Slapped AroundIn Dec. '02 and Jan. '03 articles about slapper-bar setups ("SuperNova," Parts VI and VII), nowhere did I see mention of the importance of having the leaf-spring center bolts properly located into the spring perches. This is definitely important on a car making any kind of power with a set of slicks. I think driving a drag-race car with the setup shown on the bottom of page 59 of the Dec. article would be asking for big trouble. I know that a monoleaf has a nub instead of a center bolt, but the purpose is the same.Phil BagnardEnglewood, OH
You're right about the importance of the centering bolt, and this is an issue we grappled with on the SuperNova. Unlike most multileaf spring packs with a through-bolt that allows the spring perch to center and locate itself on the top of the spring, GM factory monoleaf springs have a centering nub on the bottom of the spring, which indexes into the shock mount that bolts under the factory spring perch. When we replaced our stock spring perches and added traction bars, we lost the ability to solidly locate the perch on the bottom of the spring. We made up for it by welding a locating tab onto the spring itself to keep the perch from shifting on the spring, but we admit it is a relatively substandard and temporary fix, and the proper solution is to either drill a hole through the monoleaf and add a through-bolt, or get a new set of springs with the nub on the top. Since we haven't had any problems so far, now we probably will.
I used to race a Mustang with an FE engine making 700 lb-ft of torque with slapper bars that ran 10.50 at 128 on a 9-inch tire at Speedworld in Arizona. Here are some more things to try. Make sure you preload the passenger-side bar. Make sure the car is on level ground, put gas and a driver in it, and roll it back and forth to settle the load. Ditch the rubber snubbers and use 11/42-inch bolts and bring them right up to the spring with the chassis loaded. If the passenger-side gap is open, raise the snubber up to match the driver-side gap. Then take the safety loop and crank it down until it touches the leaf, which will help eliminate the twisting of the front part of the spring and hold it more straight.Gary Wray, via e-mailThanks, we'll try that!
One-LinersWhat's up with the Honda and Nissan options on your Web site's FAQ page? Is Car Craft using chop sticks for tools now?Robert Deleur, via e-mail
Instead of GM bringing back Harley Earl to build us a "great car," how about bringing back Bunkie Knudsen, Zora Duntov, or Larry Shinoda? Those guys knew style.Mark Saylor, via e-mail
I saw a GReddy sticker on a '72 'Cuda driving down Woodward Boulevard last week. Unfortunately I was driving the wife's car, so the guy managed to escape.John Widiker, via e-mail
Since you guys are into giving things away, I'll take the yellow Chevelle with the black stripes.Nicholas Liesch, via e-mail
Forget the Caprice barge. If I'm buying a used cop car, I want a Z28.Justin Landrum, via e-mail
"Know safety, no pain; no safety, know pain." This applies to wrenching, towing, jacking, and especially driving fast.Karl Turon, Gibbons, Alberta, Canada
Grumpy's ToyI must compliment you on the choice of photographs for the calendar in the Jan. '03 issue. I couldn't help noting in the picture of Grumpy's '68 Pro Stock car (when stock meant stock), that he is doing the burnout with the driver's window down. A great statement! You couldn't do that today because the culture obsesses over protecting everybody from any potential injury, and the current Pro Stock cars couldn't roll a window down with a brick. Will future generations look back on today's racers with fondness for "mighty men of renown," or see only successful techno strategies? Dwight SoutherlandConway, AR