As mentioned above it didn't work. I marked the inside of tires and rims let the air pressure down to 18lbs, still spun tires, but no tire slippage on rims. Went down to 16lbs still no traction and tires spun on rims about 1/2". I raised the air pressure back to 18lbs, backed off on Cal Tracs to 1/8" air gap, no good. Ajusted then to 1/4, then 1 full turn. Front end comes up rear squats but still no traction. Looks like I'm gonna have to get rid of the drag radials and get a set of steel rims and slicks. Problem there is I can only fit a tire with a 9.5" section. If that doesn't work I'll have to think of what to do next. Possibly move spring hangers in, mono leafs wider slicks. Do any of you guys think slicks alone will do it? Any sugestions. I'm still gonna take it to the track one more time as I did my testing on fresh black top(with town police watching ). I think the concrete launch pad with all that rubber on it at track may help. Probably not enough though.

 

Yep, looks like thats the way I have to go. Guess I'll save my wheels for street tires and have to buy a set of steel wheels and some slicks and screw them down tight. Guess you can never do some thing some where without it affecting something else. Must have found the power I was missing when I installed the MSD. I believe this is a good thing

 

Tony, I have a thought. This might be one of those rare instances in which ballast may be an answer to the problem. As drag racers, we are almost always trying to lighten things up in order to go faster, but I don't care how light you get..... if you don't get the power to the ground, it's useless.

Ideally, if you could get someone to weigh all 4 corners of the car, then weigh just the front and then just the rear, you would have a better idea of what could be done to improve weight distribution and traction.

This is a hunch, but over the years, I've grown to trust my hunches and my hunch here is that you may be lite in the ***-end. Moving the battery to the trunk is a good place to start but you may need even more ballast in the rear. Just my 2 cents.

 

Thats the first time I have ever been accused of bieng lite in the ***. Oh you meant the car . You know the last time I was at English town a guy lent me a spare tire said put it in. I did, and I hooked better. Your hunch could be right. I'll try it again as soon as I get a chance. Thanks !

 

Good idea mikel. Are test and tunes still $100 on Sundays?
I'll check the link here.

 

Mikel, what are the E-Town time trials on Saturdays. Is that another way of saying t & t ? If not can they be treated as so?

 

Tony, You might want to try a burn out on a clean road and see if the tires are contacting the ground in the right places.
My 8 1/2" slicks were loose coming off the line, this was in my 71' Dart.
I was told to start at 18psi and work my way down.
That didn't work.
I did a launch on some clean pavement and found at 18psi only the outside edges were contacting the ground.
Back to the track with 21psi and it hooked good.
Upped it to 22 and tore the wheel studs clean off the axles, I guess they really hooked up.
Just something to check.
Norm

 

I hear ya. I checked this as I was testing. Tire treads laying flat on ground.
I have to try it down the track and poss put some weight in the trunk also. But I believe a set of slicks are in my future.

 

Mikel, just FYI E-town said time trials on Saturdays are running down the track for time only. When they decide to do it. Doesn't always happen.

 

I don't know anything about CAl-tracts, the only thing I have heard is they are tough to get dialed in. Have you tried to contact them for any suggestions ???

This may be a dumb question but do you have a pinion snubber on it . I don't know your combo so I am guessing you have a 8 3/4

 

B-3, I have an 8 3/4 with Cal Tracs. I have contacted calvert racing. No snuber is used with this system. It isn't needed.

 

Slicks will help, as will good weight distribution. Mine is 52% on the front not great but typical of a modified street car, the more over the back the better to a certain extent (unless big wheelstands are your thing!).

Mopower 71, was that 22 psi with radial slicks? I run 11.5 psi cold with crossply slicks, I thought that was high! they still wad up a bit though