slip joint

do you guys have any pics of a slip joint on your chassis? thanks mark

 

I can send you some pics mine is at my shop and all the body panels are off I will send them tonite after dinner and a show..wife date thing..Dave

 

no one on here better black male me..Dave

 

anything guys?

 

I am new to dragsters, and am interested as well...

-Scouder

 

come on you guys you must have somthing please

 

Take a piece of 1" tubing and put it inside a piece of 1 1/8" .058 Where is the best place too do this That's the trick Most of the time on a dragster it could be built in front of the bulkhead on the top frame rails. You would also add a stopper and maybe make some preload bushings.

 

What's the purpose? Does it allow you to change your wheelbase?

-Scouder

 

Won't change the wheelbase, slipjoints are thought to allow cars without enough horsepower to flex up at the launch thereby applying more weight to the rear wheels. Cars with alot of power don't need the slipjoints, they make enough power to flex a 290in plus chassis without the slip joints. The slipjoints are located on the top rails. Either in front of the footbox or behind the drivers cage. My car has them in both locations, although I leave the stop bolts in them to keep them from opening up. My 275in car likes them better tight and not working. Is it flexing the chassis at the hit and down track? But it seems to work, plus if the car can't hook I can use them if I ever need them. The problem with them is with lower power cars, when they open at the hit, they can't keep them open and slam down on the stops down track upsetting the chassis. Hope this helps.

 

what is your email i will send you some pics..dave

 

I'd love pics.

scouder@uintanet.com

-Thanks

 

Thanks for the pics Dave. So is the cable a tuning device? Tighten or loosen the cable to tune the chassis? I see "cable cars" listed on racingjunk. Is that the cable they refer to?

-Scouder

 

On long and flexable cars the cables attach to the top of the nose then in middle drops down and then back up to the top at the footbox. Cables take the load off the bottom rail. When it begins to sag you can tighten the cables to make the bottom flat again. However, same as a slip joint car if you can't keep the car flexed and off the cable stops there is the chance of unloading the tires when the car returns to normal after the launch, I think some cars have springs at the stops to act as a buffer to keep from shocking the chassis.

 

Ive had great luck with my slip/cable car the next car will be the same..Dave

 

Thanks for the info guys. It all makes sense now.

Are the ends secured with aircraft style swaged ends or is the cable just looped around something and crimped?

The reason I ask is I have all the equipment to swage aircraft style stainless ends on cable and pull test it. Just in case any of you guys ever needed such a thing.

-Scouder

 

Before you use your good cable, practice this. Get some cheap cable and seperate the end into three and two strands down about one foot. (looks like a capital Y) then fold both back into each other forming a loop ( flemish eye) the two seperate cable parts will (want) to fit together, with a little practice, and form a loop that you cannot pull apart. This "eye" will be stronger than the cable. If you do it right you will have a short tail that lays by the un-disturbed part of the cable you can use a cable clamp to secure it to the long side for the cable, or in your case you can swage the end with your tool. Factory made cables are done the same way as I described with the exception that they have the "tail" woven back into the long end and then swaged. Folding it around and swaging only will not be very strong compared to the "flemish eye". Hope this helps, Jody.

 

there is no eyes on them..there is a stud on each end of the cable..Dave