Sooooo Close....Dragstrip Times

Vinyl66

Member
Mar 21, 2004
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Me and ga289stocker went to Atl. Dragway last night for the Year One Auto Parts event.
He is now using my old 215 drag radials and has his '65 Fastback with stock heads running in the 14.4's. He had 3 runs last night that were better than his previous best. All that and his 60 foots still suck! No offense David.:D

I was testing out my new 235/60 MT ET Street radials. I was one wheel peeling it all night. Passenger side rear smokes nicely while the driver side tire just sits there.:nonono: I've gotta get a good posi or locker. I realize launching on one tire is not the easiest way to get off the line but on my 2nd pass I got it to hook up pretty well and ran:

60'......1.693
330.....4.877
1/8.....7.595
MPH...90.37
1000...9.975
1/4....12.016
MPH...109.70

The 60 foot felt great! This was my first run in the 1.6 range. I felt it would be an 11.99 pass but came up a few hundredths short.:bang:
I was happy that I ran my best time but it is so agonizingly close to the 11's that I want to go back and try some more.

Is the Detroit True Trac good enough for strip use or would a Detroit Locker be a better choice? I have a Detroit locker in my Jeep and it works awesome. This one wheel burnout thing is killing me. But at least my driver side rear tire still looks new.:rolleyes:
 
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I saw you guys out there last night! I was just a spectator since my car is in pieces. I was sitting there thinking "wow I know these cars from somewhere"! Vinyl you launched nice on that run with just a one legger! Next time I see you guys there I will stop by and say hi.
 
Wow 1.69 one wheel peel!!

I would highly recommend Detroit True trac, that is what I have in my 9" and it has made many passes on slicks with no problems. All those passes were made footbraking it and not on the transbrake but I am sure it will hold. True trac has good street manners and does not have any problems with sharp slow turns.

When you get posi your going to easily get into the 11's
 
ga289 stocker:
I can't wait to see that run on video. I will remember to bring my video camera or digital camera to the strip one of these days.

70MachI:
Come over and chat if you see us at the strip again. I usually go on Friday nights for Test and Tune. A lot of people were interested in my car on Saturday night. I met lots of nice people and had a blast. Running a new best time was icing on the cake!

6768 and washMO66:
I was impressed by the pure feel of the 1.69!! It felt great. I am sure with a good posi or locker I could get it to do that or better on every run. As it was, if I left the line too hard I would spin badly and slow down a few tenths in the 60.
At this point I am leaning toward the locker but if you (washMO66) have been using the Detroit True Trac on your car then I would have no reservations about putting one on mine.

My car has always been quick in the first half of the race and still is. Using online calculators and my 7.59 1/8 mile et, some calculators say I should be running 11.8's. I guess that is bec. of my mild "torque" build over a more HP top end build.
 
A TrueTrac delivers about 50% to the other wheel, whereas the Locker will deliver, I think, 100% to both wheels. So, there is a litttle compromise for the smooth action. TrueTracs are popular for road cars, more than drag cars, but can certainly serve both uses. As you can see in my sig, I use the TrueTrac.
 
Yes. A "spool" is the most extreme in that sense. A locker will unlock when going around a corner. It is common for some to have a clicking noise when cornering as the locker disengages. I understand that others are much smoother - Detroit Soft-locker and PowerTrax No-slip, for two. A limited slip, like the TrueTac is very smooth when cornering, but does not lock-up both wheels completely, as mentioned above.
 
Cobain03 said:
hey vinyl... you could always just weld the spider gears lol

I could do that but it is a street car and that would certainly give it bad manners on the road as well as wear the tires faster.
My Jeep Wrangler is my daily driver and I don't mind the Detroit Locker in it at all. It does unload with a loud bang every once in a while and you really need to be off the gas making u-turns but I am used to it now. My Jeep is a 5 speed and I hear they are much more forgiving with an automatic.

Has anyone here broken an axle shaft in an 8" with an automatic? Or know someone who has? The only ones I have heard of breaking were in stick shifted cars.
 
Are you running an 8 inch or a 9? The axles are the same either way but I would consider upgrading if you want to keep the 28 spline axles. Since you plan on getting a locker now would be a good time to step it up to 31. It may be hard to fine a 28 spline locker for an 8 inch but I am sure someone must make one.

If you plan on paying someone to set up the locker, you might be better off just finding a 9 inch housing, then you can buy a center section already setup with a locker and the gear ratio you want.

My original plan was to put a locker in my 8 inch, but after I started adding up the costs of the locker $400, new gears $200, Labor $300 I was already exceeding the cost of a used 9 inch housing and center section.

I picked up a 31 spline locker in a 9 inch nodular strange case with 3.75 richmond gears, daytona pinion support and strange 1350 yoke for under $700 then bought a housing for $250 and upgraded to aftermarket axles

If you can setup the locker yourself then its worth sticking with the 8 inch but going to a 9 is not much more if you don't pay someone to setup the center section. Plus parts are more readily available and finding gears is a breeze.
 
mikemustang:
I am running an 8" axle. Summit sells Detroit lockers for the 28 spline 8" axles.
I "helped" a friend of mine with the setup of the Detroit on my Jeep and I will do the same with this one. So the only cost will be the cost of the locker.

I have noticed that 9" parts are much easier to find and are cheaper. I should have also asked if anyone has broken a 28 spline axle shaft in a 9" rear as well. :shrug:

Thanks LUCAFU1,
I should have taken the entire ash tray out just to be sure I got into the 11's.:D