Im buildin up a 8" Ford for the rear of my '62 and was wondering how many of you run spools in a street car? This isnt my daily and I'll hopefully be raceing it once in awhile. So do they drive you nuts or do ya just get used to them? Thanks.
-Jesse

You will be told that driving a spool on the street is very dangerous, and it can be.

However, if you have a relatively small tire and don't drive in the rain you will be OK.

You just have to watch because your turning radius will be pretty big.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Looking to install our spool soon. This is not a daily driver, but nights and weeeeeeeends!!! The V8's better look out. / is back and better than ever. Don

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'72 Duster /6 with turbo build up
'03 Ram 2500 4x4 w/HEMI 5sp 4:10 posi
My Twister Page

Why a spool? Why not an air locker or a powertrax so you can still maintain normal operation? I can see it for the strip on a race only car but for the street? Sounds like trouble to me.

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David Kight
'62 Valiant Signet, White
'98 Dodge Dakota
'06 Jeep Liberty

Growing older is unavoidable but growing up is strictly optional.

I can afford a mini spool(they are around $40 for my 8"). all the cars with lockers Ive ever rode in were pretty rough on the turns anyway. Ill be runnin 215/75x15 on the rears and it rarely ever gets icy around here. Thanks for the info guys.
-Jesse

When you use a spool, dont you need axle retainers?

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Excuse me, does this smell like chloroform to you?

8" should have bolt-in axles anyway.

I've got a buddy who has been running a mini-spool in an 8" on the street for 10 years. '64 Falcon that he put a 302 and C-4 in.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Yup, bolt on axle plates. All i need to now is finalize my gearing and Ill be done with the rear!
-Jesse

Well, now you'll grit you teeth.
I've also heard of people running them on the street too, with no problems. Then there's a few that had bad luck.
What's the worse you could do? Lose an axle?
Good luck with you project!

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225 Cubic Inches of Iron-Head American Muscle

225 bored .040 /.100 off block, Schneider Cam 224@.050~ .480 lift - Stock valves, blended bowls, Offenhauser intake with 500 Edelbrock carb

Yep, and if under power (which is when it would usually break), the car will make a hard turn to the side of the broken axle. You will try to correct for the turn effect, and let off the throttle at the same time. Then the car will try to make a hard turn in the oposite dirrection. Ask me how I know.

Or you could be driving on wet road, and go straight, when the road curved.

Running a spool, or welded spiders on the street is in the realm of, "just becuase you can, should you."

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

I'll second that Charrlie....
I was merely stating what I've seen/heard.
If your driving only on the weekends, in a rual area; it might be bearable.
(I wouldn't run a spool on the street with anything, myself)
If you live, or frequent in town, I don't think you should run a spool. For eveyone else's sake...you could cause a nice fender-bender by losing an axle.
Have fun, and be safe!
BBB

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225 Cubic Inches of Iron-Head American Muscle

225 bored .040 /.100 off block, Schneider Cam 224@.050~ .480 lift - Stock valves, blended bowls, Offenhauser intake with 500 Edelbrock carb

I have trac loc in my dart. That can make your a$$ pinch the seat when the roads are wet.

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Excuse me, does this smell like chloroform to you?

8" has bolt in axles. You will not "lose an axle" any more than you would with a locker. I seriously doubt that a Slant car is going to break an axle in an 8", especially with small tires.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

I did not mean an axle coming out, but breaking.
I never should have broken a 9 inch Ford axle in my 63 Galaxie, stock eliminator car, with a 289 2bbl, but I did. Also broke a 8 3/4 Mopar axle in a 65 Valiant with a 273 motor.
Not likely to break the axle, but shouda, woudder, coulder. One never knows.

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

Breaking an axle with a spool has nothing to do with the available engine power.......

It's the non-differentiating of the tires in a turn that puts the stress into the axles.

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Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes