Creating Your Set-Up Tool Kit Just like any other work you perform on your racing car, having the right set of tools is critical. Before starting your initial set-up, make sure you have invested in the tools to do the job, it will make it much easier, efficient and most importantly precise. If your like me, the thought of assembling a set-up tool kit sends chills through the my pocketbook. I guess it is because doing set-up sounds high-tech, therefore expensive high-tech tools are probably required to do the job. Luckily the truth, at least for the sport of welterweight racing is quite the opposite. You can get it done on a budget. In fact, a trip to Home Depot will probably net you most of the required goods. |
One of the least expensive tools in your set-up tool kit, yet
probably the most used. No big secrets here
just make sure that you get a tape that is easy to read.
A 10’ tape is the recommended length. This
will cover all of the measurements you will need to make. If
you choose to use the tape to measure the circumference of your tires for purposes of
calculating stagger, it is recommended that you get a tape that is a ¼” wide. This makes it much easier to wrap around the tire.
The steel rule is yet another inexpensive item that will pay far
reaching dividends as you work on setting your car up.
The two most important criteria for picking a steel rule are length and rigidity. We use our steel rule to create reference points
for the purpose of squaring our front and rear axles.
For this reason we recommend a 3 foot steel rule.
This provides enough length to extend reference points well beyond the frame,
making it easier to get an accurate measurement from the firewall to the axles. It is also important that your steel rule is
fairly rigid. If the rule flexes, it is
likely that you will not get an accurate reading.
The stagger
gauge is a convenience item in your tool kit. The
same measurements can be accomplished with a tape measure, however generally not with the
same ease and accuracy. The stagger stick
takes the tire’s diameter and instantly converts it to circumference. This makes it fast and easy to check stagger
without jacking the car up. Additionally the
stagger gauge tends to give a more precise reading than a tape measure since it is often
hard to ensure that the tape measure is running straight all of the way around the tire. It is recommended that you buy a stagger gauge
with the numbers etched into the metal. Versions
utilizing decals with imprinted numbers are often destroyed by fuels, cleaners or other
fluids found around a racing car. Stagger
gauges are available from several sources including www.speedpartz.com and sell for
$69-$149.
Set-up blocks are another inexpensive item that are critical to your
tool kit. Set-up blocks are used to set the
ride height of the car and set the torsion bolts on torsion bar cars. The blocks fit in between the front or back axle
and the chassis. Plastic chassis set-up
blocks can be purchased in various sizes for around $9.99 a pair or can also be easily
made from a 2x4. Simply cut to the
appropriate length. Set-up blocks are
invaluable at the races when you want to make quick adjustments. Many racers have established baseline set-ups for
different types of tracks (i.e. dry/slick, tacky, etc.).
Creating set-up blocks for each these baseline set-ups makes it easy and quick to
find your way back to a particular set-up.
The SmartTool is one of our favorite old friends. We were introduced to the SmartTool when we were road racing. This handy little digital angle finder is just the
ticket for everything from checking caster, camber, tilt and birdcage timing to wing
angles and scale leveling. The SmartTool is a
tool that your sure to find in most racer’s toolboxes, from Nascar and the World of
Outlaws down to the weekend warrior. The
SmartTool is available through www.speedpartz.com for $89.95.
Here is another item that you can either spend a lot or a little on. You might wonder, why bother with scales when I
have set-up blocks. The simple reason is one
of the inevitable truths of racing, at some point your going to crash. If your chassis gets tweaked, using the set of
blocks you always use will likely not create the same baseline set-up. However, if you have scaled your car and have
corner weights, you can use the scales to return to your baseline set-up. If you would like at this point you can make new
set-up blocks. As noted earlier this is an
item that you can spend a lot or a little on. It
is simply a matter of ease-of-use and convenience. We
sell Quantum Racing Scales which are
available for $1095. The set-up comes with
four pads and allows you to do cross weights, percentages and features four modes (oval
track, road racing, etc.). If the $1095 is a
little rich for your blood, a quality bathroom scale is also an option for many
welterweight racing cars. We have been using
a bathroom scale with favorable results for the past several years. It is important to make sure that you get a scale
that will handle the corner weights. With our
mini-sprint we use a 280 pound scale. We have
created wooden pads for the wheels that are the same height as the scale. We simply put the scale under one wheel and pads
under the other four and record the corner weight for that wheel. We then roll off the scales and the blocks and
carry out the same process with the scale under a different corners wheels. As noted a little earlier, a bit cumbersome, but
it gets the job done.
There are several little items that make the task of achieving your
baseline set-up a little easier. One item is
a Sharpie marker. We use this to mark a
reference point on our radius rods and drag links. If
you’ve ever started turning on your radius rods or drag links to time a bird cage or
put some angle in your front axle, you know how easy it is to lose count of the number of
turns. However, if you mark a line on the
radius rod that serves as reference point, it is much easier to count the number of turns. It is also important to have something to record
your baseline set-up on. We offer a free
set-up sheet for both open wheel and closed wheel cars on our website (www.speedpartz.com) under the Tech Articles link. I really encourage you to give this sheet a shot. We’ve tried scratching notes on a sheet of
paper which usually ends up laying in the bottom of the toolbox and is generally poorly
organized and illegible, if we are able to find it again.
Using a sheet that has been designed for the purpose of recording such information
seems to make it much easier to quickly find and assess the information the next time you
need it. I would strongly encourage investing
in a three ring binder to store all of your set-up sheets.
The importance of set-up is no secret. Having the right set of tools to accomplish the
job with speed and accuracy is sure to put you closer to victory lane.
Editors Note: For more on achieving baseline set-ups and tuning
for specific track conditions check-out Steve Smith’s Dwarf Car Technology or
Mini-Sprint Modified Midget Chassis Technology on www.speedpartz.com.
