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Calvert Caltracs for B body

68Moparmaniac

68Moparmaniac

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Anyone have feed back on the Caltrac setup? Is it worth it or just a black hole for money?
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I run Assassin’s on my Dart GT, they work really well. Once I put too much preload on the left side and that thing went straight left when I launched. So with Calverts being almost the same, I think you’ll like them.
 
Lots of people, especially on the Racers Forum, swear by them.
A guy in my car club runs that setup on his 505" 6bbl 1968 GTX. I desperately need traction, but I priced out a full Calvert system and it costs around 2/3rds what a RMS StreetLynx or Gerst triangulated rear suspension system does. For me, I'll spend the rest of the difference and have a much better setup for track purposes and ride quality too. I'm 100% certain that the Calvert setup would work fine at the drag strip, but my thought is "Why spend 2/3rds the money upgrading ANCIENT engineering when I can have something that at its core is a better engineered system?"
 
Depending what you do with your car is the question. If you have a real hot rod and are a real hot rodder/ Drag racer well then you need something other than ? I myself Love the complete calvert setup
on my 64 dodge 440 and I feel it was the right product and it heads straight down town.:thumbsup: good luck 68. And I also agree with Biomed above.
 
Assassin’s or Calverts are great especially if you are using a truck Dana 60 and don’t have any way to use a pinion snubber. Gotta have something to aid in traction.
 
Virtually ALL leaf spring cars that run NHRA Stock Eliminator use CalTracs. What does that tell you?

It's a great set up, I've heard you will need to upgrade the rear shocks on a 4-speed car though.
 
theman440 said:
Virtually ALL leaf spring cars that run NHRA Stock Eliminator use CalTracs. What does that tell you?
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It tells me that they get the job done, on fast cars.
That changes nothing regarding my decision, and that a triangulated 4 link rear suspension system with coilovers is a superior design that has inherent advantages.
 
5.7 hemi said:
Dana 60 and don’t have any way to use a pinion snubber. Gotta have something to aid in traction.
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Speaking of Dana 60s, pinion snubber, and traction...
I got the better of the 2 pinion snubbers from Mancini. A friend of mine had the cheaper one on his 70 Roadrunner 8 3/4 on T/A Radials back around 80-82. 383 w/hp work and a 4 speed. His worked fine.
My 1st run bent it during wheelspin, but I didn't know. The 2nd and final run I bent it so badly it was rubbing the rear yoke. I removed it.
I am guessing that my stock leaf springs are so old and worn that they are wrapping up badly and putting too much force on the snubber.
I'm reluctant to do anything to the rear suspension at this point since I know I'm replacing it.
 
Nope, not all the Stock/Super Stock Guys are running Caltracs, not even close.
Before Caltracs, we learned how to make Super Stock Leaf Springs work and work consistently.
Many of the old school Racers have stuck with their Leaf Springs and continued to dominate at the Track.
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Contrary to popular belief, Caltracs do not improve all suspensions and have actually slowed down SS Spring Cars that were already set up correctly.
If you're new to racing, I recommend you install a Super Stock Leaf Spring System on your Car. The Key is getting the correct spring rate, using solid spring perch bushings and setting up your Pinion Snubber AND Pinion Angle correctly. It is also important to have the springs freshened every 3 years. ALL of this is pointed out in great detail in the Mopar Performance Chassis setup Book. This is also the most economical way to set up a stock/super stock suspension.
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Greg Luneack at Tri City Competition sells Super Stock Springs (painted red) tailored specifically for your Car. It is recommended that you weigh your car before calling him to order your setup. Weigh the front, rear and overall weight of the Car. They can also freshen your Springs.

chassis.jpg
 
partsmonsta said:
The Key is getting the correct spring rate, using solid spring perch bushings and setting up your Pinion Snubber AND Pinion Angle correctly. It is also important to have the springs freshened every 3 years
Click to expand...
Or...get the 4 link dialed in and be done with it...
:D
 
. . . just answering the man's question! And yes most SE racers use Caltracs.
 
I don't care for the ride with a 4 bar or ladder bar with coil overs.
I have Caltraks on my heap for over 10 years and recently installed Viking DA shocks on all 4 and a pair of sliders.That leaves my 63 with stock style suspension @ 3700 lbs at close to 150 MPH with no issues.
 
Yes, super stock springs with a pinion snubber work excellent. I used to run that set up on my car. Bad part is that the ride quality is terrible, mostly because of the pre-loaded snubber. If you want good ride quality and enhanced traction - Caltracs are hard to beat. The only drawback to them for me is the noise they make when you do a lift - foot upshift, but you should never do one anyway . . . my two cents.
 
If you keep them loaded while driving on the street then prepare for a rough ride. Also, choose your leaf spring wisely. Best to talk with John Calvert before investing in springs. I ran the Calvert mono leaf on my 64 Dart. Going to do the same on my 74 D100
 
partsmonsta said:
Stocker, Super Stockers and NSS Cars not allowed 4 Links. :carrot:
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Yes sir, I know.
And I am very impressed with what anyone who gets their suspension dialed in has accomplished!
My 60 ft times SUCK!
Kudos to the leaf spring guys.
Like I said, complete Caltracks setup is appx $1,200 right??
For another $700, I've got what I consider a far superior designed rear suspension.
(That is...WHEN I get it) :(:rolleyes:
 
Is a 4 bar or ladder bar better than leaf springs,well sort of and they are more consistent for that dedicated race car.But I like the idea of having stock style suspension @ 3700 lbs street driven and in the 8's:blah::blah::blah::drinks:
 
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