We deal with a lot of chassis flex with our cars (or any unibody car, for that matter) but check out how much frame flex my brother's 78 GMC had on this run. The bed looks like it has been rear-ended by a Semi!! This run was a 7.86, 12.45 in the 1/4 with a 1.78 60' time. I've added another shot of it to show how low and level the truck is when not launching. Until we saw this still shot, we really had no idea it was that bad.





Oh, and P.S. so this will be 3rd Gen related, I plan on taking the Z28 back to the track next weekend

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82 Z28 383, Ported 215cc Dart Iron Eagle Heads 72 cc Comb. Chambers, Comp custom grind Hyd roller cam, Speed Pro .250" domes, Wheeler Motorsports 4340 I beam rods, Eagle 5140 steel crank, Weiand Team G intake, Holley 830 DP, hedman headers
Trans: Turbo 350 w/ 4000 stall -- Rearend 7.5 w/ Richmond 4.10's, Auburn Minispool
Best ET:11.60 @ 114.56, w/ a 7.34 1/8 @ 93.50, and a 1.622 60'


89 RS, L03 305, Hypertech Chip,cat delete, Dynomax exhaust,K&N open element Filter,160 stat, MSD coil --Trans:700R4 Corvette Servo -- Rearend: 7.5 GM 3.42 w/ posi-lock

Bassett Racing

 

That's just a poor suspension design (stock). If it had some better suspension like ladder bars or a 4-link, the frame wouldn't twist so much.

 

12's in a truck is mighty fast and from the pics it does not seem like an excessive amount of twist. Did anyone at the track say anything about it? My brother used to race a 70 Chevelle - Trailer car. It ran high ten's low 11's and the front left wheel would come up about 2 feet and the right one would come up maybe 6 inches.

 

Stephen, We are working on a better suspension set-up right now. It will work like ladder bars, but we are making them out of a single tube and putting a rod ends on them for pinion angle adjustment. We actually took the idea from some dirt cars that we have worked on in the past. It's almost like a Reese bar, and they are very popular with most of leaf-sprung cars we've seen.

91 Firebird,
No one actually said anything, we just noticed that there was a considerable sized dent in the back of the cab where the bed has been hitting it. You're right about the front not being up all that far, but if you look a little closer, you can the body line on the door/cab and the one on the bed are pretty far off from one another. The bed also is angling downward in the back. I feel when we get the lift bars on the truck, the flex will minimize, and hopefully the front will be up further, of course, indicating better weight transfer. He is planning on buying a N02 kit soon, and We know that we need to get the truck hooking a little better before he sprays it. We are proud of the old truck, though, being a 350 cu in, street legal, naturally aspired, tank!! (race weight is 3865#) It really surprises a lot of the 4th Gen, and Mustang guys at the track.

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82 Z28 383, Ported 215cc Dart Iron Eagle Heads 72 cc Comb. Chambers, Comp custom grind Hyd roller cam, Speed Pro .250" domes, Wheeler Motorsports 4340 I beam rods, Eagle 5140 steel crank, Weiand Team G intake, Holley 830 DP, hedman headers
Trans: Turbo 350 w/ 4000 stall -- Rearend 7.5 w/ Richmond 4.10's, Auburn Minispool
Best ET:11.60 @ 114.56, w/ a 7.34 1/8 @ 93.50, and a 1.622 60'


89 RS, L03 305, Hypertech Chip,cat delete, Dynomax exhaust,K&N open element Filter,160 stat, MSD coil --Trans:700R4 Corvette Servo -- Rearend: 7.5 GM 3.42 w/ posi-lock

Bassett Racing

 

You have to know what you're looking at in those pics. I saw the twisted frame right away. You don't have to lift the wheels to start twisting it. 4 x 4's have the same problems. A long box truck coming back after a day in the boonies will also have a twisted frame.

Something else you may consider for a leaf spring suspension is a set of Caltracs. They work like the bottom half of a 4 link system and work very well. It was amazing that the NHRA allowed them in Stock Eliminator classes for leaf spring vehicles.