elevensecondv6

Hello:

I am new to this board and am trying to find the best bolt on parts to help with my traction problems.I have an 83 Z with a 468 cubic inch big block.The car has an aftermarket 12 bolt rear.I was looking into an adjustable rear shock and lift bars for the rear.Also thinking about some Moroso rear and front shocks and springs.Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thank You

n2ceptor

Welcome to the Board, but I dont believe this should be posted in the Advanced Section....Try posting in the Third Gen forum, Drag Racing Forum, or Road Racing Forum.....

This Forum is designed to go into depth and evaluations, and concepts of different ideas and equipment...

kmook

Hey bud, welcome abord!

This forum actual has some guidelines as to what should be posted here and what shouldnt, (its a sticky thread at the top).

Your post should actually be in 3rd Gen Tech, i will move it there for you now, thanks.

teke184

does the 12 bolt have provisions for the torque arm? if so i would suggest BMR's "extreme duty torque arm", adjustable shocks, maybe a air bag and some good drag launch spings. that combined with good set of lowercontrol arms and maybe relocation brackets

elevensecondv6

Hello all:

Thanks for the replies.I apologize for not posting this in the correct forum.


kmook:Thanks for moving it to the correct place for me.

teke184:

I will check to see if the 12 bolt has provisions for the torque arm.
I was looking at the QA1 Stocker Star 12 way adjustable rear springs and the Lakewood Traction Action lift bars.Anybody use either of these items??

12Second3rdgen

A lot of people will tell you that an aftermarket torque arm, boxed lca's, lca relocation brackets, a panhard rod and countless other expensive aftermarket parts are in order- probably because they read it somewhere on the internet.

If you arent into the lowered car look, a soft drag type suspension and good quality radial tires will get you where you need to go without spending a lot of money.

My stock 82 Camaro with berlinetta "luxury" suspension (really soft) on 275/50/15 radial T/A tires pulls 1.88-1.9 60 foots at the local track with a stock torque arm, stock shocks, stock panhard rod, stock lca's in the stock location, bla bla bla.

Damon

With a 468 in the nose you might just need a few of those expensive pieces to hook it up!

But I agree with the general idea- simple things first.

First off- you GOTTA install subframe connectors. No use bolting a bunch of parts onto the back half of a body that's basically a big hinge. These have helped IMMENSELY on cars running significanly slower than what you should be running. A roll cage in addition would be another good idea but I understand if you're going for a "sleeper" kinda image- I do stuff like that, too.

Get the pinion angle right after that. ANY aftermarket rear end is likely to be a "guesstimate" on pinion angle give that they just weld on brackets and drill stuff to make it fit under a 3rd gen. An adjustable torque arm can be a big help getting this dialed in. I imagine since a 3rd gen never came with a 12 bolt they have to cobble together stuff to make a 3rd gen torque arm and LCAs fit the 12 bolt housing and bolt up. Probably a lot of opportunity to get these precise angles a little wrong. The torque arm is what sets the pinion angle in a 3rd gens suspension so you need to get it right (1.5-2 degrees nose-down). The front bushing of the torque arm and the tranny mount also affect this and so must be correct and in good condition. I HIGHLY recommend a STRONG tranny mount- ripping a stock rubber one in half or distorting the snot out of it with that kinda torque is very possible- and that'll screw up the pinion angle as well. I can't imagine how you could even drive the car if it didn't have a torque arm- the rear end would just rotate freely until the u-joints and stuff would begin to bind.

THEN you would want to look at stronger (fully boxed) LCAs with firm (poly) bushings.

After you get the (basically) stock geometry right and make everything stiff enough to stay put under massive torque THEN you should start playing with the torque arm, LCA relocation brackets, shock settings, etc.

Just making everything stiff and roughly right is bound to make you say "wow!" Playing with stuff after (altering the geometry and shocks settings) that will give you more of a "Holy Cow!" kinda response.

All this assumes you've got tires that are up to the task of harnessing all that power.

elevensecondv6

Hello Damon:

Thanks for the reply.I just purchased a set of QAI 12 way adjustable shocks and a set of MT ET Street tires.I am thinking about buying a set of the LCA relocation brackets.I am hoping that will help the car out.It has currently ran a best of 10.50 @136 with a set of M&H Racemasters.The car spins pretty bad on the initial launch.


Thanks for all the replies.

TheGreatJ

If you're running 10's without subframe connectors then that car isn't going to last long. You NEED to strengthen the chassis before it twists itself in two. My car with a 355 and nowhere NEAR the power you're putting out has issues with chassis flex....I'd hate to think how much yours is bending around.

Fast_89rs

SFC'S are a must>>>>> http://www.spohn.net/index.cfm?fusea...t&productid=31 makes a great set.....

AFatHippo

im sure his car isnt flexing as much as youre thinking....he has to have a roll bar for the times hes running, and thatd stiffen it up quite a bit. personally, i think if youve put that much money into making it fast, you ought to spend enough money to allow all the power to get to the pavement even if it is a bit expensive. id go with lcas with relocation brackets, torque arm with adjustable pinion angle that isnt mounted to the rear of the transmission, subframe connectors, and an airbag in the rear passenger spring. if you still have money left over you could buy some drag springs and shocks.

elevensecondv6

Thanks for the replies all.

Yes I do have subframe connectors.I do however have to update the cage in the car.It only has a 4 point right now.The car has been built for quite awhile now.I am going to order some lca relocation brackets from Spohn this week.Dont know if I need adjustable lower control arms.What does everyone think about them?? Do you think I can get away with the stock lca's??

Thanks again.

Jim85IROC

Unless your car has already had some sort of 4-link custom setup installed, the 12 bolt will definately have a torque arm. It's the only thing keeping your rear from twisting itself apart. Upgrading the torque arm should be on your to-do list.

But first... I'd worry about the LCAs and the LCA mounting points. the stock LCAs flex like a bastard and cause wheel hop. Their almost-horizontal position isn't exactly providing the best suspension geometry either. New LCAs and LCA relocation brackets will be a tremendous help. The relocation brackets lower the back of the LCA a few inches, which provides much better suspension geometry. Combine that with stronger LCAs and you'll have a noticable improvement. Typical 13 second cars seem to increase 60' times by as much as 2 tenths. I just did this (along with a panhard rod) in the IROC over the weekend and I could feel a substantial increase in traction when I slam the gas in 1st gear.

Since it sounds like you're pretty handy with the car, you might even be able to make your own LCA relocation brackets. When you shop for new LCAs and a torque arm, it would probably be a good idea to get the adjustable pieces. This will allow you to adjust pinion angle, as well as the position of the rear end within the wheel wells. It'll probably take longer to get it dialed in, but it'll give you the adjustability that you'll need with so much motor.

elevensecondv6

Jim85IROC:

Thanks for the info.I am going to buy new LCAs and LCA relocation brackets.I was wondering wether I should get adjustable LCA's or just a nice set of boxed non adjustable ones.I think I am going to get the adjustable ones like you suggested.The car does have a stock torque arm now so I guess I better be looking into getting a nice adjustable torque arm also.Any suggestion on whos LCA's and torque arm I should be looking at??

Jim85IROC

I have the BMR stuff because I got a great deal on some used stuff, but if I were to buy new stuff I'd buy Spohn. He has a fantastic reputation, and he's a fellow thirdgenner. http://www.spohn.net