70 Super Bee suspension set up

[SPAULDO]

I'm looking at getting my rear supension set up and was looking for advice and maybe some different photos of b bodies with different stances. I've a big block 432 stroker motor with an estimated 525-550 hp @ crank and will be running an 18 spline hemi 4 speed with a Dana super trac pack. Should I go with the super stock springs or the Hotchkiss kit? I really don't want to lower the car down which is what the Hotchkiss kit does. Looking for more of an aggressive stance, any suggestions???:icon_question::icon_question:

 

[6packMIKE]

Here's my stance.

Stock spings. One extra on the right rear. The car squats real well upon hard acceleration. LOL

 

[beezee]

my Bee with MP Hemi springs,and 295-65 x15 BFG,s

 

[696pack]

Sounds like you are going to do some racing?

This is long winded but it will explain the stances that most people have looked for over the years, how they came to be and why.

Back in the day most of the guys with muscle cars were trying to mimic what they saw on the strip with the super stock racers. Usually the look they were going for was the entire car lifted which is what you saw when the car was leaving the line under hard excelleration. This was easy to mimic with a Mopar by using shackles, air shocks or heavier rear springs and by simply turning up the torsion bars. Unfortunately lifting the rear end with anything but heavier rear springs. Raising the front end really effects the handling in a negative way as well and causes front end alignment problems that are very difficult to find enough adjustment to correct so the tires don't wear unevenly.

I have a printed interview of Dick Landy laying out how they set up their S/S race cars and how they wanted them to behave that I used to advertise and sell for $10.00 plus mailing but I have not advertised it for years. It has all of the tips of the little things they did to their stock suspension that made them national S/S winners.

Landy said that that with a Dodge it wasn't necessary to do much to the chassis and if you do too much it hurts your e.t.
One of the big things he stressed was that they did not want the front end of the car to lift (as in wheelies) because of the power it used and the energy shock it sent through the car. "The whole car should rise on take of not just the front end." This was the "look" the Mopar gearheads were trying to mimic but as stated above it is hard on the car and makes it hand like crap on the street.

Here is a link to the way Landy's cars sat when sitting still. You will note that the car actually has a little higher than stock rear stance with the super stock springs they used and the front end is actually a little lower than stock. This was done so the front end did not rise as quickly and transfered the weight of the car to the rear more smoothly when they popped the clutch. Landy said "Don't raise the front end of the car, it should be left at stock height. (He later goes on to give some tips that with the car at stock setting actually lower the front end.) We raised the front ends of our Darts and didn't do very well. We dropped it down to stock height and picked up 1 1/2 mph an .05 seconds. We have been running our Charger with a lowered front end and it works very well." There is a picture at the bottom of the link that shows his 68 Charger at launch and you can see that he is not doing a wheelie and this is the look people were going for. If he was doing a wheelie it was because he was getting a big batch of traction at once and he is pulling the front end up in the air. He said that most of the wheelies that other cars do are accomplished by jerking the front end into the air because the front end runs out of travel. That kind of wheelie is the worst you can do.
http://dicklandy.com/Gallery/68-69.htm

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

Cal trac's are the way to go.You can pick your ride height when ordering.I like the adjustability for different conditions.:icon_brilsmurf:

 

[SPAULDO]

I agree that Cal trac mono leaf suspension is great, I actually have my 68 Cuda set up with them but I wanted to go with a more stock look.