Early chevelle stock suspension geometry for circle track?

[rick7343]

Good or bad? Better stock chassis to start with? (1/4 mile mid banked paved oval...) We can't move the pickup points, but can change spindles, ball joints, and rear end mounts...

Anywhere to find blueprints of changes needed??

[ZIGGY]

Better than metric(at least for dirt;I have very little pavement exp.) but heavier. You talking about running the whole frame, not just front clip, right?

[rick7343]

We have to run stock back to the front of the rear end, clip and side rails sorta thing. It also has to have stock mounts for the 4 link in the rear,but the uppers can be fabbed and checked...

Also have a pesky rule, the bell housing surface on the engine has to be 94.625" from the center of the rear axle... that rule is based on metric engine location..

What makes the early frame better?

[PackardV8]

How early is early Chevelle? The '64-66 front ends were not race-ready.

jack vines

[ZIGGY]

Packard, if you get a minute, expand on that. Dirt mod guys used to consider the early Chevelle front frame clips, with the so-called straight horns, to be most desirable (supposedly slightly lighter & more damage-resistant). I thought the lower control arm & steering/idler positions were the same but I'm no expert on early Chevelle's (or much else )

[ZIGGY]

What makes the early frame better?

Now that I have another moment - the geometry is comparatively better as a beginning point vs. metric, and the clip is more rigid. Any other considerations would be better answered by someone with strong suspension knowledge as it applies to pavement. On this forum, Unkl Ian, Mad Bill, Governor immediately come to mind. I believe Packard once hung out with the Alabama Gang so he knows a thing or too as well. If you're looking for a laundry list of measurements and parts, I'd talk to chassis builders/parts suppliers and any friendly front runners at your track(take your tape measure).

[monte442]

Can you use a Ford 9" rear in that chassis ? Doing that will raise the upper control arm mounting point and move the instant center toward the rear of the car.Are you restricted on shock and spring package ? If you are talking about the 68-72 style that is a good chassis to use and will work well if you take the time to figure out what it wants.

[rick7343]

Yes we can use the 9"... stock mounts on the frame , but anything goes on the rearend... Wheelbase must be the same on both sides.

Racing springs in the stock location, adjustable on the rear only, stock mounted shocks...

Thanx guys!

[rce4csh]

Since you have the ability to mix and match parts to a limited degree, wouldn't it be more productive to ask the question "what moment centers, roll center, camber change rate and ackerman effect would be best for the tire size, vehicle weight, etc. you are trying to get around the racetrack fast. This front end geometry 'sweet spot" is what you are trying to acheive. With this kind of objective determined, it is then easier to take the dimensions of the components you are trying to use and plug them into the "geometry analyzer" to predict result. This is not a ridicule by any means of efforts to learn better how to win, but rather the voice of experience talking when a couple of decades of cut and try in this arena were required to get a excellent handle on the specific desired result. The software available today is so much better at the "what if?" of front suspension design than any amount of chalk drawings on the floor or any literal cut, weld and try type of effort. Had this software been available twenty five years ago, I would have saved enough soapstone, stringlines, grind dics, welding wire and abacus beads to build a fleet of Winston Cup cars. Keep moving forward, your headed in the right direction!

[rick7343]

I guess I'm not very good at wording questions....

What I was trying to find is: Is there something physically better about the early A body chassis than others? This would be considering stock location of lower control arm mounts and all rear trailing arms, etc...

I intend on purchasing some sort of sotware, but how to know what roll ,moment,or instant centers to aim for?

I need to at least clip the car, so I was looking for an improvement...

rick...

[idoit4speed]

the one advantage early chevelle front ends have , are bolt on steering arms. real easy to dial in the ackerman. 64-67 clips will limit your radaitor width to about 26".

[Unkl Ian]

What front clip did the the old Howe cars use ?
In the mid 70's, Howe was THE car to have on paved short tracks.

Sounds like more of those stupid rules, to "save" everyone money.
You are talking about parts that are over 40 years old.
Good luck finding a decent 40 year old frame around here.

Since you can swap spindles, look at the 90's Caprice.
Comes with nice big brakes.
The spindle should be taller, giving you a quicker camber curve.
Guys used to use Caddy spindles for the same reason.
Pay attention to tire temps, and wheel travel.
Forget the "coil bound" nonsense.


Steve Smith used to have Chevelle chassis plans, but that was a long time ago.

[rick7343]

I actually just found 2 decent complete frames for under $500 each.... But now, since we only have to use the front clip nd can fab the rest (with stock postioned rear trailing arm mounts), I might jig one and then but the chevelle stampings from Alabama... There is some demand up here for that chassis...

No matter how decent the original frames look, a brand new stamping should be stronger...

I just wanted to know if and why the old chevelle frame was better than the metrics....

There is already a company doing a tube version of the metric frame...

[Unkl Ian]

Could you use a Nova or Camaro unibody clip ?

[rick7343]

Can run camaro/nova clip with rear leafs... I would prefer coils, so I have to have a front clip from a car with coils..