69 nova...25 yr hiatus

[dairdvl]

hey everyone. just wanted to post my build to see what you guys think. i found this forum which changed my whole outlook on this project.
This nova was the first car i ever bought when i was 17 in 1987 and have had it ever since. this project started to just get the car back on the road until i decided to go w/ the protouring route.
ill start off w/ a few old school pics first

[dairdvl]

off to the body guy for new rear quarters and primer



back from the body guy

[dairdvl]

fire wall and cowl painted



motor and trans in



motor wired and running

[dairdvl]

front suspension in from my good buddy Mark at SC&C and brakes from Tobin at Kore3. just finished this past weekend. trying to decide budget wise what to do with the rear

[dairdvl]

decided to go w/ these wheels. TSW Valencia rear-18x9.5 front 18x8. not sure on the tires yet but leaning toward Nitto 555 in a 235/40/18 front and 265/40/18 rear what do you guys think?

[craigs73]

you got two cheap options on brakes.... one is brakes from s-10(cant remember years) or ls1 brakes from 98-02 f-bodys

[Zoomin]

Those brakes should throw you through the windshield compared to what it had! Very cool you kept the car that long too.

What color you going with?

[dairdvl]

Those brakes should throw you through the windshield compared to what it had! Very cool you kept the car that long too.

What color you going with?

thinking of the original color which was Cortez silver or maybe something a little darker metallic silver

[hookemdevils22]

you got two cheap options on brakes.... one is brakes from s-10(cant remember years) or ls1 brakes from 98-02 f-bodys

LS1 F-body brakes are stupid easy to do, and they're almost identical to C5 rears, but with an integral parking brake. There's a write-up on this page regarding the two setups, including how to modify the OE drum brake backing plates to save $$ on adapters.

For the wheels, I'm running TSW Tremblants in matte black. I went with a Ford bolt pattern, with 8" front and 9.5" (that I subsequently widened to 11") rear, 40mm offset each. The front has a 1" adapter, and the rears have .500" spacers with drilled axles/rotors. If you plan to run the 5x120 bolt pattern, I'd recommend running 20mm offset up front and 40mm out back. You'll likely need spacers for both, but I think those would fit. Here's the specs (BS, offset, clearance, etc.) on my setup.

Edit: I believe the Corvette fronts push the wheels out 1/8" or so vs. OE discs? Keep that in mind. Also, I'm running 245s up front, 235s will give you slightly more clearance.

[no go nova]

Nice ride and the ls1 brakes on the rear would be your best bet.

[craigs73]

Nice ride and the ls1 brakes on the rear would be your best bet.

yep..... i got a complete set of ls brakes front and rear.... i even got used master and booster and e-brake handle from lstech

[bs46488]

Nice work!

I vote 2 thumbs up on the wheels. I have a Gen 3 Nova. I triple checked my back spacing before I ordered my wheels.

[dairdvl]

LS1 F-body brakes are stupid easy to do, and they're almost identical to C5 rears, but with an integral parking brake. There's a write-up on this page regarding the two setups, including how to modify the OE drum brake backing plates to save $$ on adapters.

For the wheels, I'm running TSW Tremblants in matte black. I went with a Ford bolt pattern, with 8" front and 9.5" (that I subsequently widened to 11") rear, 40mm offset each. The front has a 1" adapter, and the rears have .500" spacers with drilled axles/rotors. If you plan to run the 5x120 bolt pattern, I'd recommend running 20mm offset up front and 40mm out back. You'll likely need spacers for both, but I think those would fit. Here's the specs (BS, offset, clearance, etc.) on my setup.

Edit: I believe the Corvette fronts push the wheels out 1/8" or so vs. OE discs? Keep that in mind. Also, I'm running 245s up front, 235s will give you slightly more clearance.

hookem
thanks for the info. you dont know how hard i have been trying to get some help on this. the wheels have got to be the hardest thing of this project yet.
do you have stock wheel wells? and what size rear tires are you running? did i miss that?
what suspension are you running in the rear?
my body guy was not too happy i think when i called him up about poss putting mini tubs in. i should have thought about that when he had it all apart.

[craigs73]

i think you may be able to squeeze 275's out of it......but the fender lip would have to be rolled and have the right back spacing

[hookemdevils22]

I have an Art Morrison ladder bar rear with coil-overs. I also did a home-brew mini-tub, thus the 11" wheels. Rears are 305/35-18... obviously don't use my setup as a baseline. The fronts, however, are 245/40-18, and I only have a little rub at full lock. That's with OE discs, tubular control arms, and QA1 coilovers sitting maybe 2" lower than stock. You'll be fine with 235s.

The 'here's the specs' link I provided above outlines my methodology when choosing wheels. I had 15" Centerline Auto Drags on it before, which just kissed the outer fenders in the rear with 255/60-15 ET Streets. I calculated the forward space and created a schematic to show clearance, then aimed for at least 1/4" less forward space with the new rear wheels to give me clearance on the outside (I ended up with 1/2" less). I'd use your current wheels as a baseline, and try to see how much clearance you have on both sides.

[sixgunsuperman99]

I just saw your introduction thread over in the Open Discussion part and commented over there... cool car! My 72 currently looks like yours did back in the day, and mine has been on a 20 year hiatus haha.

What are you running for springs/shocks? I just got done putting in the Stage 2 + upper and went with Hotchkis 1.5 inch springs and Koni's.

[dairdvl]

I just saw your introduction thread over in the Open Discussion part and commented over there... cool car! My 72 currently looks like yours did back in the day, and mine has been on a 20 year hiatus haha.

What are you running for springs/shocks? I just got done putting in the Stage 2 + upper and went with Hotchkis 1.5 inch springs and Koni's.

six gun
i also have a stage 2 from SC&C. im good friends with Mark the owner. not sure on the springs. no shocks yet.
still debating what to do about the rear

[Jon @ Hotchkis]

Hey Dairdvl, nice looking setup you have going so far.

I agree on the LS1 F-body rear brakes; the only thing to look out for is interference between the left caliper and shock. Since the Nova's have staggered shocks the left rear shock is very close to the caliper and will not work with the factory hose orientation on the caliper. If I remember correctly I took the hose on the caliper and rotated it 180* and ran the hose down and under the caliper and bent the hardline on the axle to meet it.



Let me know if you have any questions regarding the rear suspension or our products.

[dairdvl]

this project is really snowballing since i decided to go the way i did.
got my wheels this week and they are just hitting the rear shock lower mounting point (no spacer. will post pics this weekend) and think im going to bite the bullet and go with updating the rear suspension. prob going to go with Chassisworks g link which i can get through my good friend Mark at SC&C.
what do you guys think....good choice or what?

[Zoomin]

Man, I hear ya on the snowballing thing.

How did the rim look as far as clearance with the fender?