HOW TO SET UP A STANLEY QUARTER MIDGET

Car Setup: FAQ

SET THE PANHARD BARS

Panhard bars should start out on the third hole down on the frame-side front and rear.
The rear should be in the bottom hole on the bearing carrier.
The front should be in the top hole in the axle.

Tie rod jam nuts need to be loose so the toe can be adjusted to allow both spindles to sit down in blocks.

The left-to-right placement of the rear axle is determined by the location of the left rear bearing carrier. Place the inside edge of the carrier flush with the inside edge of the main rail of the chassis.

Adjust LR Birdcage timing by using a square and adjusting the LR radius rods.
Adjust the rods so that the square is flush against the panhard bracket.
Check and adjust RR Birdcage timing by using a square and adjusting the RR radius rods until the square is flush with the brake caliper mount.

Using two squares and a ruler, measure from the back of the rear axle to the back of the rear cross tube, this measurement should be 5”.
Take this measurement as far out on the axle (on the left and right sides) as possible and adjust the rear radius rods by turning the top and bottom the same amount so you don’t lose your bird cage timing.

Front axle placement is set by adjusting the panhard bar so the center of the axle bolt is 13.75” from the inside of the right front tube.
Once the rear axle has been squared in the car, use it to set the front axle. Simply measure from alignment bar to alignment bar on both sides of the car to get the center-to-center measurement of the axles.

Use a square to put the left front spindle straight up and down, which will give you a setting of 0° on the left front. The right front caster will automatically be set as caster split is built into the axle.
Use the right front radius rods to roll the axle until you reach the desired 0° on the left front.
Lengthen or shorten the top radius rod equal and opposite of the bottom rod so the wheelbase does not change.
After setting the caster, double check your wheelbase to verify it did not change.

We recommend to run no toe in or toe out.
Lift the front of the car out of the blocks, and set it back in to see if there is any drag on alignment blocks.
Adjust the tie rods so that the pitman arms on the steering shaft are in the 11 and 1 position, and spindle bolts come in and out of blocks without dragging.

We generally run our cars with the track width as narrow as possible.
On the front end, run the front hub with no spacer behind it on the spindle.
On the rear end, set the axle spacers so that the left rear tire is about .125” from the radius rods.
The right rear tire should be about .25” from the spring.

It is important to have a baseline setup to come back to if you have made adjustments to your RSR car and seem to have lost the handle.
Set tire pressures at 11 PSI in the right front and right rear.
Set tire pressures at 5 PSI in left rear and left front.
We recommend a starting point of 1.5” ride heights without the driver to start out.
You can measure this at the front and rear cross tubes by simply adding .75” to your desired height. So for example, a 1.5” would measure 2.25” at the cross tube.

Scale without the driver in the car.
Remember that left side and rear percentages will not change by turning on the adjusting shock collars.
Moving ballast is the only way to get the desired percentage of left and rear.
While the ideal percentages will be different for everybody, we recommend starting out with 57% left side and 57% rear.
Move your ballast around in the car until you get the desired percentages.
Once set, it is a good idea to recheck your ride heights to see if they changed before setting your cross weight.
Everyone’s optimal cross weight will vary, but a good place to start is 54% measured without the driver in the car.
When adjusting cross weight, it is important to use the X method. If you do the same adjustment to the left rear and right front and the opposite adjustment to the left front and right rear, your cross weight should change without ride heights changing.

We recommend 3" backspace wheels for the left
and 4" backspace wheels for the right.

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Recommended Starting Points for Shocks and Springs

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