Smokin Bills car looked WAY more "fuddy" and cliche before the axle transformation. You will have more people smiling and crowds around an axle nova then a stock one with caps or cragars. Don't forget to lean the cry baby on the bumper. As for fads. I believe fads are for people that don't truly understand a certain style. The people with axle cars will push through this "fad" and still be cool because anything race theme will always appeal to the masses either as an enthusiast or a buyer. People buy "collector" cars to be noticed and want something that is different than their daily drivers.
Built a 62 Nova "gasser" back in the early 70's that had a 371 Olds and hydro. I tried to keep the original upper sprung a-arm suspension, but those spring towers would not allow any type of exhaust (aside from going thru the fender wells with headers) from fitting. So I installed an early Econoline straight axle and fabbed new inner fender panels. The ride height was only about 2-3 higher than stock and rode well, due to the longer leaf springs of the Econoline. The axle had to be shortened to match the Nova track width. The steering part was the hard part, as the Econoline was setup for a drag link. So I installed an early Chevy pickup shortened steering box and column. Steering wasn't bad, but could have been better. During the conversion, I thought I might get some ideas about the steering issues and talked to a Southern California firm that specialized in conversions. I was told that my ideas were fine, but then a suggestion to use a Corvair front suspension came up. Me being a 20 year old know it all kid laughed. Little did I know that the whole Corvair suspension was a bolt in with lower springs, would be much better and required much less work. The original steering box could have been used too. The point here is that if I knew about the Corvair suspension I would have gone that route. In your case there are several ways of going in the early Nova. The 68 up Nova and Camaro front sub frame and suspensions might also work too. My point: Explore all the possibilities, weighing all the pros and cons, then make your choice.
Paint it purple. I will really like it better if its purple. Then letter Microdot on the doors to totally catch the vibe. Seb, I am a little late to the party but that ford is a nice car. The stance is about perfect.
Iv had several early novas …. The stock front ends suck real bad I also had a early GTO with an axle and never had more fun with a car than that one….and that was mid 80’s when it wasn’t “cool” but rarely did someone say it wasn’t. My Comet is getting one on the next rebuild … iv always liked the look as long as it doesn’t sit to high …. About 4 or 5 inchs over stock in the front and 2 or 3 in the back is perfect to my eye The main thing is to back up the look ….. Big motor w multiple carbs
Sounds a little metrosexual doesn't it. While I probably couldn't really go the color I could do a dot right now. You have not lived until you dropped a dot with me.
As if there's anything wrong with it, ammo's so expensive I'd prefer they died of a laughing fit...cheaper that way
I had a 63 nova with original suspension and it was hands down the worst handling piece of shit I have ever had the misfortune of driving. I have also driven mustang II suspended hotrods that did not drive as nice as straight axle cars. If you know how to set it up, you will have no problems with a straight axle...semi trucks still use them to this day!
I know this is not a thread about assault rifles but if you ever really need one there will be one lieing on the ground. Makes ammo easier to aquire as well. getting back to it, the nova suspension can be beefed or one can go the solid axle route. I think it is probably six of one or half a dozen of the other. Cost should be close to the same so it is a matter if you want to go the solid axle route or not. I don't think that resale value would be adversly affected if that is a determining factor. You either sell to the IFS or the solid axle crowd.
Huh! I don't seem to have that problem. But then, I don't give a shit about "cone killin'" and in a 1/4 mile it handles just fine for me.
You also probably had enough brains to lock the eccentrics, which clearly is beyond the scope of most of these guys...
I say Hell Ya! I did a 52 Ford "Psycho Stripper" it drove and steered better after it was done. We used a 61 Ford F100 front end flipped around. No bump steer what so ever.
Yup! And currently making new strut rods with spherical rod ends instead of bushings and bolt holes. Recipes for disaster right there! I look at it this way, if the stock front end was good enough for 'da Grump, it's good enough for me.
Chevy ll suspension...good, solid underpinnings. Like a 'rock'. (Not) Great choice, makes your Chevy ll handle and perform like a...Chevy ll. Good enough. For most. Corvair front ends 'bolted right in'...( install them 'backwards'...with reverse ackermann) Lots of those in the very early '70s...not many still under those cars, though. Felt O.K. on the straights, but got weird in the sharp turns. That 'wandering axle syndrome' at speed sounds like a caster and toe problem. (and/or looseness in steering mooring, tie rod ends, & king pins) Not the general design. Imagine big rigs wandering at 70 MPH. Now imagine them with large Chevy ll suspension.
At last, we reach the crux of the issue as to what the "straight axle" thing is about. Attention. Jay, you are obviously new to this thing. Like a lot of the guys on here, I have been building and driving modified sixties era cars since the seventies, back then they got virtually no attention. Some of us built those cars, and still DO build them, not because of the "attention" but because they were cheap to purchase initially, which left lots of money in the bank for performance mods. You know, "hot rods". Believe me, if "attention" was what I was after, hub-caps and a stock interior would NOT be in the cards. Neither would 4.10s, a 9.5" converter, a single plane, big solid and 11.8/1. Thats for ME, not for others to look at. Instead, I would be adding a straight axle, a tired 9.5/1 350 with a comp Thumpr', a tunnel ram, bogus bolt-on "spindle-mounts" and hacking a hole in the grill for a moon tank. You know, a "gasser". See, we "get" the formula, you havent discovered any kind of secret elixer or anything, your just following the lowing herd. Oh, and if you like attention so much, you shoulda seen them clustered around the Pro-Streeters back in the eighties. Or the custom vans back in the seventies. Or the pastel peach, billet wheel fat-fendered cars in the nineties. Like flies on shit. Thats right, I've seen 'em all come and go, including the first surge of solid axle street cars in the late sixties/early seventies. I actually knew guys that sold solid axle cars cheap in '74/'75 a bought CUSTOM VANS. Seen it with my own eyes. There ARE those of us out here that REALLY ACTUALLY do "build what we want" rather than what the current trends dictate.
George you didn't come into this knowing that it is all about seeing and being seen? Good goobledy goop man. To some it is no different than teeny boppers at the mall other than they are too old for that so now they have to have a car. Some being the operative word here.
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