Weight transfer for stock suspensions

When Hurst Performance Products produced the original AMX Super Stockers for the factory, they performed extensive suspension changes to make the cars competitive.  Since we at Car Craft hadn't had any previous experience with this particular car, we followed the Hurst recommendations to the last nut and bolt.  All the suspension components are available from Hurst, allowing the do-it-yourself group, like ourselves, a one stop location for coordinated components.

Starting with the front end of the car, the stock shocks were removed and replaced with  90-10 Cure-ride units.  These shocks have two inches extra travel, allowing for proper suspension travel and wheel snatching starts.  The Hurst part number for these units is #D-1040.  To keep the car tracking straight while under power, toe-in should be set at 1/8-inch, with caster between o and 1 degree positive.  Camber setting is a secondary consideration for drag racing, and should be set as close to zero as possible with the above caster setting.

Also available from Hurst are specialty designed rear springs.

These are not only a lot stiffer than the stock parts,

but also feature revised geometry to aid traction.

Setting up the rear suspension is another story altogether.  We removed the rear springs and discarded them as they are inadequate for Super Stock racing.  The main problem with the stock springs is that the spring rate is too soft, and with seven grand starts the rear wheels bounce like a basketball.  To counteract this situation the Hurst engineers designed s special rear spring for optimum wheel loading.  These springs also raise the rear of the car several inches, creating better traction by raising the center of gravity.  One note of advice: don't use any additional traction assists with these springs, as they may  hinder performance.  This means no lift bars, kits, clamps, or what have you.  The springs are only part of the package that Hurst supplies.  In conjunction, 1-3/8-inch diameter 50/50 heavy duty rear shocks are used.  These are similar to the units that the Hemi MoPars use, and carry Hurst part number D-1044, while the springs carry numbers D-1037 and D-1035 respectively.

To gain more traction, the Hurst Performance team experimented with different springs and spring eye locations.  In fact, the original prototype car of the fifty that were built had five optional adjustment holes on each side, for mounting the front spring eyes.  It turned out that the best locations were with the right spring eye in the top hole and the left one in the second hole from the top.  The measurements were then duplicated on the "production" run of the other fifty-two cars.  The new super stock type leaf springs have been stiffened, and also re-cambered to provide more rear axle control.  Next came a set of Monroe 1-3/8 inch heavy duty shocks, specially valved for the Hurst AMX and also staggered with the left one mounted behind the axle and the right one forward of it.

  To match the two-inch increase in rear height, the stock 390 front springs were bolstered up by air conditioning type spacers at the top.  Howard Maseles has special plans for those spacers.  He intend to chuck them and also wants to get lower tires on the front end, all in an effort to get the nose down and cut wind resistance.  In the meantime, the spacers were complemented by matching shock absorber rod extensions which help extend their maximum travel.

... The tree came down, the r's went up, the clutch came out, and... Bang !  One broken U-joint, and the driveshaft was laying on the ground.  A close inspection revealed that the center section of the rear axle housing had twisted to the point where the U-joint was at an impossible angle, and had failed.  The tubes for the housing are only held in with spot welds, so if you intend any hard usage we recommend that the tubes be heliarced all the way around.