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View Full Version : Chevelle clip, RF frame corner hitting the ground



portmod7
05-02-2012, 10:25 AM
So, I've been around mods for a number of years. Started out in metric clip cars and it seemed like they were rockets on the heavy tracks. Then the trend went towards the Chevelle clip, they seem to be better suited for dry slick and that's the way most tracks get for the feature these days. But, there's still the heat race and those nights when even the feature is tacky. On a tacky track, every Chevelle clip car I've had bottoms the RF frame corner on entry (not EVERY time, but you know what I mean), and through the middle if you hit a hole or rut. I'm convinced it's just a "fact of life" with a Chevelle clip and have always just driven through it, but was wondering if any of you all have found something that works to fix it? I'm helping a driver this year who drives in pretty hard and he REALLY doesn't like it when the frame bottoms.

I've tried up to a 700lb RF spring with no success, not to mention it doesn't do you any favors anywhere else on the track. Also tried stiffer compression on the RF shock, which helps, but still doesn't cure the problem. Thought about sucking up the limit chain on the LR and raising the lower bar angle to keep the steer in it, but I'm worried that's going to kill too much forward bite and I'm really not sure that's even going to help me much. Also thought about raising the ride height, but I'm pretty sure by the time you got the thing where it wouldn't hit the ground, your front geometry would be so screwed up it wouldn't matter if the frame was bottoming or not.

Is it just a "fact of life" with a Chevelle, or is there something that can be done?

racinjj
05-02-2012, 10:51 AM
Try bump stops or raise your ride height.

portmod7
05-02-2012, 10:58 AM
Try bump stops or raise your ride height.

Thanks. I should have clarified, IMCA car, no bumpstop allowed.

charcoal01
05-02-2012, 11:08 AM
Weld a piece of 1/4 inch plate on the a arm where it comes in contact with the frame. It's not a cure but it seems to help.

TeamGRT12x
05-02-2012, 02:27 PM
I've never had much problem bottoming out. I have ran as soft as 450 on the RF and with the exception of a few bumps, it doesn't slam into the track. When you put a stiffer spring in it just delays the impact. How much chain do you have in the left rear now? I like 5" to start on the IMCA tire.
Ride height, thru the body mount holes behind the RF and LF tire should be anywhere from 9 3/4" to 10"

portmod7
05-02-2012, 03:59 PM
I've never had much problem bottoming out. I have ran as soft as 450 on the RF and with the exception of a few bumps, it doesn't slam into the track. When you put a stiffer spring in it just delays the impact. How much chain do you have in the left rear now? I like 5" to start on the IMCA tire.
Ride height, thru the body mount holes behind the RF and LF tire should be anywhere from 9 3/4" to 10"

I've never measured at the body mounts, always where the chassis mfg. specified. I'll have to check that out when I scale this week. I know the front lower control arm bolts in the crossmember on this car are at 7-5/8" at their center.

Right now the chain will let the LR hike 4-1/2".

johnny v
05-02-2012, 04:44 PM
raise the Ride height to center bolt( Lower AA) to ground 8" LF... 7 7/8 on RF.....

that's what our chevelle clipped Shaw is set ......

HRJ
05-02-2012, 05:00 PM
Right now the chain will let the LR hike 4-1/2".
Yeah, suck that chain up at least a 1/2".

I mistakenly added too much droop (an extra 5/8") earlier this year and it killed drive, over-rotated (which confused me because of the bar angles I was at) and absolutely buried the RF to the point the a-arm was dinging the shock body.

TeamGRT12x
05-02-2012, 05:47 PM
On the IMCA Hoosier 4 1/2-5" is about right on chain drop with a pull bar. It all changes with a lift arm though.

What kind of chassis is this?

TeamGRT12x
05-02-2012, 05:50 PM
I would also ask, what RF wheel offset are you running?

I have bottomed out a RF with a 550 in it and 4" of drop. I don't think I'd be as concerned with the RF bottoming out as I would with how it gets thru the middle of the corner. Like you said, the stiff RF really doesn't help the car anywhere else. You may look at your engine height as well. I can bury a 700 by raising the engine a full inch.

portmod7
05-03-2012, 09:09 AM
It's one of Taylor's cars, a 2010. I ran real well with mine the last two years, even with the frame corner in the dirt. I'm out of a car this year, but this guy I'm helping got one. It's got a 2-off on the RF. I was thinking a 3 might help keep the frame off the ground, but I hate juggling offsets.

I may try raising the ride height up a little. The engine location is also something to look at. I may lower it a little and see if that helps, it should, glad you mentioned that!

The car I had got through the middle great. Like I said, I ran good with mine, so I know I'm not looking to make any huge changes. Lowering the engine an inch may be just what it needs, although the track we're running does have some decent bank to it, so the engine height may not play a huge role, but there's no doubt it should help.

Flyin Iowan
05-03-2012, 11:45 AM
500 550 600, i can bottom them all out. RF frame height 7" or 8"...bottom out. I find myself doing it on fast heavy race tracks from dumping the throttle on entry. Maybe try easing off the gas? But does it really hurt the performance? Mine doesnt so I dont see a problem except for the fans in turn 1 that get hit by a 10lbs chunck of mud from my car

portmod7
05-03-2012, 12:18 PM
500 550 600, i can bottom them all out. RF frame height 7" or 8"...bottom out. I find myself doing it on fast heavy race tracks from dumping the throttle on entry. Maybe try easing off the gas? But does it really hurt the performance? Mine doesnt so I dont see a problem except for the fans in turn 1 that get hit by a 10lbs chunck of mud from my car

I'm right there with you. Just trying to accommodate this driver I'm helping. Thanks for the input!

texas racer
05-12-2012, 02:07 PM
That is just the way it is runing a chevelle clip. When it rolls over the frame rail hits the ground. They would raise the R/F frame rails a couple years ago, but that is not legal anymore.

TALON75
05-12-2012, 07:36 PM
Raise your ride height, our shaw runs at 8 1/4 . Dont worry about geomerty, you dont race the car at ride height, the geometry is set with the dynamic movement in mind

Dirtrunner35
05-13-2012, 07:36 PM
I had a early 2000 ellis mod , 2600 lbs, 750, 650, in the front and never bottomed out with a chevelle clip. If I drove in off the gas my brother said the Rf really went down allot and on the gas a little going in worked allot better.

OnTheStruts
02-26-2014, 04:02 AM
Solved this issue with going to a lighter RR spring. More transferred to the rear to keep the frame out of the track.

mod88s
02-26-2014, 11:13 AM
Surprised nobody has mentioned the brake floater. Do you run a brake floater on LR? IF so, drop it down a hole or 2 on the frame.

7uptruckracer
02-27-2014, 07:05 AM
I know Nick Hoffman has his original Elite sitting in the garage with the RF rail used up, and he has Ambrose's Crew Chief in his garage, I'd be willing to bet if that's the only compromise in that one track condition just let it eat. Being you can't raise the rails so be it. We have a Chevelle Clip car it hasn't happened yet but when the driver gets his feet wet I'm sure it will, If you limiting with a Chain why would the floater matter the LR isn't going to come up any more or any less with floater bar angle, you just changing your given load for the same amount of available drop

charcoal01
02-27-2014, 07:32 AM
I disagree with that 7up. I've experienced exactly what the other guy was talking about with the brake floater causing the rf to bottom out and it was at different chain lengths. If your car is too tight and you're Jamming the brakes to turn it and you've got a lot of upward angle in the brake floater it's going to bottom that rf out all day long when the track is heavy. You can adjust the chain all you want and it will still bottom the rf because of how fast you're loading the front end with the brake.

7uptruckracer
02-27-2014, 10:26 AM
If your "jamming" the brakes your dive settings in the front wheels will also load the Front differently. This is why you set anti and pro dive because it controls how much braking is transferred too the wheels by braking. If you say so but you can bottom the RF without even braking at the high speed tracks that use little to no braking and you can do it without a floater so that really won't help much....

I disagree with that 7up. I've experienced exactly what the other guy was talking about with the brake floater causing the rf to bottom out and it was at different chain lengths. If your car is too tight and you're Jamming the brakes to turn it and you've got a lot of upward angle in the brake floater it's going to bottom that rf out all day long when the track is heavy. You can adjust the chain all you want and it will still bottom the rf because of how fast you're loading the front end with the brake.

stock car driver
02-27-2014, 10:37 AM
my rf pounds the ground if I touch the brakes with my lr floater angle set high.

It seems to me that plenty of people post on here and either don't know anything or they truly don't want to help the competition or anyone for that matter, its really a bummer cus I don't really want to post publicly to help those type of people, but I get tired of reading stupid stuff.

charcoal01
02-27-2014, 12:48 PM
7up. I wasn't trying to say that everyone else is wrong and I'm right as far as diagnosing his problem. A lot of us on here are guys who should be going to class not trying to teach one, so sometimes some really simple problems cause us headaches for months. I was trying to relay a very similar problem I had that and the solution went the other way from your suggestion. My newer car does not do this, so as usual, there is 100 different places he could look to find a solution to his problem.

Scr, high five on us agreeing on something for once!

7uptruckracer
02-27-2014, 01:26 PM
Your new car with the floater doesn't do it? I always look at it this way he runs the floater for a reason with the angle he does for a reason so try to find something else. that isn't going to create a new problem, he said he's been at this awhile just trying to help a kid out. Its only in one time of the night under certain conditions so if he likes the floater there for the mid and later parts of the night change all that just for 10 practice laps just to change it back? Its not uncommon at really really fast tracks when its heavy to load the RF up with compression to keep them out of the track, heavy tracks your carrying alot more speed and need to extra compression, it also helps free him up on entry so he might not have to use the brakes to turn the car

charcoal01
02-27-2014, 01:41 PM
Yes. My new car is a car that turns much better and I'm not so reliant on the brakes to help turn the car. My knowledge of these cars is much greater than where it was when I was in my old car and looking back I just needed to be freer. I'm not arguing that heavy, fast tracks don't cause chevelles to bottom the frame out because they generally do. But as tracks slow down you can basically get rid of the floater unless you've got the car so tight it won't turn, so maybe it might be as simple as flattening out the floater a little bit and never touching it again.

Again, I'm not saying that is the solution to his problem, just more of an it might be part of the problem.

7uptruckracer
02-28-2014, 07:03 AM
I wonder where the difference is..... I just look in different areas, I've bottomed a non floater out and I handled it differently, finally gave up and made sure the car was right for the time of the night that pays lol.