Sounds like you don't have solid joints. If it's got a grease fitting in the cap..it has to be drilled internally to let grease get to the others. Solid ones have no fittings.

A set of 90/10 shocks on the front dramatically change the launch. I have QA-1 adjustables on the rear of mine and they do well for the price. You can dial them hard or soft depending on what you're doing.

JIM

 

(see edit below)
I was taught the difference between a solid and greaseable was the cross had all the grease the joint would ever get. It acts as a reservior.
Centrifical force would keep a steady outward pressure on the grease, causing it to push out into the caps.
Eventually running out of grease, the joint fails.
The cap seals are a more positive type seal, as opposed to the greaseable, that will readily allow grease to pass while servicing the joint.
The lack of a zerk fitting boss in either the crotch or the side of the cross body increases the strength of the cross.
The needle zerk in the end of the cap is supposed to be the best of both worlds.

I have some brand new Spicer solids that I didn't end up using, I'm going to pull a cap and see if I can push a piece of wire through the cross. Got my curiosity peeked.

If I were going to dedicate this car to the strip, a set of 90/10's in the front, and some heavy duty 50/50's in the rear would be on my list.
That was the hot ticket way back when.

Did your friend have to do any frame gussets or rewelding of factory joints, to get it to take all the fun he has had with it ?

That is definitely a cool pic.

Later,
Jeff

Edit:
After doing some checking, I've come to the conclusion that the old guy that was training me was wrong on the cross drilling of non-greasable joints, OR there is a difference between non-greasable and solids, OR I may have been asleep during that part of the lecture.
I guess until they fail I'll run what I have. Then I'll get the Spicer 1350's.
J

 

Solids are solid. Having a hole through them for grease weakens them. You lube them at assembly. They have good seals do lube stays in place. I've run them for years..

He hasn't done anything to his for frame strength etc. It has a stock 9 leaf spring...nothing special at all.

I welded my frame seams and added some plating at the kick up area to stiffen things. I added a "wing" to the rear upper diff mount off the "sombrero" mount that attaches to the welded in crossmember behind the rear. When the diff tries to rotate it helps hold things in place. I've been doing this for years...

JIM

 

Oh, Man. Dude! I'd get arrested !

I remember seeing guys launch like that at Milan back in the early -mid 80s.
Always wanted a car that would launch like that.

​​​​​​Didn't want a monster wheel stander, but something respectable.

Thank you for educating me about solid u-joints.
Better to find out later, than to remain ignorant.

Once again. WOW. Rut ro, here come the po-po.

Jeff

 

Question,
Did you have to install any kind of roll bar, to be allowed to run down the track that quick?

I remember there was a rule, that if you ran quicker than X, you had to have a bar.
And the rules got bigger as the ET's got smaller.
Full cage, eventually. And a harness comes into play along the way.

I knew a Chrysler Man, years ago. He had a 68 Super Bee, 440, stick, big meats in the back. Didn't tell the track he had a monster motor. When he got to the end of the track, they kicked him out. Told him not to come back till he had a cage.

Jeff

 

I asked the same question ! He does have a bar , you can see it in the pics. What track do you run ? I see Quaker City is soon going to open.

 

Thanks. So far it's run an 8.89 with best MPH being 162. I have a 6 point bar with removable side bars. Not NHRA legal for what it runs. I run at track rentals and at non- NHRA events held at NHRA tracks. Not cutting the car to add more cage. It's still my street cruiser.

JIM