drag set up for rear coil springs

[onesweetcaprice]

So i have a 79 2 door caprice (ill post some pictures soon) and im in the process of building a 383 for it, only problem is its got coil springs in the rear. does any body know how to set up coils for drag racing????

['97ventureowner]

Moving this to the Caprice forum.

[Blue Bowtie]

A full compliment of good upper and lower control arms, with good bushings will keep the axle straight. You might also want to check the pinion inclination angle. I'm guessing it may have some movement after all these years. Shocks with good rebound control will help dampen any hop.

[CD Smalley]

Airlift air bags in each coil, filled seperatly, will allow pre-load of each side as well.

[96capricemgr]

There was a 79 2 door for sale near here a year or so ago part of me wishes I had bought. Lighter car like that would fly with my drivetrain.

I think people get too worried about setup and often overengineer.

I have aftermarket lower control arms, stock front springs, soft Roadmaster springs in back which allow me maximum adjustability with the Airlift bags in the coils. Running stiff "handling" type shocks all round.
27x11.50 Hoosier DOT quick time Pros and a disconnected front swaybar and it has done a best of 1.611 60ft. has lifted the drivers front tire a few inches too.

The 4L60E lets me launch hard, the first gear is great, the OD allows 3.73s, the lockup means a 3400 stall is fine for daily driving.
My car is heavier, and makes more power than most 383s I see out there.

I bought an axle with an antiroll bar on it, not a sway bar, this one eliminated articulation, I boke an arm on it before I got to really test it, but impressions from street driving say it was going to help and would basically replace the Airlift bags. This way the rear suspension can be softer to allow weight transfer without dumping on just the passenger rear and unloading the drivers side. This is a little more advanced setup though and I expect to get some high 1.5s out of this street car come spring.

Care to share engine specs?

[onesweetcaprice]

crap, i wrote a whole paragraph responce and the forum then told me i wasnt logged in and deleted it. ugh...gimme a minute. i will retype it again



ok, the motor is not done yet, so far i got my block (done wrapped in plastic) , vortec heads (rebuilt) , aluminum duel plane intake, alum. valve covers to go with the center bolt vortecs, holley 750 (also rebuilt, got it for 75 bucks and it looks brand new, but i rebuilt it anyway) , set of stud girdles and some other random parts. i recently got done rebuilding the whole front end with new springs, front and rear. i do have a posi for it to that i got from a junkyard for 25 bucks. the old guy wasnt very smart. i should be getting a rotating assembly within the next month, just have to scrape together a couple hundred (ok, 950 to be exact) ive been slowly buying parts as i find good deals on them. motor should be in the car by spring. from who ive talked to and looked up online 400-420hp should be a fairly close guess. the car currently has a 305 with a holley 600, and edlebrock performer intake (just read my cardomain, i dont feel like retyping all of this) my cardomain is..........

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2882373

let me know what you think.

[onesweetcaprice]

ok theres my car for my avatar, i figured it out

[96capricemgr]

Are the girdles for Vortec valve spacing??????
Got a link to those valvecovers?

Since you already have the block it is probably too late to suggest a late model one piece rear main roller cam block?

Should be fun, traction should not be too big a problem with good tires.

Put it this way, with that little traction work I have done it is hooking right around 400hp at the wheels, which is a lot more than 420 at the crank. I spent a lot on the heads though. You will have less in the whole motor than I do in a junkyard shortblock with good topend, it works great for me but was a chunk of money.

[onesweetcaprice]

ya they must be, i haddened thought about it before i bought them, ,but they fit, so they will work. as far as the valve covers i got them off ebay. the sellers name was skipwhite. look it up, im sure he will have somemore. he has the same style for standard heads to. and for a couple other styles to. well with the parts i already listed above i have 904.00 into it right know. i got the heads off ebay for 575.00 (100.00 in shipping though) and that came with that intake (it was new in the box) i got the block for free, valve covers are 79.99, stud girdles were 50.00, 75.00 for the carb and 28.00 for the rebuild kit for the carb. my budget build is going a whole lot better than i was expecting.


oh and, what is your advise with the 1 peice main seal block? i havent decided if im using this block yet because it is only a 2 bolt main. and the cost of converting to a 4 bolt is more than it would be to find a used 4 bolt and have it cleaned and honed. im open to any ideas

[silicon212]

Unless you're going to see sustained high RPM (5 grand and above), I wouldn't worry about whether or not the block has 2 or 4 bolt main caps. Two bolt mains are sufficient in the vast majority of cases.

[onesweetcaprice]

thats true and sticking with the block i have would save me alot of $.

[96capricemgr]

For your level I would not worry about the mains, if you are worried maybe stud them instead of bolts.

Make sure you put a windage tray in it.

I like to suggest the 1-piece rear main blocks largely because they are factory roller cam blocks, makes running a roller cam cheaper and roller cams are worthwhile if serious about performance.

I am running a completely stock shortblock, the LT1s were good cranks rods and pistons but the block itself is not much different from a gen 1 and is still just 2-bolt mains, the Vettes got straight 4-bolts but if 4-bolt is needed splayed is better and I may do that on an eventual build, but studs will hold a lot and cost less.

[Blue Bowtie]

like to suggest the 1-piece rear main blocks largely because they are factory roller cam blocks

While that is mostly true, I am one of those unfortunate few who have a factory one-piece RMS with a flat tappet cam, and no provision for the factory roller setup (1986 SBC). It's usually best to start with a 1987-later block. Why they went to the one-piece without the valve train upgrade is a mystery to me, but it only took one year for the mistake to be corrected.

[onesweetcaprice]

i am unfairmiliar with "studing" care to explain?

[96capricemgr]

Just using studs instead of bolts. Studs provide better clamping force.