[drewcrane]

sweet im very flattered to know that my pic is somewhere elsr in the world thanks again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!,drew

[Eddie]

Drew, can you "give up" your suspension build? What parts have you used? the size of the T-bars? Poly bushings? Sway bar diameter ect.. My R/T's suspension quickly "overpowers" my wheel/ tire dimensions and compound.(15x7 Rallyes) B.F. Goodrich P225/60/15's street tyres

[drewcrane]

im still using my stock torsion bars,and stock swaybars, bfta,s are good but im running good year eaglr f1 and man whan the get hot after a lap or two they stick, the tire size i should know by heart but i cant remember right now, i do know this the cuda behind me in the photo is rinning some vintage classes, and they have to run 15,s tires wow/ my bro just showed me mopar mag with your car in it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!! nice car man ,man i got sidetracked now ill talk to ya later,drew

[Fat Tony]

Hi Eddie , if you want your Chally to go round corners , get some 17's and some sticky tyres on it . Stock R/T H/D torsion bars and springs , lowered aprox 1 1/2 - 2 '' at the front just by winding the T - Bars down, Pirelli P Zero boots , 235 x 50 x 17 all round.
Pic 1 - my Chally with 17 x 7 ARE TT2's - P Zero rubber -' tweaked ' suspension
Pic 2 - 71 440 6pack Cuda - stock Rallyes and BFG ' balloons '

I couldn't match it on the straight , but blew it's doors off on the twisty bits

[drewcrane]

well, i do know this there is an amx buddy i have and we ran at bandimeres speedway 5800 feet above sea level, and he has some 15 inch ballons, lol , he ran a 13.6 , i ran a 14 flat, then he got smoked by me at the road course track i actually lapped him , and then he got some 17,s and ran a 14 flat , and still got smoked at the road course track and he,s is the local club amc president its funny alright....drew

[drewcrane]

in these pix i had some 17 inch dayton "rags" and i didnt have 4 wheel discs , and stock suspension ,in the vid i have alot of mods as mentioned.

[Eddie]

Fat Tony, that is really dramatic, the difference is almost comical, it however shows me that I really dont have a clue how my suspension would really feel like until I get some serious wheels and tires in my wheel wells! I have a set of Police wheels, ventilated for front disc cooling, but they are only 15", which of course limits the amount of performance tyre choices! Tony, if I were to use those wheels on my car would I have to cut the wells or lip? They look really nice and seem to work very well around the curves, which is what I am looking for. Hey, I can always put the stock look back on in a few minutes right!

[Eddie]

well, i do know this there is an amx buddy i have and we ran at bandimeres speedway 5800 feet above sea level, and he has some 15 inch ballons, lol , he ran a 13.6 , i ran a 14 flat, then he got smoked by me at the road course track i actually lapped him , and then he got some 17,s and ran a 14 flat , and still got smoked at the road course track and he,s is the local club amc president its funny alright....drew

Thats hilarious, the poor chap cant win! Ha! The shot of the Cuda behind you is classic! It's my screen now. I want to get a poster of it and hang it my shop. Now Thats what E-Bodies are built for my man!!

[Eddie]

Hi Eddie , if you want your Chally to go round corners , get some 17's and some sticky tyres on it . Stock R/T H/D torsion bars and springs , lowered aprox 1 1/2 - 2 '' at the front just by winding the T - Bars down, Pirelli P Zero boots , 235 x 50 x 17 all round.
Pic 1 - my Chally with 17 x 7 ARE TT2's - P Zero rubber -' tweaked ' suspension
Pic 2 - 71 440 6pack Cuda - stock Rallyes and BFG ' balloons '

I couldn't match it on the straight , but blew it's doors off on the twisty bits

Thanks Fat Tony, man you're car looks so danged cool going thru the esses, it looks like it handles very well, and flat, very little body roll, I like that!!I have to do something about my wheel situation, right now I can't afford it but I will soon! What Brand of wheel do you recommend for weight reduction without sacrificing strength. Cost is no object. I always purchase the best.

[Eddie]

Is the wheel type or brand a ARE TT type 2? They look really nice but looks are unimportant, function and strength are. I would say something, but am afraid.....

[Fat Tony]

Hi Eddie , 17 x 7 alloys with 235 x 50 x 17 tyres bolt straight on - NO mods whatsover . Keep your wheel arch trims and even better , your speedo will read correct as well. Won't affect the gearing or give any adverse handling / steering problems whatsoever. I chose ARE Torque Thrust 2's for no other reason than I think they are the best looking wheel ever , ( except maybe for Halibrands !! ), and they also look good on my 64 Galaxie ragtop ( See Pic ). Don't penny pinch on the rubber tho ' . I paid the best part of £200 / $400 a corner for Pirelli P Zero boots , coz when it comes down to it , they are doing all the work . Best thing about the wheel / tyre combo tho , was being able to smoke pretty much any other American car round the corners , then bolt my 14'' Magnums back on in 30 mins , and keep the purists happy

[dave-r]

Guys. Those photos of your cars and others show far too much body roll.

That much roll vastly reduces the amount of traction you have on the corner.

You need suspension and sway bars that are a lot stiffer than stock.

You would not see my car rolling like that.

Drew.
I might be teaching my granny to suck eggs here but can I give you a few driving tips based on your video posted elsewhere here?

It looks to me that you are hitting the apex on the curves too early. Use the full width of the track. Don't hit the kerb until you are actually at the apex.

Brake MORE before going into the bend because at times you still have too much speed going in. Remember to brake late and hard.

Then start getting on the throttle as you turn. You should be at WOT by the apex and changing up at the exit.
Again. Use the full width of the track. You should be on the opposite kerb at the exit.

[Eddie]

Hi Eddie , 17 x 7 alloys with 235 x 50 x 17 tyres bolt straight on - NO mods whatsover . Keep your wheel arch trims and even better , your speedo will read correct as well. Won't affect the gearing or give any adverse handling / steering problems whatsoever. I chose ARE Torque Thrust 2's for no other reason than I think they are the best looking wheel ever , ( except maybe for Halibrands !! ), and they also look good on my 64 Galaxie ragtop ( See Pic ). Don't penny pinch on the rubber tho ' . I paid the best part of £200 / $400 a corner for Pirelli P Zero boots , coz when it comes down to it , they are doing all the work . Best thing about the wheel / tyre combo tho , was being able to smoke pretty much any other American car round the corners , then bolt my 14'' Magnums back on in 30 mins , and keep the purists happy

Fat Tony, Thanks so much man! I am keeping this 'recipe' you have included because I too think the Torque thrusts are the best looking sixties/seventies wheel out there! Fabian also touched briefly about those Pirellis and I think I will save up for the complete set.Great info!!

[Eddie]

There is no better feeling than hitting that 'apex' just right!

[drewcrane]

ok yea i didnt hit the apex right every time as im not a professional driver ! ok, that said i that video is shortened by 7 or 8 laps as not to bore people so after those laps (btw track temperature was a scorching 110 degrees f),i got fatigued, the car was , and most of all i was having fun in front of a ferrari and i really want to see someone else do that! all i see is burn outs and people that have no insurance backing there prize out of the garage and revving it up and backing in to tha garage , i feel that my driving is better than most people especilaay since it is an inferior muscle car out there flogging it out on the track most people know it aint easy pushing that car around with out a few drivers errors, like i said i aint no pro but i had fun and cant wait to go again ,and again , and post em all for all to see and critique as i dont mind the criticizing but all i can say is go get a camera and go do it better ,cause doing stupid stuff on the streets is insane with the value of these cars and much more fun on the track , btw i try to be at my speed before the corner and use the engine to slow me down not the brakes! also that ttrack is smaller than you think cause in the strait 100 mps than slowing for a corner on the last lap i was way too hot and fatigued so i got off the track all in fun .drew

[Eddie]

Very cool Drew. BTW, please continue with your video and posts. I 'live' for this stuff!!

[drewcrane]

btw eddie that red amx has torque thrusts on it and it is a certified 185 mph car and he never broke one , ive never seen a broken wheel especially a modern wheel

[Eddie]

btw eddie that red amx has torque thrusts on it and it is a certified 185 mph car and he never broke one , ive never seen a broken wheel especially a modern wheel

Thats pretty amazing Drew! BTW, I never thought about the heat, it would make a person very fatigued and dehydrated very quickly. Split second decisions are hard to make when faced with those grueling conditions. How long are you guys suited up in that heat? generally speaking? Alsao what type of safety equipment must you use on the vehicle as well as the driver? Thanks

[drewcrane]

no suit, helmet, fire extinsguisher lap , shoulder belts, but just standing there in the heat is exhausting to say the least ,and i usually do about 15 to 20 laps and im done it very hard on the car ,it will test the car to the , ive broken so many times and borrowed a trailor to take it home i forgotten how many times ive done that , i push the car as hard as im comfottable with for as long as i can , and then i realize this aint no race car and i quit, but i get so rushed from it i usually cant sleep that nite cause keep reliving the day in my head it is truly a blast , also there is only 40 cars invited to the event , so it is real kinda close with the people and yet compatetive, but there are no timed runs unless you want, also if the car behind you can clearly over your car it is a rule to let the other car by in a safe strait, but that ferrari clearly is a superior car but he didnt have the power the stay with me in the straits, but in the corners , he was right there and id pull away from him and he would be there in the next corner, people said i was 4 or 5 car lengths ahead of him and he would close fast , man what fun tons and tons of fun

[Eddie]

no suit, helmet, fire extinsguisher lap , shoulder belts, but just standing there in the heat is exhausting to say the least ,and i usually do about 15 to 20 laps and im done it very hard on the car ,it will test the car to the , ive broken so many times and borrowed a trailor to take it home i forgotten how many times ive done that , i push the car as hard as im comfottable with for as long as i can , and then i realize this aint no race car and i quit, but i get so rushed from it i usually cant sleep that nite cause keep reliving the day in my head it is truly a blast , also there is only 40 cars invited to the event , so it is real kinda close with the people and yet compatetive, but there are no timed runs unless you want, also if the car behind you can clearly over your car it is a rule to let the other car by in a safe strait, but that ferrari clearly is a superior car but he didnt have the power the stay with me in the straits, but in the corners , he was right there and id pull away from him and he would be there in the next corner, people said i was 4 or 5 car lengths ahead of him and he would close fast , man what fun tons and tons of fun

Great synopsis of your day. I would love to do that with my car! I wouldnt try to win or anything, just make a few laps and get the feel of it then.. Ha! My only "track" experience if you want to call it that was at Glynco Ga. The Feds sent me to a pursuit/evade driving class there. We did a lot of high speed manuevers,(70 MPH max, bummer, but then again, the low powered Crown Vics couldnt go much faster than 90 or so, small v-8 standard cop issue), mostly learning how not to get boxed in, braking, very little curves, mostly straight line driving. The Ferrari is an incredible machine, but it's really amazing how well you did against a car that cost what, three or four times as much? I bet his brakes are what an engine would cost. It sounds like there are a lot of exotic iron there, great mix of U.S. and Euro cars. I admire your tenacity to go on after fixing your machine and continuing on!

[drewcrane]

ye just talked to speed shop said my aulminum drive shaft is to small diametor for a car of this weight , it starts to blur as the car hits 3500, the car is in the air and he can see it what its doing is whipping , its twisting and, untwisting, but i said it did it with the steel ds too!, maybe it was old an dfatigued , he also stated that a car this heavy should have a steel ds so i m gonna have a steel ds made and alos my wilwod brakes line un on the studs instead of the axel hub im gonna get different rotors and fix that too! btw that cop driving school is alot of fun my neighbor is a cop he got some stories , but i never did a cop thing that sounds like fun to go sledding in a big ole sled and let her drift into a pile o smoke lol to me it dosent matter how its how fun hell my speedo dont work anyway ! dam i just got a cal i got electro problems now in there shop lol man i cant win i gotta go down there tomorrow and see what vibrated loose this time , anybody want a challenger ! cheap! lo jk

[Eddie]

Man, Drew, whew, you just cant win! I hope he gets you a good drive shaft. Wonder if a Carbon Fiber driveshaft would work? Thats what Dodge finally used in the Dakota to solve thier vibration problems with that paricular chassis design,(it's however, a two piece), I also wonder what some of the other guys are running? The cop driving school was fun. The weapons training and the other schools they sent me to were even funner! But nothing compares to walking along Redondo Beach in Cali!!

[drewcrane]

yea the beach is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sweet i miss the water me and the mrs are certified scuba and we go to cozumel alot man i miss the tranquility of the beach man o man i very envious yea the nfl starts tonite yea !! talk to ya later

[Eddie]

Scuba? Man I wish I could go back to that area someday. Ever been to Blacks beach?

[dave-r]

i dont mind the criticizing but all i can say is go get a camera and go do it better ,cause doing stupid stuff on the streets is insane with the value of these cars and much more fun on the track , btw i try to be at my speed before the corner and use the engine to slow me down not the brakes!

No malicious criticism meant. Just giving you a few tips. I have been around a few tracks when I was younger.

Hell I tend to hit the apex too early myself. On a strange track anyway. It took me longer to learn the correct line on a track than many of the drivers around me. At least it seemed that way. I was never competative enough (or wealthy enough) to become a serious driver. I sometimes wish I had though.

Its been many, many years since I was on a circuit. And never in the Challenger. Yet.

You definitely need to use the brakes rather than engine braking though. This is not a super speedway. Braking late and fast into corners drops your lap times a lot faster than engine power out of the corner.
I know it seems strange to think that slowing down more before the turn will make you quicker but it does because you have better gearing and power out of the curve.
I learned that lesson driving Karts. Karts are a good safe way to learn how to drive around a track quickly. In particular when you have a lot of very tight bends.

Try a set of one inch front torsion bars up front on your car (any more and the ride becomes a pain on the street) and uprated monoleaf springs on the rear. Your front sway bar needs to be 1 and 1/8th at least. The rear bar size will depend on your rear spring rates and weight balance of the car. But you are probably limited to choices of 3/4 inch or 7/8 inch.

A mate of mine runs a Touring car in a UK racing series. You cannot get the suspension to move on that thing even with bouncing all your weight on it. And it is only a little light Peugeot.

[drewcrane]

oh yea cart racing is ton o fun, yea i dont get a lot of practice ,or as much as i should anyway but as far as the braking i will use that idea and let you know some times its a feel thing and i have to force myself to do and practice it some but thanks fro thre tips i will use them , btw the cones are also set up for an ideal apex so i should start using them more ..drew

[Eddie]

My torsion bars are 1.19 and I dont feel any "pain" on the street. I need to upgrade my front sway bar to a size that's a little larger than the stock one. My rear is 7/8 (Firm Feel T/A bar). Any tips for the front? Also which brand should I get that will bolt on. I also use the Schumacher Torque strap.

[drewcrane]

yea it is interesting i had some big after market torsion bars on a duster i used to own and it was noticably stiffer but wasnt too bad on the street , however when i put a sway bar on the front it was a very large sway bar it was overkill it was so stiff i was cracking windsheilds , i had alot of issues with potholes cause they would sneak up on me and jar the car sometimes scaring the crap out of me so it is kinda trial and error until you find out what you want thats just my opinion.oh btw i was gawking at your shaker car man what a nice looking car espesially with the shaker so rara and unseen it makes the car look totally different , from inside the it has to be so cool ,the bulge hood is so big from inside that shaker has to be neat to see the engine basically swweet car dude ,drew

[Eddie]

Thanks Drew, yeah the Shaker N-96 option is pretty rare, 184 total N-96 Shaker Challenger's were built in 1970, all models! I think the 440-6 and 426 Hemi were the only two engine options offered,(although some say 2 340 cars were assembled but I have never seen them). I like to see it raise and twitch when the car is accelerating hard, it resembles a speed boat hull as it powers through the water! The 4-speed is a lot of fun, I had Brewers Performance CNC shift rods, McCleod Twin Disc clutch, Keisler Bellhousing, Spicer equpped u-joints and the driveshaft high speed balanced, Dana Trak Pak with 3.54 Gear, Pro-Max modded carbs, no vacum adv. Comp Cams Fast rate of lift cam 298/288 .538 with Eddies heads, Ross 10.5 forged pistons, Manley H-Beam 4340 rods, ARP studs used throughout. I kept and preserved all the old engine parts and it's a torquey, beefy combo and steers flat hard and clean! Lotta fun! I wish that I had gone with a stroker crank though, free cubes, unnoticeable! Now I just need to get it to a track with some stickier tires and see what it's really capable of. BTW, the ride is nice a firm but not so stiff as a 70's Vette. Heres the suspension on my daily driver

[Eddie]

My Dodge 4x4 was used at the Federal Prison from time to time. The Warden allowed me to use it on the 'wire' during fog patrols. It's very difficult to get it stuck! I'm sure the convicts loved seeing it as well. Reminds them where they are at!