---
title: "Watch The Rear Axle Implode On This Plymouth Belvedere Drag Car"
description: "That's not gone well."
date: "2017-05-02"
modified: "2017-05-02"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/9901/watch-the-rear-axle-implode-on-this-plymouth-belvedere-drag-car"
categories:
  - "News"
  - "Watch This"
tags:
  - "drag racing"
  - "Fail"
  - "Mopar"
  - "Plymouth"
  - "Suspension"
---

# Watch The Rear Axle Implode On This Plymouth Belvedere Drag Car

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/05/drag.png>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

With all this talk of [Demons](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/9225/the-dodge-demon-is-actually-banned-by-the-nhra-because-of-safety>) and [Exorcists,](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/9774/watch-hennesseys-exorcist-1000-hp-chevy-camaro-zl1-scream-on-the-dyno>) sometimes we just want to watch some classic sheet metal rocket down the drag strip. Watching this late-60s Plymouth Belvedere nose up to the line, riding proud on a set of massive slicks and growling like an angry lion at idle, we (and probably everyone in the stands) were excited for some good, old-school fun. But despite looking like a ten second car, it's apparently not built like one - instead of cruising to quarter-mile glory, the car lands in a heap just past the Christmas tree as the rear axle and suspension are literally ripped apart on launch.

And ouch, that sound. Particularly painful is the last boot of throttle the driver gives it *after* the axle welds separate and everything goes south. [Over at BangShift,](<https://bangshift.com/bangshift1320/watch-plymouth-belvederes-rear-suspension-fail-launch-sub-par-welds-appear-cause/>) there's a lot of speculation based on the brackets you can see dangling beneath the horribly-mangled undercarriage that the unlucky owner likely had attempted a conversion from leaf springs to a [ladder bar suspension setup.](<https://www.competitionengineering.com/content/understanding-basics-chassis-suspension-traction-equipment>) Ladder bars are pretty simple and durable, but the bracket welds are a common failure point and competition sets can be weakened with street use thanks to their unyielding design.

Of course, after a catastrophic failure like that, the owner's looking at a lot more than replacing his suspension - the gas pouring out of the back when the old Mopar comes to rest is just one sign that everything under there was pretty torn up by the newly-liberated axle, and he's likely got a lot of expensive work ahead. Here's hoping the build goes better next time.

https://youtube.com/embed/XmhmR5Y01EY

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)