Camaro hobby stock questions

[OV1]

Doing a build up/rebuild of an old roller i picked up. Camaro leaf hobby dirt stock.Car came with 12" left front spring 1000 lbs and 9.5" right front 1250 lbs. Seems like an odd setup in spring heights. Anyone ever hear of or see this? Looking for recomendations on correct front spring heights. Also rates to get me in the ballpark. Thanks.

[over4T]

That's unusual. If you're in the 3,200 pound range I'd run 9.5" inch springs on both sides and a 950 left and 1,050 right. Rears start with a 250 pound left and 200 right. Adjust fronts up or down about 50 pounds depending on the car's weight. Then play with the leafs. Just a starting point without more info on your car.

[JustAddDirt]

arching the rear springs helps a ton. (if allowed by rules)
front of the leaf to centering pin is traction
rear holds up car.
depending on leaf mfg, you can spin one or two leafs around on LR to add traction to LR spring
i have added a leaf to the LR as well.
cut an old main leaf and placed it right under spring eye, and 1/2 distance between original main leaf and 2nd leaf.
added a good deal of traction.

keep weight off the rear springs as much as possible. i made some 2x4 spacers to go between top of axle tube and frame just shy of full shock drop so when car was on trailer, minimal weight was seen at the leaf springs.

[ZERO25]

I always started with a 1100 lf, 900rf.
On a super slick track, i have been as high as 1300 lf.

[Dirty Rick]

OP: I wonder if those springs were for a really hooked up track or a high banked track? Pavement? Maybe someone just put those springs on the car to hold it up and hoarded the secret sauce.

[stock car driver]

Do you have weight jacks or spacers? rf muist have one to use a 9.5?

Those are both tractor springs to me.

I loved my leaf camaros on pavement on dirt the leafs would lose 50-75 lbs in rate a night, that made it hard to keep the car consistent expecially racing 2-4 nights a week and I tried to race 13 days in a row once. A metric car was much much better, narrower track width felt like double the side bite etc.

[bullring]

SCR I'm going to ask a stupid question. How did you check the rates on your leaf springs?

[stock car driver]

SCR I'm going to ask a stupid question. How did you check the rates on your leaf springs?

Built a rectangle box out of 2x3 tubing. mounted the leaf the same as in the car inside of it. scale pad on the bottom below the pin. put bottle jack on scale and zero scale.

So long as you rate or measure all the springs the same way the information will be useful and repeatable to you.

You can compress the spring to get your actual cars corner weight and rate it there also for 3 inches each way etc. You would be surprised what you end up with.

[bullring]

Built a rectangle box out of 2x3 tubing. mounted the leaf the same as in the car inside of it. scale pad on the bottom below the pin. put bottle jack on scale and zero scale.

So long as you rate or measure all the springs the same way the information will be useful and repeatable to you.

You can compress the spring to get your actual cars corner weight and rate it there also for 3 inches each way etc. You would be surprised what you end up with.

Thanks for the reply

[stock car driver]

No problem, dont build one or you wont want a leaf car on dirt anymore. Crazy I ran the same leafs on my pavement car for years, never stored it on jacks etc.