There were at least three different styles of upper control arms used in the Camaro and Firebird between 1970-1981. With the leaf springs secured to the chassis at both ends, we attached the U-bolts, spring/shock mounts and lowering blocks in position around the axle tube. Baker recommends a pair of AFCO Racing Steel Rear Upper Control Arm Bushings (PN 20098), and a pair of Steel Front Upper Control Arm Bushings (PN 20099) for the improvement. I also prefer manual brakes.
For the 3/8 mile semi banked oval track with decent traction, Baker set us up with a 176 rated spring on the right rear (part number 20228). "I think it's all about attention to detail. There are many other options when it comes to shock manufacturers, but we recommend to stay with the non-rebuildable, big-body, steel, mono-tube shocks with this chassis setup.Make sure to get extra shocks with different rebound and compression ratios. The left rear required a little bit more for our track with tight corners, so Baker recommended a 205 leaf spring with wrap up reinforcement (part number 20228HDRF). Taking a break from the Midwest dirt tracks to fight evil doers in the world, he completed a full 21 year career in the Marine Corps. Looking at a set of Brixton Forged RF7s from a member here but according to willtheyfit.com, the RF7s will sit inward approx 1" at the rim from the ZLE stock setup.
A basic rule of thumb is not to exceed 4 1/2″ distance between the bottom of the axle tube and the top of the leaf spring.We used AFCO's 1 1/2" lowering block to get get our wedge and ride height correct.The race track rules limited us on what we could do with the shocks by stating the the shocks had to be non-rebuildable. Baker recomends a full AFCO setup with #1020 on the left front, #1021 on the right front. for 78-88 gm metric cars. This initial set up would allow for a switch to AFCO #1034 on the right rear if the track started to turn dry slick or a switch to AFCO #1022 on the right front for more forward bite.
This will allow for tuning the chassis at the track.After everything is installed and tightened, the car can be rolled on the ground to set the frontend settings. Install new brake pads and replace the idler-arm, tie-rods, and drag-links with new ones. The length of the shackle affects how quickly the shackle will change it’s angle. Once all the old parts are removed you can begin installing the new parts.It helps to lay the parts out on the ground in sequential order prior to the installation. "Leaf spring cars usually don't need the amount of crossweight or wedge that a coil spring car requires—52 to 55 percent is a great starting point. If you over tighten the springs it will cause the suspension to bind.”AFCO Racing offers leaf springs for dirt track Camaros in various rates. If the track slicks up, switch to a #1034 on the right rear.
With our project car on the lift, we secured the fronts of both leaf springs to the chassis and positioned the rear end into place. Speedway Motors has alternatives for this leaf spring as well:While stock shackles will work, Baker said he has seen many racers fabricate stock-appearing shackles that are usually 2-inches longer that seem to work better. such as springs, shocks, swaybars etc. For a starting point, Baker recommended we start with AFCO #1020 on the left front and an AFCO # 1021 on the right front. “If your holes are too big or elongated, then you will need to weld ½-inch flat washers over the holes and drill them out.”Most likely, the bushings on any junkyard A-arm you find will be deteriorated and need to be replaced. No loss of left rear and gains rt.
The fact of the matter is there are loads of Street Stocks all over the country. With the weight of the chassis on the leaf springs, we checked the shackles for twisting and the shackle angle. Baker advises to get new ones, especially if the current hubs are older.
A complete body comes with the fiberglass hood and roof, plastic MD3 nose and tail, a set of skirts, trunk, a box of rivets. These will make or break the chassis setup and how the car handles on the track.When it comes to the leaf springs, Baker obviously recommends AFCO’s 176-pound rate multi-leaf spring (PN 20228) with the wrap-up reinforced front segment on the right rear. Although there are many different kinds of cars racing in these classes, and the suspension configurations vary greatly, the goal is the same. Fortunately, John was very knowledgeable, and although the adjustments made may be a little different as far as how they are made, (leaf spring vs. coil springs) the desired results are the same. "Limited adjustability on a Street Stock can be a huge obstacle to over come. The final process for the leaf springs is a shot-peening stage that relieves stress in the steel. According to Baker, our target weights for the initial scaling session should be 55% rear weight and 53% left side weight. For each type of car, we will set up for the six conditions listed above.
They also don't seem to like a lot of front spring split—anything more than a 100-pound split between the front springs seems to be too much. The spring should be lying on its side in the free state whenever it is measured. By design, AFCO adds more material to the front part of the Camaro leaf springs to make them act more like Chrysler type asymmetrical design with a shorter and more stout front section.