Is it better to clip a merc with a nova /camaro/s10 clip or buy the bolt on stuff disc brakes springs control arms which one handles and rides better and does any one know the price for the bolt on stuff also i want to drive this car as low as possible which conversion has best tire clearance for steering thanks
You have a lot of questions going on. Flamedabone used a G body on his (Cutlass/Monte/GrandPrix) and it fit like stock. Camaro and Nova are a bit wide for a Merc. The bolt on stuff works I guess, I have never used it. My friend did use a power steering adapter and stock brakes with a power booster and said the car stopped and drove great.
The Rear steer Ventura/Nova subframe will have the track too wide for looks and tires will hit fenders when turning. You might use aftermarket control arms that are shorter or have wheels made with an offset that narrows the track. Or you could narrow the subframe 1 1/2" for a good slide-in fit to the Merc frame. Only problem then is that exhaust manifold/headers are hard to find a fit. If you use rear steer subframe you can move the stock radiator support forward and a 76 Dodge pickup radiator slides right in. Save your Merc frame where the bumper bolts on and weld it to the subframe for an easy bumper install. BTW, it drives and stops great with the GM Disk brakes and PS. Good luck Ol Blue
I think when you clip it with a camaro/nova subframe the front wheels sit out 2 far. It doesnt look right and it looses something in my opinion. I added power steering and front disk brakes. Spindles and heated coils. Stops good.
Go to Jamco for Bolt on Front end stuff, easy to deal with and are HAMB Alliance members for 10% off (which will cover alliance membership) I have some of theie stuff and hope to get it installed soon. They do a Kingpin to Ball Joint conversion that looks interesting. I think with a correctly rebuilt F/E you get a pretty nice ride, a Merc is not a Race car after all. The cheaper option is to Subframe if you can handle the work yourself.
I dropped the spring pockets and used shorter coils on my 49. . Rides and steers great, WWW radials, drives like a dream. Its pretty low.
I used a front steer 80 Camaro in mine. Doing this does bring a few problems with it. It does have a wider track width which can be cured with shorter a-arms or by adding different fender lips as I did in my build. It also has the steering box in the front and interfers with the radiator support. But the clips are plentifull and the support group is strong for aftermarket and upgraded parts. The rear steer is a bit harder to come by and the support group, although big, is not as big as the front steer. With the rear steer, header clearence is and issue on the box side for anything other than a smallblock Chevy. I have heard positive and negative comments on the Fatman clip for the Merc. Once over the initial cost, it is a package deal with no worries on the install or sheetmetal mounts. Alot of folks use and like the original stuff but here again is a cost factor when it comes to upgrades and upkeep, but it works. I would have probobly upgraded the original stuff on my build if I didnt have some frontend damage. Good luck either way, the HAMB is a great resource, anything I can do to help. ETHER
Does your front steer 80 Camaro have rack & pinion? I'm needing lots of room to get a Boss 429 with headers in there. How wide is the track width? I appreciate all the help I can get. Dewey
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