traction bars
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Senior User
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 230
Likes: 1
From: Spring Hill
I hope you take this in the spirit it is given:
1. First thing you need to do is decide what you want your truck to be when it grows up. A street car is never going to be a good drag racing car. A drag racing car will not corner worth a dman or be very comfortable to drive and will regularly break parts if driven on the street. Every improvement to one of the above is going to be detrimental to the other.
2. If you are not experiencing wheel hop, then you are not having a spring wrap up problem, ergo you have no need for traction bars.
3. Drag racing a panel truck is like trying to make a barn fly.
4. No drag racer in his right mind today would use a stock Effie frame and/or parallel rear leaf springs. We only did it back in the 60s because the rules required it.
5. Ask "Daddy Dave", "Big Chief", the owner/driver of "Chucky" Mustang all on Street Outlaws how much their medical bills and cost to rebuild their totalled cars were recently from racing on the street.
1. First thing you need to do is decide what you want your truck to be when it grows up. A street car is never going to be a good drag racing car. A drag racing car will not corner worth a dman or be very comfortable to drive and will regularly break parts if driven on the street. Every improvement to one of the above is going to be detrimental to the other.
2. If you are not experiencing wheel hop, then you are not having a spring wrap up problem, ergo you have no need for traction bars.
3. Drag racing a panel truck is like trying to make a barn fly.
4. No drag racer in his right mind today would use a stock Effie frame and/or parallel rear leaf springs. We only did it back in the 60s because the rules required it.
5. Ask "Daddy Dave", "Big Chief", the owner/driver of "Chucky" Mustang all on Street Outlaws how much their medical bills and cost to rebuild their totalled cars were recently from racing on the street.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 15,882
Likes: 88
From: Durham NC
The leaf springs on the rear of an Effie are short and stiff enough If you don't take out too many leafs that they are too soft, are not likely to exhibit much wrap up except with big sticky tires. The tires and low weight in the a$$ end along with frame flex are the limiting factor. DT, exactly, today's drag racing tech has made rear leaf suspensions dinosaurs. Trying to improve them is like putting makeup on a 90 year old woman to take her to your senior prom 
Daddy Dave did crash at a strip on a no prep day, Chief and Chucky were racing each other on the street while filming a show segment. These were dedicated fully prepped pro race cars driven by very experienced drivers on specially selected smooth and cleaned roads. Doing burnouts on a local road full of bumps, patches, oil and gravel is an accident waiting to happen. I will admit doing a fair amount of street racing in my teen years, and had I saved them I'd have a large collection of broken tranny gears, ring and pinions, engine blocks, etc to prove it. Yes, today's engines, trannys are much more powerful making such activities much more likely an accident waiting to happen, and result in a much more serious aftermath.
Daddy Dave did crash at a strip on a no prep day, Chief and Chucky were racing each other on the street while filming a show segment. These were dedicated fully prepped pro race cars driven by very experienced drivers on specially selected smooth and cleaned roads. Doing burnouts on a local road full of bumps, patches, oil and gravel is an accident waiting to happen. I will admit doing a fair amount of street racing in my teen years, and had I saved them I'd have a large collection of broken tranny gears, ring and pinions, engine blocks, etc to prove it. Yes, today's engines, trannys are much more powerful making such activities much more likely an accident waiting to happen, and result in a much more serious aftermath.
Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 2,580
Likes: 29
From: in a barn
I am about to design a traction bar for my 47 cadillac similar to what was used on 67 camaros to stop axle windup. The caddy is heavy and plants the tires easily, then the springs wrap up enough for the rear axle to rotate up and the driveshaft will hit the X in the center of the frame (factory 2" wide leaf springs and not made for racing). No room for caltracs or a "traditional" lakewood style traction bar because the car is too low, so I will make one that is mounted to the axle inboard of the spring mount and ties the the frame.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 15,882
Likes: 88
From: Durham NC
I think that depends on what you consider a drag car vs street car. Plenty of first gen camaros with monoleaf springs and a set of caltracs running single digit runs. No need for ladder bars and full floaters, or 4 bars unless you are truly a drag only car. A 10 second car to me is a rocket, and it can be done with leafs.
I am about to design a traction bar for my 47 cadillac similar to what was used on 67 camaros to stop axle windup. The caddy is heavy and plants the tires easily, then the springs wrap up enough for the rear axle to rotate up and the driveshaft will hit the X in the center of the frame (factory 2" wide leaf springs and not made for racing). No room for caltracs or a "traditional" lakewood style traction bar because the car is too low, so I will make one that is mounted to the axle inboard of the spring mount and ties the the frame.
I am about to design a traction bar for my 47 cadillac similar to what was used on 67 camaros to stop axle windup. The caddy is heavy and plants the tires easily, then the springs wrap up enough for the rear axle to rotate up and the driveshaft will hit the X in the center of the frame (factory 2" wide leaf springs and not made for racing). No room for caltracs or a "traditional" lakewood style traction bar because the car is too low, so I will make one that is mounted to the axle inboard of the spring mount and ties the the frame.
Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 2,580
Likes: 29
From: in a barn
Have you considered a pinion snubber like the Chrysler guys used to use? great for low clearance apps. The original style traction bars, a solid bar like are used in 4 bars today with pivot on spring mount and on frame at front create bind when used on street. Seen a lot of broken bars (including several of my own before switching to slapper style).
Cargo Master
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 3,427
Likes: 48
From: Hot AZ (Phoenix Valley)
Sorry but I don't understand what the panhard bar well do for this discussion. It's not going to help control axle wrap, but designed to controls side by side movement of a rear end.
Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 2,580
Likes: 29
From: in a barn
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