so lets see here, spend big bucks on a 9" to hope it stays together versus a bone stock dana 70 or 80 that is holding a ton of torque and drivin several thousand miles with drag racing......... my vote goes to the dana.

 

you have got to compair apples to apples her now a 7100 pound truck verses about a 3600 pound (give or take) truck that he is wanting to build, i know a guy his name is montie bernie he is running a glide and a 9 inch in a 55 chevy and is running 7.17's at 199.9 mphs in a heavy street class and is in the lead for points on a national scale (in the national dragster magazine). that their proves that it will work if you ask me. i have even seen advertisment with him and his car for glide transmissions and pulling and drag racing are two totally different extremes losts of weight in pulling vs's drag racing. oh and by the way a gas car or diesel truck leaving on a t-brake with a 1000 foot lbs of torque all most all is gunna hit then and their and hp pulls the vehicle on the big end. good luck streeting a 8 or 7 second car or truck by the way, it can be dont but its not gunna be for pleasure an 8 to 7 second car or truck is a truck drag vehicle and have to deal with the cons of street driving and the 4 link our truck are 4 linked on the front end and the new jeep are 4 linked all the way around as are multipule other vehicle that are produced on the road to day

 

You obsviously have 0 experience with a 4 linked race vehicle. Comparing it to a factory vehicle is like comparing a stock 6.2 chevy diesel to Jeff Garmon or Darren Morrison's truck. I never said the 9 inch wouldn't work just that you will have to build a Pro Mod style set-up to live behind a diesel where guys are running Dana 70s with success without as many high dollar parts. You can dream up a project with every high dollar part on the planet in it and take forever to build it or you can use experience and common sense and use what works and get it completed and on the road much quicker. I've driven 4 links on the road on the required 30 mile drives for street car shootouts, I've driven ladder bar equipped cars on the same 30 mile drives and I've even driven a leaf spring car with cal-tracs that ran 8.30s later that same day at the track. If he wants to use it on the road at all and be able to keep all 4 tires on the pavement the ladder bar set-up with a track locater is about the best and cheapest option and even at that it will take a big set of heims to keep it together. If it's track only vehicle the 4 link will give more adjustability assuming he knows how to adjust it in the first place. It would probably be easier and cheaper to just build a custom shortbed rc 4X4 and run the stock driveline with 4 drag radials.

 

mcoleman, if you take a 97 or 98 4x4 reg cab and shorten the bed to 6' and gut it could you get it to the 8's? i dunno if you could get it stout enough or light enough to do that....

 

Some of the DHRA trucks are shortened or diesel converted 1/2 tons.. and still are not real close to 8's.. ( haven't seen any SB regular cab 4x4's) but I believe they are running on a weight limit.. could go lighter... To get close enough.. he's probably going to end up with a Fiberglass/plastic body.. (Jeff Garmon's old NASCAR bodied truck.) and its still going to take alot of work... Fun project...

 

well if i could get something like that close, that would defiently be the way to go. That would knock about a year and a half to two years off the build time. and be cheaper! i just "need" it to run 8's

 

If your set on the 8s you might as well buy an old Pro Stock Dakota truck and start with that. It usually cheaper to buy something like that than it is to build your own when it comes to that level of performance . Keep in the mind that there are only 2 8 second trucks. Compy's old one and Keating machine. And a whole bunch of 10 second machines.

 

Ditto on the Pro Stock Dak. I've found Dakota rolling chassis from 6500 to 14k used. www.racingjunk.com Build it to NHRA Super Comp specs, there's no weight limit- shoot for around 2100 lbs.

brandon.

 

That isint the case i have been around cars since i could crawl my dad has owned his own automotive repair business for 20 yrs and have been very succesful, pluse my neibor builds full tube chassis drag cars for a living and has built many quick cars for guys,and has had several 8 second cars himself, and ive been around it quite a bit thats all we have ever ran is a 4 link setup, but we never drove it on the street b/c is isint good on the motor (getting hot) and not fun on the street with t-brake. all i was getting at was the 4 link on the jeeps and our truck is the same principal as a drag setup i was just trying to give the guy some options to have a trick setup and cut down on weight with a lighter rear end in stead of a heavy dana. and i never said a 4 link would be enjoyable on the road, i said for the best setup to hook up a 4 link would be the way to go. lets keep things straight here, i may be a young kid in your eyes but try not to b.s someone and if i dont know i dont say anything,

 

http://www.cachassisworks.com/TechTi...ip-001_WEB.pdf
this site gives all info on 4 link and ladder bars and if you think this guy is wrong maybe you should start your own business selling ladder bars and slapper bars. also why does nascar, and pro stock (nhra),use four links. rock crawlers, and pro touring applications use a four link based suspention?

 

Like Coleman said, to have an 8-second diesel that is streetable is going to be one heck of a challenge. Keatings engine is the closest to streetable 1000+ hp engine I have ever been around. Keep in mind that is at 3600 lbs. and his best run was a 8.71.
I would go for a 3000 pound vehicle with driver. I think that the original idea with a partial tube frame could put you in that light of a vehicle. Not too many engine builders can build an engine with 1000 daily hp. Although- if you could build 800 daily hp and put nitrous to it when needed, then you may have your 8-second daily driver. Good luck blackdiesel!

 

i'm gonna get everyone off the suspension setup for a bit. i have a question for blackdiesel, and it's a serious question. i'm curious, have you ever even actually drag raced?? and i'm talkin off the tree and all like at rogersville.

 

Now packmule that was just plain uncalled for. Dis'n your Arkansas brother just ain't right.

 

i wasn't sayin anything bad or tryin to be myself. i was bein serious.

 

He might need to borrow someones automatic and come up this spring for practice then.