beat a guy that was faster than me because I short shifted at 4500 (normally shifted at 6800) to get the car out of 1st and hooked hard in 2nd. I blew by him while he was still spinning 1st gear. Street racing is a bit of a game that experience and watching others brings wisdom and money in the wallet. BTW I don't do that anymore now that I have a family depending on me.

Hope that helps a bit.

[Grumpy Old Man]

Here's a great source of information. http://www.yellowbullet.com/forum/

[Mr Nick]

Be polite here or you will be banned - Period. I won't tell you twice.

Thank you. I bit my lip, so to speak, when I read his reply.