1968 Nova Project

[1968NovaMD]

New member here, been lurking for awhile reading up as much as possible. I have a 1968 Chevy II Nova that I want to turn from a drag car to a Pro Touring driver, it'll take quite a bit of time and money, but should end up being exactly what I want in the end. Reading some of these project threads, I'm in awe at the fabrication and mechanical abilities that some people on here have. I am not even close to being that handy, and will most likely have to farm a lot of this work out.

Here are my plans so far.

lSX 376-B15 Crate Engine
4.0L Whipple Supercharger
T56 Magnum 6 Speed Transmission
Ford 9" Rear
ridetech/Hotchkis Suspension
Mini-Tub
Multi-Spoke Wheels

I'm starting with a very clean car, so I'm hoping that helps the process. Here she is the day I went and bought her.









Got her home, and cleaned her up a bit.

[1968NovaMD]

Ordered ridetech Upper and Lower Strong Arms, Tru-Turn, Spindles, RQ SA Front Coilovers, Front Muscle Bar, 3" Drop Rear Leaf Springs and SA Rear Shocks. Then I started the tear down of the front suspension.







And that's about as far as i've gotten so far. My problem now is, I want to put in a Speedtech front Subframe. I have read that my ridetech Strong Arms will work with the subframe, but from the pictures it appears my front RQ Ridetech SA coilovers might not. Also wondering about the Tru-turn setup, and if that will work on the Speedtech Subframe as well, I'd rather not have to try and sell this stuff and buy the same parts over again if I can help it. Anyone have any knowledge if my Ridetech stuff will all work with the Speedtech Subframe?

[CamaroAJ]

Welcome to the site. I've always liked that body style Nova. You should give Speedtech a call, they are super nice to talk to and can answer your questions.

[72_Nova]

kinda like what I stared with back in February. Its amazing these guys drag race with drum brakes up front. (my car had them too) Best thing I did that changed the car completely was 4link the rear! Good Luck!!

[LT1Nova]

You have a great car to start with, enjoy the project. Is that a Harwood 4" hood?

[1968NovaMD]

Long time between updates, but I'm now neck deep into it and plan to be back on the road after this first round sometime in June.

Here is what is being installed in the next few weeks.

New front sub-frame
Complete ridetech Front Suspension
Energy Body Mounts
Comp Engineering sub-frame connectors
Unisteer rack & pinion
Flaming River tilt column
Wilwood 4 piston front brake kit
All new hard brake lines (front/back)
Hydro-boost brake booster
New master cylinder

Should be able to drive it a bit this summer/fall, and then this winter do another round of mods.

[Kiquee71]

The car looks like it was in great shape to start out with. I'm a little jealous that you will have yours up and running soon. Looking forward to your finished project.

[1968NovaMD]

Thanks for the replies, it's slow going but making steady progress now that I have it at a shop. Old subframe, engine, transmission and driveshaft are out. Ready to transfer over to new subframe.





DSE mini tub kit ordered today, should be here Thursday. After that, I'll do some measurements for wheels/tires. Still hope to be back on the road after this first phase of upgrades by late July.

[bs46488]

Looking good. Following along to see the progress.

Do you know what color the car is?

[Ben@SpeedTech]

And that's about as far as i've gotten so far. My problem now is, I want to put in a Speedtech front Subframe. I have read that my ridetech Strong Arms will work with the subframe, but from the pictures it appears my front RQ ridetech SA coilovers might not. Also wondering about the Tru-turn setup, and if that will work on the Speedtech Subframe as well, I'd rather not have to try and sell this stuff and buy the same parts over again if I can help it. Anyone have any knowledge if my Ridetech stuff will all work with the Speedtech Subframe?

Hey 1968, sorry we missed this thread. Welcome to the pro touring world! That's a beautiful starting point, and congrats on jumping in there and tackling the makeover. Sounds like you've got things under way at this point, but in the future if you decided you want to swap to a new Speedtech Subframe, to answer your question, yes and no.

We have 2 different subframes available, the "Pro Touring" and the "ExtReme". In a quick nutshell, the Pro Touring frame shaves some weight, has better base geometry, and is more adjustable than a factory subframe. Our street driver 72 Nova "ResurrXion" with this off the shelf suspension package backed by our Torque Arm rear suspension was also very successful in racing venues. If your main goal is to have a nice cruiser that is responsive as you go down the road, a subframe upgrade may not be necessary. If you want more, it really works great for the guys that race occasionally and want to be a step ahead of cars with factory subframes and the common bolt on upgrades. As far as swapping your parts over goes the control arms should transfer over, as should a factory style mount sway bar. For ease and serviceability the Speedtech PT subframe uses the same Unisteer rack & pinion unit that bolts to the factory frame. Our PT subframe's geometry was designed to work properly with either factory or ATS tall spindles, we don't recommend using a dropped spindle as often the steering arm placement is not the same. We have found you can usually get 2-2.5" of drop through the coilovers, eliminating the need for a drop through the spindle. Unfortunately the Ridetech shocks have a factory pin style top mount whereas the PT subframe uses an eye mount, and the shock lengths may be different. Click here for more Pro Touring Subframe details.

The ExtReme subframe is pretty much the most advanced geometry out of any Pro Touring front suspension on the market. It also allows a 315 mm tire up front with 30+ deg of steering angle. Our sole purpose for creating this animal was for those that simply want the best of the best in their street car and for those that are serious about competing and want an honest shot at the winners circle at the bigger events. The entire suspension has been redesigned and is unique to the ExtReme line, so no other suspension parts will bolt on, not even our own other product lines. If you want to win at the track in your honest street car, the effort required to sell an old typical PT suspension is worth the upgrade to this one. Click here for more details.

As always, although we're a large company we like to maintain a small business appeal. Our tech and sales guys will always be genuinely interested in helping you meet your suspension goals and are happy to answer any questions you may have. Hit us up at 435.628.4300.

Good luck with the Nova's build!

[Newty-Newt]

I have a 72 Nova & just stumbled on to your build thread. Your Pro-Touring changes look great. When you are finished with your changes, will you Drag race the car also? I would think you could make money Drag racing & compete Pro-Touring for a trophy.