Horse Sense:
Steeda's Hardcore race program is thriving, making it difficult for the Hardcore division employees to hit the track. Steeda plans to expand the line further and get these guys some help, so you should see more of the Steeda Hardcore race team at your favorite events during the '04 race season.
This '93 hatch-owned by Steeda...
This '93 hatch-owned by Steeda employee Joshua Nock and his uncle Gary Holland-is powered by a B-Trim Vortech-blown 302 that is mated to a Performance Automatic C4 trans and an 8.8 rear. The Mustang had the typical race suspension parts when it came to Steeda, including single-adjustable upper control arms, South Side lowers, and Lakewood drag shocks. The best 60-foot for the car was a 1.56, with a best e.t. of 11.15 at 120 mph. After the Hardcore upper and lower arms, the spherical upper bushings, and the antiroll bar were installed, the 60-foot time dropped to 1.43 and the e.t. now stands at 11.04 at 123. We'd say this stuff works great.
Many of you "old timers" who have been in the 5.0 hobby for a while likely remember Steeda's drag racing exploits. Doug Parlimento drove the company's black notch, taking the Fun Ford Outlaw title three years in a row. As this was hap-pening back in the early '90s, Steeda was selling parts for both drag racing and road racing venues, along with selling its custom street engines and, of course, the Steeda Mustang packages. As the years progressed, Steeda moved toward the handling and road racing side of things, while also keeping its respectable performance street-products line flourishing.
A couple years ago, Steeda acquired a company called Racecraft, which was owned by Adam Louramore, now a Steeda employee. Racecraft made several Steeda-branded products as well as its own line of items. Steeda brought Racecraft in-house to bring products to market more quickly and to dedicate the Racecraft CNC machines to Steeda products. In the many conversations Adam had with Steeda top dog Dario Orlando, the idea of looking at the drag market came up again and again. According to Dario, "We discussed it, saw a good market oppor-tunity, and got back into it [drag parts]."
Once again, trusty Steeda...
Once again, trusty Steeda technician Steve Chichisola spun the wrenches for us during our visit. With the LX on the lift, Steve removes the wheels and the factory rear sway bar. After removing the upper control arm bolts, he wiggles the upper control arm out of its perch.
Although the Steeda Hardcore line is somewhat new, Adam and Dario are constantly working on new product ideas, such as the company's recently released coilover front suspension conversion (all manufactured under the Steeda roof). As it stands now, the Hardcore line primarily consists of suspension components, accessory drive components, and lightweight items such as battery boxes. The parts are all extensively tested on Steeda's two current in-house drag cars-Adam's Renegade car and Scott Boda's Drag Radial car. "Right now, every Fun Ford Weekend record holder is running the Steeda Hardcore suspension," Dario says, sounding like a proud father, "and there are more racers in FFW using Steeda's products than any other company's." Of course, the Steeda contingency program doesn't hurt, either.
We visited Steeda's West Palm Beach, Florida, digs to see how the Hardcore rear suspension and drag race sway bar are installed and tuned. So read on and get your drool cups ready.
Steeda's Hardcore spherical...
Steeda's Hardcore spherical upper control arm bushings ($139.95) require removal of the bushing (an aftermarket urethane one here) and the bushing shell. While a hammer and chisel will get the job done for Joe Driveway, Steve uses an air chisel to quickly drive out the bushing and the shell together.
The spherical bushings are...
The spherical bushings are simple replacements for the stock rubber or aftermarket urethane bushings often used in street cars. The bushings prevent binding and allow free movement for high-horsepower cars, while retaining the stock suspension design for those classes that mandate it.
To install the spherical bushings,...
To install the spherical bushings, first apply a light layer of thread-locking compound to the threads. Slide the bushing into the housing "ear" and thread the lock ring onto the bushing body. Tighten the locking ring until it's snug-it doesn't need a lot of torque.
Steeda's Hardcore heavy-duty...
Steeda's Hardcore heavy-duty upper control arms ($199.95) feature strong, double-adjustable, spherical rod ends. This means you can easily adjust the pinion angle for best traction and solid launches with the control arms mounted in place. The single-adjustable design requires the control arms to be removed to adjust the pinion angle. The rod ends often come with urethane bushings, which will deflect on high-horsepower race machines.
The included instructions...
The included instructions offer a base measurement as to where to start with the adjustable length. Steve sets them to the minimum length for now, knowing the entire rearend will need to be set up once the installation is complete. Because of the spherical rod ends on the upper arms and the elimination of all bushings, the control arms can be tightened with the rearend hanging down-unlike cars with rubber bushings, which must have the vehicle weight on them before tightening.