Expert: Dan Liddy - 9/29/2006

Question
i am building a honda accord 4 door stock car for 3/8 mile banked oval pavement i was wondering about loading chassis left to right front to rear when installing 6 point roll cage and any other pointers ,caster camber etc thanks

Answer
I'd suggest you get the car very carefully squared up, perfectly level and suspended at all four corners solidly, NOT on the suspension , but on the frame or jacking points. I don't think putting a twist  in the chassis will help that much, and doing it wrong will give you headaches for which there is no cure.

A six point cage ONLY if it's in the rules, otherwise I'd recommend an eight point attachment which will include passing tubes through the firewall to the front strut towers .  All mounting pads should be welded to the floorpan, and also should continue around the corner vertically up the sides for 3 inches or so. All tube joints should be gusseted in at least one plane.  Finally the back braces should be mounted to the rear shock towers as well.  

Castor should be about 5 degrees positive, and camber in the front  should be about 5 degrees negative on the RF, and about 3 degrees positive on the LF  On the 3/8 mile oval I would try running about 1/8 inch of toeOUT in the front and about 1/16 inch toeIN in the rear.

All those adjustments should be a good starting point, but probably won't fe your final answers. Keep copious notes and PLEASE change only ONE thing at a time when working on set ups .  5 hot laps is usually the test length, one or two to get going and five hot laps on the stopwatch, then in for tire temps and time analysis.

I'm currently offering advice in a lawsuit that centers on a devastating fire due to a fuel cell rupture.  Please build plenty of tubular framework around your cell to protect from rear impact.

Good luck and feel free to write for more, but I will be gone this weekend  (teaching a driver school at Daytona !) so hold your wuestions until Sunday night if you would .

Dan Liddy
Sarasota, Florida