My 86 currently has all tubler k-memeber,Control amrs,Torque arm,Rear arms, 90/10 front lakewood struts,50/50 rear shocks. It has the hotchkins lowering springs. Everything is tied toghter with sub connecters and a wonder bar. The front end is so stiff it does not move you cannot even lift it a inch by hand. Im running a built 383 with a ford 9 inch and 4.30 gears the car hooks and is not spinning getting 1.57 60ft. I do still have the battery up front and the sway bar on it. The car does not see much street use as the cam is 700lift 3500-7500 solid roller. How can i get some travle up front. I here guys saying the 90/10 pull the front wheels with ease. Is it the springs not correct or the sway bar making it that stiff. it doesn't seem a bar would make it that hard. I really need some help or someone to share how thier setup.
Thanks

 

The sway bar doesn't make the front "stiff"; all it does, is make the wheels travel TOGETHER. It only makes the suspension "stiff" to the extent that it binds. Which is not likely to be an issue here.

What kind of car is this? What springs are in it?

 

if the front end wont move at all, you could have bad struts

 

The car is a 86 camaro z28 with t-tops, Im not sure of the springs they where in the car when i got it i know they are hotckins but not sure which ones. Im guessing they may be a lower spring seeing how the car is very low in the front.What is normal lift you can expect out of a 90/10 when trying to lift it by hand i have heard diffrent things.

 

Depends on the springs. Shocks (struts in this case, actually, since there's no "shocks" up front in these cars) don't have anything to do with that. They only control how fast it moves and/or returns when you let go, and you're not going to even get close to that mattering lifting it by hand.

Sounds like you have altogether the wrong springs for the purpose at hand. Very high rate, the exact opposite of what you want for drag racing.

Go buy the right springs for how you want to use the car, and don't try to outsmart yourself about what's in there now.

 

I agree since i really dont know what the springs are, Is thier any ideas on what springs i should be running or what brands are better? Thanks for the help

 

Since it's mainly a strip only car, pick up some Moroso trick springs and ditch that front sway bar. Factory springs may or may not be helping. It depends exactly which springs are in the car. Just about every model of third gen got a different spring rate. I even experimented with a lightweight V6 spring in my car for a while. I finally went with Trick Springs.

I use Koni SPA1 struts on the front of my car. If I have them set on full loose, I can grab a front fender and pull up and down on the car. If I crank them up, I can't move the car at all. If traction is good and I pull too much of a wheelstand, I crank them up to slow down the extension.

Sounds to me like your struts are not doing a good enough job but then I've also never used 90/10 struts/shocks so I really don't know. They're old school and non adjustable. For modern day dragstrip use, you need something that's adjustable. Double adjustable on the front and rear is the ultimate way to go.

 

The current springs in the car are hotchkins lowering springs front and back. I did take off the sway bar which seems to help some. I guess i will run the car next week and see what happens if it did not help i will just change the struts and springs

 

Ditch the sway bar. You will get more travel out of the front, and I agree on the 90/10's. You'll notice a big difference