The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop GUYS, NEED SOME HELP OR PICS.

I recently picked up a new project as a couple of you know. With that project I got a 73 nova front clip. I want to weld that in the frame of my existing 51 1/2 ton truck frame. The frame is in great shape. My question is, is there anybody here who has done this who has some photos were they cut and installed additional crossmembers, braces, etc. ? I know this has been done before on other vehicles. Any help would be great.

Jase

YES!
There was one entry in this weekend's car show that did something like that. In fact, it was the front end off of a Nova as well, come to think of it.

What he did was cut the nova crossmember out with the front suspension attached, and welded it to the bottom of his frame. But instead of using the Nova's steering box, he mounted a rack and pinion to the front of the crossmember.
That's it! It was just that simple.

But surprisingly, it slammed the truck to the ground by using this suspension. Even though he welded it to the bottom of his frame, the truck was still a lot lower than original.
If that's the effect you want, then I guess that'll work for you.

don't do it

If you're building a hot rod and want it low, this is not the way to go. I have one truck with a Nova subframe(front steer) and I think it's too wide. My truck sits pretty low and I have 5" Ralleys with all of the back set on the inside. The tires still hit the front fender brace when I turn and pull in my driveway. My other truck is still a project, but I put a Mustang II in it. The wheels set in a lot more, the original radiator support still works, and it just seems to be a better set up. It's clean and simple. I do have a Mustang II in my streetrod that I drive and I love it.

Even though they are F@&DS, those Mustang II's are just the best to use. Almost anything around here that comes out of rod shops uses Mustang II's or a variation of that. The steering component part of the front end rarely interferes with any engine components and the design of that front ends adapts easily to most any frame. The notion that a clip on a Chevy needs to be a Chevy is easily arguable when it comes to a Mustang II. I think the best aftermarket front end is Fatman's.

Another thing to consider is the amount of adapting you will have to do with the Nova clip. All fender mounts, radiator, bumper, etc...... The MII uses the factory frame, so you just cut your work load in half. Joe

The nova subframe could work well for your truck but it is a fabrication intensive process. To get a clue on how to do it get the video available from No Limit. It shows how to do the subframe to a 55-59 task force but the process is similar for the AD. The width will cause you problems though with fender clearance if you drop it much. If you have the skils do the sub frame, if not go with an IFS kit.