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Strange question. When did the four bar really become a thing? Drag racers have been using it for a very long time. I know the Aztec Smith book was published in 04. Does anyone remember how this happened? Did everyone look and laugh at first? I know late 90s was still monoleaf fifth coil. What are your stories of the history of it?
Not 100% how accurate this actually is as I started in 92ish but was what I was told. I had a 88 bullet car for the first car I had and was told it was one of the first 4 bars cars (assuming that meant production stuff from a manufacturer).Quote:
Originally Posted by dfhotlm33c
Anyways CJ Rayburn lived next to Bob Glidden (the famed Pro Stock racers for those that don't know) and Bob suggested to CJ or they where talking and it got suggested to use something like a 4 link on the dirt cars. That was supposed to be where it originated from.
All the bullet cars I saw by the time I started where 4 bars cars as well as GRT's in the 92-93 range. I'm sure there where non 4 bar cars still being made then but 4 bars where the most common.
I owned a 88 Bullet, 93 GRT, 94 GRT, 95 GRT and they where all 4 bars
Epj got the first 4 bar car,a Warrior, in our area in 92, his first year in dlm's.
He won 11 outa 22 and we never changed a bar, lol! (it looked way too complicated to us)
The first 4 link cars I saw were 1987 Swartz cars. It was Charlie building them then.
I never saw a Masters 4 link until 94. 92 and 93 were all leaf, as far as I know. From my recollection, it was kind of a false start in the late 80s and didn't take off. Mid 90s, they were back again, but no advantage over anything else until the coilover behind axle setup.
I'm thankful I lived to see those days when there were 5 different types of suspension in the pits and it didn't require secret meetings to get new rules written.
It was a good time back then, i really like the fact that most cars were hand built be each individual, not just buy it and put it together.
Charlie Swartz is great to talk to, its almost worth the costs to go to Audi's Chassis mtg in the winter just to hear Charlie's stories. That guy was something else.
We had a 98 MasterSbilt combo car and it started its life as a leaf spring car. And then we made the worst decision we could've made and converted it to 4bar. Those rear clips were way too wide to accommodate the movement of the 4 link so it became one bandaid after another cutting it up to gain clearance. Rr was notched in lr was notched up and I think I remember multiple shock Angle issues aswell.
Yeah, if you didn't have a narrow car, it was a lot of headaches.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jking24
the 4 bar may have been suggested by glidden , whom by the way was my fav drag racer of all time , but it acts in a totally different way on a DLM than a drag car ,
my first full chassis car was a 99 wide azz larry shaw , caught he!! on the ole slick alabama tracks , but if there was any grip , it was bad fast.....larry had a deal going with McDowell and rocket about that time and kevin helped me convert a lot of the shaw stuff over to rocket geometry and it was pretty decent at the end...Quote:
Originally Posted by MasterSbilt_Racer