6-link questions

[Curby]

I am beefing up my 72 big block for some dragstrip use. gary is goign to build me a 3.70 diff if I eer get the crate built to ship it to him. I have some new 3" half shafts with solid u-joints, and a good custom driveshaft that came with my TKO600 transmission.

I have been looking at driveshaft loops, and came across some threads about the 6-link rear end. This leads me to my questions:

Anybody running this on their car?

If so what is your impression of how it handles on the street?

What's your impression of how it works on the dragstrip?

Did you experience better handling in the corners?

DragVette

There is some good information on their web site, but I though I would see if anyone on her was using it and get some more real-world information.

Thanks,

 

[Twin_Turbo]

Camber gain is severely reduced by the parallel links, it's only there because of the unequal length although it appears they are even equal length there and as such offer no camber gain. Only good for drag racing. not so for the street. You'll want enough camber gain to counteract body roll.

 

[JeffP1167]

Marck

Did you ever get the C4 suspension mounted in the back of your 82?

 

[Twin_Turbo]

No, I had a Dana 36 and didn't keep it. Later I got a Dana 44 and built my own C4 type link system and shortly before I was done with it I scrapped it and built a double a arm IRS with fabricated uprights

 

[Beagle 1]

Camber gain is severely reduced by the parallel links, it's only there because of the unequal length although it appears they are even equal length there and as such offer no camber gain. Only good for drag racing. not so for the street. You'll want enough camber gain to counteract body roll.

Can you expand on this?
I've read recommendations to lower the strut rod mounting location on the diff of a c3 downward about 1/2"--VB&P sells a relocated mounting bracket, etc--to get a more parallel half shaft and strut rod relationship to cut down on the camber change which is suposedly too severe. Is this small amount of change a good idea for a street car?

 

[Twin_Turbo]

Let's just say, just because they sell it doesn't mean it's any good.

People buy junk like semi coil overs that offer no adjust ability, crappy springs and a crappy mounting solution, , C5 brake upgrades that throw off the brake bias and screw up the ackerman angle by relocating the steering arm, flexy flyer front steering setups, super fancy looking cam type rear coil over suspensions and what not.. if it looks good it must be good but if you really dig into it, it's overpriced, hyped up good for nothing junk.

 

[redvetracr]

Can you expand on this?
I've read recommendations to lower the strut rod mounting location on the diff of a c3 downward about 1/2"--VB&P sells a relocated mounting bracket, etc--to get a more parallel half shaft and strut rod relationship to cut down on the camber change which is suposedly too severe. Is this small amount of change a good idea for a street car?

VB&P and others sell alot of useless stuff, like this bracket. you can achieve the same thing with a 1" chunk of aluminum although I would suggest stiffening the bracket by welding a plate (or plates for bolt access) to the bottom....If you look on the Tom`s differentials web site at what guys are calling a 6-link it specifically states the "Not for handling purposes, Safety device only" it`s mandatory in NHRA racing if your going 10:99 or faster and is NOT I repeat NOT even close to a 5-link designed by famed race car designer Bob Riley and sold by Guldstrand. Personally I like to listen to people who have "been there and done that" like Guldstrand for example, someone who actually raced and built race cars opposed to the crap VB&P or Speed Direct sells (ie: steeroids, their semi coil overs and that ridiculous shark bite rear suspension)....it`s all built, marketed and sold for the "bling effect"...about the ONLY mod I have seen worth doing would be the Jeep PS box....

 

[mrvette]

Can you expand on this?
I've read recommendations to lower the strut rod mounting location on the diff of a c3 downward about 1/2"--VB&P sells a relocated mounting bracket, etc--to get a more parallel half shaft and strut rod relationship to cut down on the camber change which is suposedly too severe. Is this small amount of change a good idea for a street car?

VB&P and others sell alot of useless stuff, like this bracket. you can achieve the same thing with a 1" chunk of aluminum although I would suggest stiffening the bracket by welding a plate (or plates for bolt access) to the bottom....If you look on the Tom`s differentials web site at what guys are calling a 6-link it specifically states the "Not for handling purposes, Safety device only" it`s mandatory in NHRA racing if your going 10:99 or faster and is NOT I repeat NOT even close to a 5-link designed by famed race car designer Bob Riley and sold by Guldstrand. Personally I like to listen to people who have "been there and done that" like Guldstrand for example, someone who actually raced and built race cars opposed to the crap VB&P or Speed Direct sells (ie: steeroids, their semi coil overs and that ridiculous shark bite rear suspension)....it`s all built, marketed and sold for the "bling effect"...about the ONLY mod I have seen worth doing would be the Jeep PS box....

Hey hey hey , watch it on that rack conversion...IMO that is about the single largest improvement to my '72's handling after the late model tires....

course I did my own, not any aftermarket stuff.....never driven a Jeep/Borgeson mod so dunno how they compare....but 2.7 turns is better than 3.7 turns by about ONE turn....:nuts::bounce::amazed:

 

[Beagle 1]

Yes, it is very hard to get through all the marketing crap and get what's best. That's where this forum is so great, that we can talk to people with first hand experience who are not shilling for the suppliers.
I have recently installed the VB&P bracket on my diff. I have not had any really hard twisty driving since installing it, so I'm not sure if it works better or not, or if the change is so minor that I couldn't tell anyway.
Opinions on if I should keep the bracket or not???

 

[Mr.Kiss]

Its all a matter of opinion ... I myself love my Dragvette six link ... but i am an exdrag racer and anything that helps me stick the tires to the ground is a good thing in my opinion. I just use the car for street purposes now, but after adding the 6 link i think the car handles just as good or if not better than it did in stock form. I can't speak for road racers, but for me the 6 link is the cats ass. Once i get my rack and pinion installed "with proper brackets" I think that will be a great improvement. Lets face it that hydrolic assist steering on our vettes is a oil leaking POS. I think that the jeep box mod is a great mod, but to "properly" do that is alot of work also. The jeep box will not fit with a tall deck big block and hooker side pipes unless you chop the header apart and make some room, and they are a little to expensive to do that. So building some good brackets for a rack seems more practical. It comes down to what might be good for me, may not be good for you.

 

[Twin_Turbo]

The Jeep box will fit a tall deck block if you cut the chassis and weld a mounting plate on the inside and cut a pocket for the box to drop in.

 

[Curby]

Its all a matter of opinion ... I myself love my Dragvette six link ... but i am an exdrag racer and anything that helps me stick the tires to the ground is a good thing in my opinion. I just use the car for street purposes now, but after adding the 6 link i think the car handles just as good or if not better than it did in stock form. I can't speak for road racers, but for me the 6 link is the cats ass. Once i get my rack and pinion installed "with proper brackets" I think that will be a great improvement. Lets face it that hydrolic assist steering on our vettes is a oil leaking POS. I think that the jeep box mod is a great mod, but to "properly" do that is alot of work also. The jeep box will not fit with a tall deck big block and hooker side pipes unless you chop the header apart and make some room, and they are a little to expensive to do that. So building some good brackets for a rack seems more practical. It comes down to what might be good for me, may not be good for you.

Thanks for your post. It is good to get helpfull information. It seems that the stock suspension has too much camber change when the rear squats, and this would really help. Anybody put this on their car and not like it?