Nova Chassis Bracing Ideas --Feedback Please

[JMarsa]

I'm looking for some feedback on some bracing ideas I have for my Nova. It's a cherry rust free 40K mile car. The car will see 1-2 track days per year and be my autocross beater. The pics below are not my car but it's the same model. My goals are:

1. A strong platform for the new subframe to do its business.

2. Reinforcement for the stresses from the relocated rear suspension.

3. Strengthen the body shell and tie everything together.

4. Add torsional rigidity.

I've got a HTH truck-arm kit like this for the rear and will be doing a custom subframe with the frame rails extending all the way to the front leaf spring mount. The extended rails will mount to the two stock mounts under the car and will use a modified & beefed up spring perches much like a bolt in sub frame connector would. The frame rails will be tied together with a middle cross member that will also be the truck-arms forward mount. There will also be a rear cross member in front of the axle with an integrated driveshaft loop. Behind the axle there will be some trunk floor bracing for the Panhard bar.

Under the hood will be tie bars running from the front frame rails to the firewall. My car does not have AC or power brakes so there will be more room than appears from the pics. There will be a bolt in cross bar to tie them together like a NASCAR chassis.

I'm contemplating the need for the 4 pt. cage. If I do it, it will have a cross bar and diagonal behind the front seats and also a cross bar in the trunk. I'm not sure if I need any of it though. The truck arms push the car from the middle cross member. I'm not sure how much the 4 pt. will aid the body in rigidity over and above my other bracing mods.



All comments are welcome.

--JMarsa