Traction

[Don C]

I've looked at those, how well do they stop wheel hop. I think those are the Shelby style under rider bars.

They work very well, I had a homemade set on a '65 Mustang. They're also good for controlling the rear end on braking.

 

[will e]

I've looked at those, how well do they stop wheel hop. I think those are the Shelby style under rider bars.

Yes, they are often called Shelby style. I think the Shelby mustangs had them on top of the axle and into the cabin but don't quote me on that.

They work fantastic. I get zero wheel hop both accelerating AND braking. Unlike the slapper bars (TRACKTION ACTION!) pictured in 73grandeklar's post, which only help with acceleration.

I don't know if you've ever braked hard enough to get the back end hopping but it's no fun. If I could only do two suspension upgrades to my Mustang the first would be subframe connectors (especially since it's a convertible) and the second would be these traction bars.

 

[71ProjectJunk]

Some people love that 60's-70's "day 2 look". Traction bars are certainly one of those street machine must haves in the 60's-70's, along with the big shackles/high rear stance, painted drums, headers, and aftermarket wheels with bigger tires, preferably the N50-15

 

[Hemikiller]

I used the Traction Master bars (aka Shelby bars) on one of my cars, and they worked very well. They MUST be welded with the suspension loaded at ride height, or it'll bind up the rear suspension. Any shop with a drive on lift and a competent welder can do the job.

The slapper bars work well, as long as they are set up properly.

 

[bill1101]

Ok, so I guess two separate problems. On a roll, hitting the gas results in massive tire spin and no traction. From a stop, dumping the clutch results in wheel hop. How to solve both problems. I like the idea of low profile "what i would call ladder bars". Trying to keep the look clean,
Really appreciate all the input, thanks. Been out of the game for a long time, marriage, kids and such. When I was in the game I really didn't know anything. So I guess not much has changed. Although I had a really fast 65 that put a lot of chevys to bed

 

[71ProjectJunk]

For the wheel hop, I think you have 2 main options; the traditional Lakewwod traction bars, or the Caltrac bars. I have no personal experience with either on the 71-73 Mustangs, but I have used them on other vehicles and they work. After you install some set of traction bars, and or resolve your wheel hop situation, then see how the car does on a roll. I would assume that you have a trac-loc differential, as if not that is the first thing you need to get. If the car spins the tires on a roll after you resolve the wheel hop issue, the way I would resolve it is with some sticky tires, some type of street drag radial. There are a bunch of other things you can try, like 90/10 shocks in the front and 50/50 in the rear, loosen your front sway bar or remove it, to get better weight transfer, but that stuff will really affect the way the car handles on the street, and it may not resolve your spinning tires on a roll without some good tires. Street drag radials have 2 main disadvantages, one is that they do not last long, usually the treadwear is 00, and they are not good for driving in the rain, rain should be avoided or you need to drive very slowly with them.
Let other members chime in about their experiences with the traction bars on these cars, and what they recommend.

 

[71ProjectJunk]

Couple of videos that may be of interest on the Lakewood and Caltracs:

 

[will e]

I watched the videos. I wrote this before but again I would choose either Caltrac or Global West traction bars over the slapper type bars. I like that they are more subtle and they also help with braking wheel hop. Here's a few pictures to show how they don't really stick out even when viewing from a low angle. My Mustang was a bit of a 'sleeper' back in the day.