New Racer - Metric Setup - 1986 Buick Regal

[Frisbie17]

This will be my first year racing. I bought a 1986 Buick Regal Street Stock. The car was setup for Asphalt. Looking what I should run for this car on dirt.

No weight jacks or spacers allowed. Springs have to be stock mounting with no change to spring cups etc.

I have new springs for the front. 1250 RF, 1000 LF. Both springs are 12". How are these for starting with?

What should I put in the rear? I am not running a sway bar on the front or rear. Just trying to get a ball park so I can get the car out on the track to test. I was thinking of going with 200 LR, 175 RR. What do you recommend. What spring height? I have not purchased these yet.

Track is a 1/4-1/2 mile low bank. Track is Dry Slick most nights. Especially in the mains.

We are required to run 10" Slicks. I have 6 New Hoosiers 3 10.0/26.5-15 1080 for the inside and 3 10.0/27.0-15 1080 for the outside. What tire pressures do you recommend we start with.

Any help is appreciated.
Thanks
Chris

[C.Wenzel46]

What track are you running?

[Frisbie17]

Sunset Speedway in Banks Oregon.

[Rowdy Burns]

There are many problems with the GM metric G chassis platform.

With you being there and me being here, there is only some things that I can suggest without going too far in debt or giving away too much all at once.

RULES - Sunset Speedway Street Stock Rules

The killer is that the car has to weigh 3200 lbs at the end of the race and you have to keep the stock appearing body and the firewall and the floor boards.

You are allowed to replace the control arms with aftermarket control arms.
10 inch wheels and 11 inch tires - but I don't understand what they call SLICKS?

You are allowed any stock type rear end which means that you will want to go to a full float 9 Inch Ford Rear end.

You are allowed a aftermarket Bias valve, Pedals, and master cylinder.

Steel block, no roller cams, wet sump, no rules on the ignition. No max cu in, no porting or polishing of the heads.

Most everything else is left to interpretation.

What you are going to want to do is to replace the rear arms that holds the rear end with ones that has heims ends built into them. The Metric chassis has a bad habit of not wanting to roll through the turns and will sit flat as a board. You will need to move the rear shocks on the bottom mount so it stands straight up and not at a angle.

You will want to use 50 / 50 shocks in the rear and if they have to have a steel tube - you might want to check out the Pro Shocks for GM Metric's.

I would try is 325 on the right rear and a 300 on the left rear. But I would make sure to have a 300 and a 350 on hand and I would want to make sure that all spring lengths are the same.

In the front - you would want to get rid of the lower control arms - because you can buy pre fabricated control arms from Speedway motors that is better then the stock and weighs less.
You will want to get rid of the upper control arms and the ball joints and will want to go with the longer raised center Z/28 type ball joints on the bottom and the top.
You will need to reinforce the spindles because they will bend. They make spindle savers that will help - but you will still want to weld them in.
The tie rod ends attaches in the wrong place and you will want to weld a bushing to the outside of the spindles in a place that will straighten out the tie rods. You will probably have to take out the center link and put it back in backwards.

I would use a easy up shock on the left front and a hard down on the right front. I would probably start out with a 900 on the left front and a 1100 on the right front. But I would want to have a 1000 and a 1200 spring on hand to make adjustments at the track and you will want to have adjustable spring spacers for all 4 springs. I would weld them in - in the front.

You will want to have a wheel with a 2 inch offset on all 4 corners and you will want bead locks on the right side of the vehicle.

Because you are allowed 11 inch tires - I would run a American Racer 28.5 (88)- 11.00 - 15 on the lf, lr, rf and I would run a 29 (92) - 11.00 - 15 on the left rear. I would not interchange a 29 with a 92 or a 88 with a 28.5 once you set the chassis up. Keep them all the same all the time.

I would run a soft compound (23) for the heat races and a harder compound (33 on the 3 smaller tires and maybe a 35 on the RR) for the features.

Do you understand what makes a stock car turn?

TIRES!

Late Model Dirt Track Racing Tires

I would use the D or the L tread for the heat races and I would use the F tread for the Features. Just remember - F for FEATURE.

Anymore advice you need, just ask.