The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop nova sub vs. no limit wide ride

i know this has been gone over before, but i have a few questions:

i have a '59 1-ton that i am resto-rodding. the straight axle in the front is going. i have two options to replace it, a subframe from the 77 nova sitting in my driveway, or the wide-ride ifs by no limit. i looked at the mII as well by tci, but for the money the WR looks like a better setup

my concern with the nova, is the safety of towing a 5000 lb. boat trailer with it. the nova sub would be a lot cheaper for me so i would be able to at least upgrade the springs, shocks and brakes. i am a novice welder, but i can get a more experienced welder to help me do the conversion.

any opinions one way or another would be appreciated.

Unless you will be towing in reverse it should not matter whether you install the subframe or the Kit.

The subframe should be able to handle anything you put that truck through. The wide ride kit is upwards of $2.3K so the economy of the subframe is a definate bonus unless the hot rod fairy left the kit under your pillow one night.

I know a Houston area welder who will come weld you up if you need a reference there. He did the subframe welding on my 54 after I did the fitting.

If I recall correctly he had a minimum of around $200.00.

that might work. i could do all of the measuring, and tack it in plac, and then have somebody lay down a good bead for me.

if i take the subframe from the nova, i could also probably use the rearend (8.5" 10-bolt), steering column, and a few other items, not to mention get one of my projects out of the way (i was going to hotrod it also, but if i can use it for parts that works too.)

If you use the Nova as a parts car do not forget to take all the little thing off the car that can nickel and dime you later on.Like the proportioning valve, seatbelts, etc. I saved a lot of stuff off my Camaro parts car when i clipped my truck and what dont use i can toss when i am done. Whatever route you choose, good luck.............Dale

Glenn,
I have sent you two emails with the information you need to contact the welder. Good luck and let us know how it turns out. Take Pictures!

thanks! i found a motor today too. i planned on building one, but i was offered a fresh long-block sbc 385 (350, .040 over, 400 crank) with world heads for $1,200.

I have a 1949 Chev 1 ton I am looking to do an IFS and new rearend, I just wanted to get some ideas, so I will keep watching, pls let me know if you find something that works. I had thought about doing a Pacer IFS, but was told it might not be heavy enough to handle the weight. I am looking to make a daily driver. Anyone have any ideas as to what rear end might bolt into my truck with the least amount of work?

You might look into swapping the IFS and rear from a 70ish Chevy pickup ('63 - '87 are very similar).

Using 3/4-ton stuff you should be able to retain your load rating. Its all a little too wide but other guys have done it successfully, and you'll know the stuff is heavy enough to carry the truck and load.

1 ton If you do go the sub frame route I'd suggest rebuilding the clip with new bushings, ball joints, shocks, etc. before you weld it all together. It is still cheaper than MII IFS and that way insures that alignment with clip & frame of the 1 ton will stay the same.

i was planning on rebuilding it, but you think i should do it before i weld them together? either way, it will be rebuilt.

the nova i have has a 350/th350 in it already. according to the link posted, the curb weight should be just under 3700 lbs. for the nova.

i have a TF truck, and i don't see how it could be that much heavier than a 1/2-ton, especially if i am losing some heavyweight stuff like the front and rear axles. i don't plan to try and keep the 1-ton payload

does anybody have any info on how thick the 1/2 ton frame is? top to bottom, and wall thickness too.