Street-Strip-Grip 71 Nova

[NewSpin]

Hi there, new member, kind of a big personal moment finally being able to have a car to post on here.
The car in question is a 1971 Chevy Nova I just bought this weekend, not an SS or anything, not even originally a v8 car but since when does that matter?
It's already been set up for drag racing (Caltracs, 8.5" 10-bolt rear, skinnies up front, even nitrous), but I already have big plans in the pipeline for Chassisworks front (tubular) and rear (G-link) suspension with coilovers, Classic Industries racn and pinion, Wilwoods all the way around (and a set of their pedals/master cylinders), and a Dutchman Fab9 rear end with a Strange third member.
It does also have subframe connectors, an 8 gallon fuel cell and an 8-point cage as well that I will be keeping (upgrading the fuel cell though).

I also plan on swapping the 350/th350 setup for an LQ4/T-56, start off cammed then move up maybe some forced induction and/or aftermarket heads.

I haven't decided on wheels just yet but I do know I'd like to go with 17s (No more, no less), and nothing that will break the bank. Any suggestions?

[BlueGhost93]

Hey this looks familiar! Almost like I was there when we picked it up.lol

[NewSpin]

Yeah imagine that! xD
Gonna be fun putting it all together, too bad your Falcon won't be ready for next Friday though... I'll be having all the fun haha

[Bygblok]

looks like a classic old grudge racer car to me! Should be a great builder for sure. Best part where you are is NO emissions on it!

[HomeBuilt]

There's some thing so exciting about a new build...even when it's someone else's. Best of luck to you!

[NewSpin]

Thanks Homebuilt
And yeah Bygblok, it had a 383 in it before i bought it, apparently it was pretty nasty. I hope to bring it back to almost the same level but not just in a straight line.

The new stuff should be coming in over the next few weeks, and I will be taking it to the local 1/8th mile drags next weekend to get a bit of a baseline before I start changing things. Might see if I can swing an autocross event before the switch also. I hear Caltracs can make things very interesting in the twisties haha

[bs46488]

NewSpin,

Are you in San Diego?

For affordable rims, check out Summit. I put a set on my Nova and each rim was in the $100 - 150 range.

[NewSpin]

I am!
I've been looking at Summit's stuff but haven't found anything that I felt was the right quality, I might go with some steel wheels first and do the 17s later on.

[HomeBuilt]

Hey NewSpin if you're interested, I'll make you a good deal on the wheels and tires on my chevelle. I'm thinking about upgrading to 18/19s. I go to SD fairly often to visit friends and could work something out.

[jasonsnova]

looks like a great car to start with!
novas rock! ;)

[NewSpin]

Thanks Jason!
And Homebuilt thanks for the offer, I'll have to hold off on wheels for a while anyway though.

[driveit]

Nice Nova.

[hookemdevils22]

Holley just came out with a pretty interesting (albeit not terribly cheap) product (https://www.holley.com/products/fuel_systems/hydramat/) to help with fuel starvation. I'm looking into it, since my modified OE tank doesn't work well around corners with less than 1/2 tank. Something to consider, if you plan to keep a fuel cell.

And while you're back there, you may as well consider mini-tubbing the car. The aftermarket wheel tubs may look expensive on the surface, but believe me, they cut a TON of time out of the process.

[NewSpin]

Hookedem, I'd love a Hydramat... but like you said they're not cheap. I'll look at getting one later on when they expand the selection and the prices comes down out of the stratosphere haha
And I've thought about mini-tubbing but I shouldn't need to for my purposes for a while, I don't plan on running more than an 8-9" wide rim for now, 275 tire max. I'll just have to get fancy with the backspacing. I don't need steamrollers haha

I'm thinking of going with some 15x8" Bassett wheels with 245 or 255s all the way around for now, then later on I'm considering something like Budniks, maybe Works, Foreglines if I win the lottery xD

The new parts should be arriving between this weekend and next, then the big jam begins...
I'm actually quite surprised at how hard the car launches on the street with a light footbrake launch, not spinning the tires or anything but it gets out the hole amazingly. I can't wait for the local drags next week, should be a lot of fun on an actual track! (Sort of, local parking lot that's been partly converted and slightly prepped haha, all legal and sanctioned don't worry)

[HomeBuilt]

Awww the old days of drag racing at Qualcomm...

[NewSpin]

It's still a whole bucket of fun haha
Some pretty quick cars run down there these days too, I saw a 1st gen Nova almost pull a wheelie the last time I was there...
They've gotten much better at prepping the surface, I'm super excited haha

[NewSpin]

So I was able to get a couple runs in down at Qualcomm, I had wanted to get a feel for what the car could do as it sits with the drag radials and Caltracs etc, but I never got a chance to air down the tires and get some real heat into them before I had an odd issue with the positive battery cable, i.e. it kinda fell apart...?
So that sucked, but it felt good going down the track and ran a 9.7 best at around 73mph so it's got some left on the table by far (I was spinning in 1st every run)

On a positive note almost all my new parts are in!
-Dutchman Fab9 housing with their axles (54" wide)
-Wilwood Dynalites front and back (4 and 1 piston respectively)
-Chassisworks front control arms and 2" drop spindles (upper control arms are currently back ordered a couple of weeks... xP)
-Chassisworks G-Link 4-link rear with adjustable sway bar
-CW Varishock coilovers all around, 550lb springs up front and 200lb in rear

Everything should hopefully be installed within the next month or so hopefully, in the meantime as soon as I can fix the battery cable I'd like to get another shot at some more drag runs before I change everything.

[130fe]

What part of town do you live in? I am down in Chula Vista. Looks like a good start!

[NewSpin]

I'm near Grossmont College, but I go to Cuyamaca I'm in the Auto Tech program. I'm hoping I can go back down to Qualcomm for the next race night so maybe I'll see you if you go

[NewSpin]

Been meaning to post an update for a while, and here it is!
All of my parts are now here, all suspension, brakes, and the new rear end setup.
I've decided I'm going to switch over everything except the Chassisworks 4-link initially because I'll need to weld the frame brackets and such in and I want to avoid that downtime on the car for the time being, so I will have leaf springs in rear for a little while but I will still have the CalTracs and the new rear axle with the 3.70s and the TracLoc, plus all the front suspension and brakes all around.
I'm shaping up to be able to afford a T-56 Magnum swap near the end of the summer hopefully, then after that I am looking at an LQ4 swap.
All of these new parts are so awesome though, I was sure the Chassisworks pieces were going to be nice, but I wasn't quite prepared if I'm honest haha
The front sway itself is even bigger than I'd thought it'd be (it'll be a huge difference seeing as I don't have one right now... drag car hehe), and the control arms are some of the beefiest I've ever seen.
I just got the front rotors and calipers etc assembled tonight, I should have the rest (bearings installed, etc) and everything onto the spindles by Monday and then I'm hoping to get everything swapped out toward the end of the month, ideally no later. Super excited!

[NewSpin]

Here are some pictures of the parts, I mocked up the four-link on the new axle, can't wait til I can actually get it in the car, but even the housing will look awesome and will be more than strong enough for everything I can throw at it. The links are crazy beefy too, and the pivot joints look amazing. This car is going to be a force to be reckoned with once it's all in...
I'm hoping I can assemble my coilvers completely soon as well, but everything looks super high quality and built to last (here's hoping I got the right spring rates hehe...), anyone here use these on an X-body like mine? Any idea what kind of ride height changes they'll make?
I also got 2" drop Chassisworks spindles, combined with the drop I should be able to get from the coilovers and the swaybar my handling is going to be day and night haha

[NewSpin]

One more addendum: I want to convert to rack and pinion as soon as I can afford it, has anyone here used Classic Industries' manual kit for X-bodies?
I was also looking at a kit from Smith Racecraft? For that and maybe one of their bolt in steering columns, is this a good option? (I will likely have to swap the column because most R&P kits do not seem to work with a factory column shift like mine xP)

[NewSpin]

So I have almost the whole front end done, just need to finish mounting the sway bar (mounting holes didn't match up, not sure why...), and put all the steering gear back in.

I have to be honest... I may have underestimated just how low the combination of the 2" drop spindles and the coilovers would bring the car... I have some further adjustment to go needless to say haha
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For reference the new wheels and tires are the same height (26'') as the old ones, I went from sitting about 1/2-3/4" above the tire to over and inch below the tread... a drop of over 3" or so, and I could go about another 1-1.5" or more lower still.
It does look good, just can't drive it like it is xP

I'm going to bring it up another 1.5" or so and then I'm also going to roll the fenders quite a bit... my front track is about 1" or more wider than the rear so handling should be pretty enjoyable, I'm hoping to go run autocross this coming month

[NewSpin]

114553

This is the clearance on the driver's side, not horrible but catches horribly turning side to side

114554

Passenger's side, doesn't actually touch up and down but turning just isn't happening...

[Carl @ Chassisworks]

Just came across this thread today. Glad to hear that you're excited about the new parts. Combining the drop spindles with the suspension will definitely put the front of that car really low. Keep up the good work!

[NewSpin]

Hey Carl, you guys make some great pieces. I have a lot more adjustment on the coilovers to go even lower if I want!
You guys keep up the good work as well!

[NewSpin]

So the new front suspension has been working great, the new coilovers ride waaay nicer than the old 90/10s...
Next up is a 4 speed conversion! Found a guy who wants to trade for an auto setup exactly like what I have now, goodbye 3500 stall converter, hello row-your-own... :D

[Carl @ Chassisworks]

So the new front suspension has been working great, the new coilovers ride waaay nicer than the old 90/10s...
Next up is a 4 speed conversion! Found a guy who wants to trade for an auto setup exactly like what I have now, goodbye 3500 stall converter, hello row-your-own... :D

Awesome! On both counts.

[NewSpin]

I just traded my TH350 for an M21 this morning. Can't wait to get it all in, I will need a flywheel and pedals though. The guy also gave me his Chevy Luv hydraulic clutch setup that shouldn't be too hard to adapt, anyone want to weigh on this route? Haven't been able to find anyone using this setup on an X-body/F-body myself.
Will post pictures soon

[NewSpin]

Here's what I got today
and the hydraulic setup, seems like it should be simple enough to make work. Just a simple master/slave that uses the stock clutch fork and might even bolt to the stock pedal.