I have had the good fortune to see many an impressive run at the drags over the span of my life but I am not sure I have ever been so impressed as I was the moment I saw Lyle Barnett run a 4.29 at like 174mph on leaf springs and radial tires at Bradenton Motorsports Park last weekend. Yes, this is the 4.31 run which preceded the 4.29 shot. To the naked eye the difference is imperceptible. On the time slip the difference between that 4.31 and the 4.29 is mammoth.
So when this 4.31 was made it reset the record that Barnett had broken in Jason Digby’s turbocharged, Mopar powered Dart. The pass into the 4.20s was historic and again record setting. It is impossible to articulate just how well this car works when everything is dialed in properly. There’s a smoothness to it that’s just amazing but then again it is only fitting that a Mopar product have the record, right?
Believe it or not, it was Chrysler that really lead the leaf spring performance charge in the 1960s with the introduction of their famed “Super Stock” springs. Initially designed for the hemi cars of the day, they have been adapted into virtually every possible model over the years. The Chrysler engineers pioneered the thinking that dominates the radial world today.
Back in the 1960s it was very basic technology used to get these cars to work right. A pinion snubber would restrict the rotation of the rear axle and then convert its lifting motion into downward force which then planted the tires like a jackhammer. In turn, the springs were designed to wrap slightly into an S-shape which kept the axle under control and the energy concentrate to the ground.
With vastly more advanced technology and approach, these guys are doing the same thing. Somewhere out there Bob Tarozzi, Tom Hoover and the rest of the Ramchargers are high-fiving and drinking cold beer.
Meanwhile, this monster of a car will be at Lights Out 8 on an insanely good track and ready to let fly with the big numbers!
Oh…for those of you who don’t speak eighth mile a 4.29 is equivalent to a 6.85 quarter mile. Wow!
Of course, Mopar suggested the pinion snubber only on four speed cars, they always claimed they weren’t needed on automatics. And, Hoover is a good name to bandy about, I suppose, but he was an engine engineer/designer, not the chassis guru. Leaf springs came about because that’s what had been used since stage coach days, and a chassis engineer that was a Ramcharger helped develop S/S springs.
Ray Barton said a few years ago that the Hemi Shootout cars run just as fast as the linked cars, but that by half season, they’d be wheelieing higher and higher, meaning the springs were weakening, so they switched to four links.
Fair enough on Hoover. Bob Tarozzi should get specific credit.
Yeah, people who think leaf spring suspension is simple haven’t taken a close look at what went into tuning a good leaf spring setup. Mopar leaf springs – from Super Stock on down to base model designs – used different spring rates front to rear AND side to side to compensate for engine torque.
That car is epic. Possibly my favorite car in all of the sport currently. Big Mopar guy, big leaf spring guy….I love it. By the way, it’s a single turbo car, not procharged. Also, 4.29 is closer to 6.70-75. We went a 4.39 1/8 and 6.80 1/4 with a slightly faster 60 foot, and roughly equal mph numbers with our top sportsman Dart.
Given this is a turbo car with a small tire (slower power application) the 4.29 1/8th time could easily be in the 6:60’s. Either way that is hauling ass on leaf springs!
Is this car straight up leaf springs or does it have floaters and use a 4-link or something in conjunction with the leaves?
It is a straight up leaf spring car. We did the entire build at Customs by Bigun. We had a ton of time in this build and very happy how fast it is going with only a limited number of passes on it.
The fact remains that a leaf spring car with a pinion snubber is STILL competitive in any Mopar down to the 9’s . We are currently racing a Gen I ‘Cuda in the mid 10’s on 9″ tires, 1.38 @60 ft., 1000% street legal .