I'm taking my car to the track this month for the first time. I'm installing BMR adjustable uppers and lowers with an airbag and Edelbrock no hop bars. My engine is suppose to make about 500 hp and 540 lbft of torque. I have a 4000 stall converter and as the name indicates a 60 over 454. ET street tires and 4.10 gears. Do you think the axles will hold up okay?
What has been the experience of others with comparable hp?

The previous owner of my El Camino ran low 11's and pulled the front tires off the ground with the stock 12 bolt axles. One of them is still in the car today.

Thanks KAA.

Any more opinions and/or experiences?

tech at track should not pass any car with stock 7/16 inch studs with less than one inch of stud showing. Need 1/2 studs. Stock axles have to be modified for bigger studs both front and rear.

engineer- I hear what you are saying. You know I raced a 95 camaro for two years without ever being asked to change wheel studs etc.. When are you required to have studs? But my friend with his 70 chevelle was told to make the change. Neither of us were running better then 12's in the quarter.

I was in Oklahoma last summmer and went to the Friday night test-n-tune at the drag strip in Noble. There was a 69-72ish Chevy pickup there with a ZZ502 and a NOS fogger system installed on it. When he launched that thing, the driver's side axle broke and the tire went rolling down the track with the axle. The truck ended up on the rear end. As a spectator I thought it was hilarious. The hundred or so other racers waiting for the cleanup probably didn't think it was all that funny. The very same night an El Camino broke on the starting line. They had to push it off the track with a floor jack under the rear end. I went and looked at the car in the pits and saw that he sheared ALL FIVE wheel studs off the driver's side axle.

It would be wise, in my opinion, to at least upgrade your wheel studs. Cheap insurance.

Originally posted by KAA:
It would be wise, in my opinion, to at least upgrade your wheel studs. Cheap insurance. To quote Wilford Brumley: "There's just no reason not to".

Your points well taken guys. I'm ordering new axles, bearing, seals with long studs from Moser tomorrow. graemlins/thumbsup.gif

I'll try to obtain the NHRA/IHRA rules from their websites.

IMHO, if you're going to regularly hammer it at a sticky track, you'll eventually twist a stock axle. I think something like Moser c-clip axles are cheap insurance against heading for the guardrail. I was running mid 12's when I snapped the drivers axle in my 12 bolt a few years ago. True, it's a 4-speed, but you're making more power than my car was. If you don't want to spring for axles, at a minimum you should get c-clip eliminators.

Thanks Larry - I appreciate the advice. I ordered a set of Mosers with long studs last Friday.
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