spool on the street?

[fatguyzinc]

so in the ever present attempt to pinch pennies, can i run a spool
on the street? i mean, when you get to the end of the 1/4 mile you
gots to turn left...

i just dont want to unexpectedly wipe out around a corner in the rain.

how bout a mini spool? i know a 'lincoln locker' is a bad idea.

the only reason im even wondering is mini spool is $40, a full steel
spool is $70, and the cheapest lunchbox locker (lock-rite type) is
$300............

[Deaf Bob]

We used a mini spool in a 4-500 hp derby car.. Sheared the shaft off.. Another driver running less hp wanted it, I told him he needed to buy the hardened shaft.. He ran several derbies with it.. 2factors in his favor, he does not hit hard and did not have alot of hp..
The motor we run was dyno'd at 750 hp before we changed cam and intake/carb..

Others have run mini spools without problems.. Keep in mind, it puts alot of stress on axles..

If you were to weld spots on the side gears and the spyders so they cannot mesh, that should get you away on the street..

[Deaf Bob]

PS...there are guys on here and off that do drive spools on the street..
I'll let them set you straight..

[fatguyzinc]

If you were to weld spots on the side gears and the spyders so they cannot mesh, that should get you away on the street..

thats the infamous "lincoln locker" ( lincoln welder....)
i mentioned. apparently the spider/side gears are hardened
and dont take the welds very well unless you sit there and
heat em up redhot with a torch first.

seems kinda sketchy to me, id rather take my chances with
a mini or full spool-- IF its acceptable on the street-- or sell an
internal organ or three so i can "afford" to do it the right way and
buy the $300-$700 carrier.....

i shoulda just been a drug addict or a compulsive gambler instead
of a car freak, i think it woulda been cheaper..............

[Beagle]

fozzy locker...

I can't imagine Oahu getting any rain. You should run it with drag radials. You will want some of these..

You've driven a live axle go kart before? Steer with throttle, watch out for pedestrians. Even a limited slip can get pretty sketchy with drag radials in the rain. Of course, rain here is different, it takes a while for the road oil to wash off. You guys probably get enough to keep the roads clean. I'd go for it.

[Russell]

My mustang has a spool, but I only drive it on nice days. So far I have not gotten caught in the rain. Once up to speed I really don't notice it anymore, but I don't push it in the curves. It slides / spins the tires when turning and pushes the fronts some a slow speeds. I would rather have a good limited slip. But I have other things to buy first.

if you do a mini they can be un done? So you are only out $40 if you don't like it.

the worst part is trying to push it any where but stright.

[Deaf Bob]

Russel, yes, mini spools are easily undone..
They replace the side gears with others that have a way to lock them together. (usually something square). Then the shaft that holds the spyders is reinserted into the square.. Better to use the one supplied or buy a hardened one

[fatguyzinc]

fozzy locker...

I can't imagine Oahu getting any rain............

hah hah, the way we tell summer from winter is that in summer it rains
once a week and winter it rains once a day...

we had a nice little session 2 weeks ago where we got 8+inches in 4 hours.............

how do you think everything stays so green here?

[TheSilverBuick]

I got tired of the mini-spool in my Firebird and swapped it out.

[squirrel]

There's a bunch of Drag Week cars that run a spool. I'm planning on putting one in my new car. I've been running a Detroit Locker for a couple decades, lots and lots of street miles and in the rain, no wrecks because of it.

[Loren]

I'll tell ya when permanently locked rr axles are dangerous, it's when you have for whatever reason gotten a little sideways and let off the throttle thinking that will fix it but you're in a situation requiring differential action and the rear won't do it...one tire is dragging rearward, the other forward, net is compromised traction at the whole rear end and around you go. Once it's started, you're f'd...it'll never getcha until it does. The Detroit Locker at-least lets one side go once you've backed off. With that, for an occasional-use car on a severe budget I'd say "weld away" on a cheapo diff and watch your ass until the rest of the car is together and seems like it's working then go back and fix it right with some-type posi or locker. My opinion, I don't mean to always be of a different mind than others with plenty of experience also.

[fatguyzinc]

I'll tell ya when permanently locked rr axles are dangerous, it's when you have for whatever reason gotten a little sideways and let off the throttle thinking that will fix it but you're in a situation requiring differential action and the rear won't do it...one tire is dragging rearward, the other forward, net is compromised traction at the whole rear end and around you go. Once it's started, you're f'd...it'll never getcha until it does..

thats kinda what im worried about--i dont want to be doing 40mph in the rain,
go thru a downhill sweeper and have it slide, then not be able to drive out of it.
i guess i will run the stock 'equa-trac' P.O.S. for now, and when time/money
permits (yeah RIGHT...) i will do some sort of locking diff instead of a spool.

its going to be MUCH more a street driver than a dedicated drag car, but still
fast enough to scare the crepe outta myself......

as for being of a different opinion, thats why i asked--i want different opinions from
people who been there/done that. thank you for chiming in, your thoughts pretty
much mirror my own 'common sense' voice in my head.

you know, the one we really try to ignore but sometimes cant?

[Deaf Bob]

Spool or Lincoln lockered, I absolutely love standing near the arena when one of my kids, the son especially, throttle up, butt sliding one way then the other, lining up their hits, flappers slammed open..the 350 singing it's song .... I can only hear the upper revs..

Yeah.. Locked rears make a crab walking car ...exciting.. A slight throttle will either get you on the trailer or off the ramps