Bracket Drag Racing Basics
Front Suspension / Steering
There are a few things that can be done to improve the Steering and Front Suspension of your Race Vehicle. I would recommend that if you are using an older Vehicle, that you get a kit to replace all of the parts in the Front Suspension. These Kits contain everything needed, from Ball Joints, Tie Rod Ends, Bushings, and anything else that may wear out with time. There are Kits Available with new Upper and Lower Control Arms also. This way, you just replace the Control Arms, instead of having to replace the Bushings and Ball Joints. You can also get Harder bushings for better control, as well as a Thicker Sway Bar for better Handling.
You can replace the Coil Springs in your Front Suspension, with Heavy Duty Units that are available. You may want to do this, because you have put a Big Block Motor in, which can be a couple Hundred Pounds Heavier, or you may just want to Stiffen up your Front Suspension. Either way, you will want to go with a Better Shock Absorber up Front also. There are many Shocks on the Market, but the better Shocks are Adjustable. This way you can Adjust your Front Suspension for better rear Traction. While on this Subject, you can also use what is called a Suspension Limiting Kit. It limits your Suspension from extending all the way, meaning you will get more Weight Transfer Faster, for better rear Traction. It consists of a couple of Cables that run from your Lower Control Arm to the Frame.
You can get new Steering Boxes also if that is what you need, or if you want to replace yours with one that does not turn as quick, to keep you from Over-Steering. A lot of drivers will remove the Power Steering Belt on Power Steering Cars to help Free up some Horsepower, it will also help to keep you from Over-Steering, but it will be harder Steering when moving slow. Always make sure all the Parts in your Steering are Top Grade and Tightened when replaced. Always have your Front-end aligned after any parts replacement.
Some people have put a Straight Axel under the front end of their Race Vehicle, completely replacing the old Suspension System. A Straight Axel utilizes Leaf Springs instead of Coil Springs. Although this is sometimes needed when placing a Big Block Motor in a Small Chassis, they can be hard to steer, or may not turn in a short enough Radius for you. This used to be the big thing to do many years ago, and is still used today in many Street Rods. The Straight Axel still uses Shock Absorbers like the other Suspensions.
Some Vehicles like Chryslers have what’s called a Torsion Bar Suspension. They do not have the big Coil Springs in the Front End like many other Cars, rather they have long Torsion Bars that extends from frame to the Lower Control Arms. These can sometimes be adjusted with an Adjusting Bolt, that can be found on the Lower Control Arms. This Torsion Bar System was used with, what Chrysler called the K-Frame. The Torsion Bar System does use Shock Absorbers like the other Suspensions.
The K-Frame was a Frame in the shape of a Capital K under the front of the car. It not only held the Suspension parts, but also held the Motor in place. The thing about a K-Frame is, that you had some made for Small Block Motors and others were made for Big Block Motors. You could not put a Big Block Motor in a K-Frame made for a Small Block, and you could not put a Small block Motor in a K-Frame made for a Big Block. But, you could switch the Chrysler K-Frames around to other Chrysler K-Frame Bodies. Chrysler had A-Body cars and B-Body Cars. A body cars were like the Barracuda, Scamp, and Dart to name a few. The B-Body cars were bigger, like the Charger, Road Runner, and the Satellite. All these were of the 60s and 70s vintage.
