In baseline form, the '96 Trans Am put down a 60-ft time of 1.482 en route to an uncorrected pass of 9.94 at 140.65 mph. From a technical perspective, no wheelspin was evident, and the car pulled the wheels about 10 inches in the air, setting them down just before the 60-ft mark. The car did pull to the right on both baseline passes, but in general, was controllable down the track without any wandering or off-center wheel corrections. After the installation of the Madman suspension components and the initial suspension tune, the car promptly pulled down a 1.350 60-ft time. Subsequent chassis tuning further reduced the 60-foot time to an outstanding 1.240, with additional improvements on the horizon. According to Jeffery, "The key to making an F-body hook up is being able to put together a suspension package that will allow the adjustability to optimize the parts combination. Identical cars with the same engine, transmission, chassis, and components react differently, requiring various adjustments in order to optimize the combination. From a technical perspective, the longer the tires can stay planted without wheelspin or -hopping, the better the car will ultimately perform. The number one component to make sure the tires don't unload, spin, or hop is the torque arm. By designing my Outlaw arm as the only torque arm on the market with adjustable mounting locations, I can alter the torque-arm angle so that the instant center can be set up in relation to the ride-height, allowing the car to transfer power properly. By zeroing-in on the instant center of the torque arm, the car should plant and launch effectively. Simply measuring a driveline angle (difference between driveshaft and pinion angle) can lead to pinion angle setups that are inappropriate for the car. If a 2-degree down pinion angle creates a severe U-joint angle, what good is it to set up this theoretical best angle, when all you will do is break parts and go slower. Second, in order for proper application of power, the rearend has to be square to the car. From the factory, the F-body's suspension came with tolerances that allowed up to 1/2 inch of left-to-right and forward-to-back location of the rearend. If the rear isn't exactly centered, the car will pull to the left or right. In this case, the car pulled right, indicating even before we took measurements that the left rear tire was forward of the right rear tire. In order to adjust the center of the rearend, a double-adjustable set of upper and lower control arms and Panhard bar are required. Once the suspension is set up properly, it then becomes a matter of experience to optimize the settings of the dampeners. Drag racing is in itself a different form of racing, which requires parts designed to allow proper weight transfer. Having a fast street car with a good handling package is entirely different than optimizing an F-body for drag racing. Shock absorbers designed to improve handling typically bottom-out shortly after launch, inducing wheelspin or -hop. If the shock can't be adjusted to absorb the energy at launch, even the largest drag slick won't be able to remain planted to the strip."
 The high-quality street torque...  The high-quality street torque arm is removed next. The 13mm bolt that attaches the front of the torque arm mount to the transmission is removed (15mm on manual transmission). Carefully unhinge the metal clamshell retainer holding the torque arm bushing. A pole jack is placed under the Panhard-bar mount on the rearend housing to take the pressure off of the torque arm mounts. Brian Jeffery holds a box end wrench on the two 7-inch bolts, while chassis technician Nick Williamson uses an impact gun to remove the two nuts with a 21mm socket. After the bolts are removed, the torque arm can be lowered and taken out. |  The transmission-mounted torque...  The transmission-mounted torque arm will be replaced with a Madman Outlaw torque arm (PN 199-TA, $695), designed for drag racing. The torque arm is produced to fit '93-'02 F-bodies equipped with aftermarket rearend housings, including the Ford 9-inch, as well as both Strange and Moser 12-bolts. Additional applications are also being developed, including the Strange-based Dana 60. Produced in-house, the torque arm is constructed of 4130 chrome-moly tubing, is double adjustable, and features a rod end on the front. |  The uniqueness of the torque...  The uniqueness of the torque arm lies in a few areas. Double adjustability on the rear helps to keep the bar from binding on the rearend housing, while there are multiple adjustment holes on the front crossmember mount. The combination of adjustability both up and down for the torque arm provides tremendous tuning flexibility, allowing the torque-arm angle to be put into proper orientation to obtain an instant center. |