71 nova rear axle question

[nix71nova]

I have a 71 Nova im building pro touring and is there a desired rear axle lenght or is the stock width kept? I was going to go pro street, but I think im convinced to go this route. I've never built a suspension for a muscle car and need to know what to do. Mini tubs? axle lenght? 4link/ladder bars? All input/advice is appreciated.


I would think overall I would not want to shorten the axle, but to fit some meaty street tires would I have to shorten the axle a tad???

[scherp69]

If you're willing to cut the rear housing, you're best option IMO would be to get the wheels and tires that you want with the backspacing that you like. For example, if you want a wide lip, get wheels with a wide lip. Once you have your wheels and the rear end out of the car, mock the wheels up where you want them and then measure from the inside of one rim to the other to determine what length that you need for the rear end. This way your not trying to fit your wheels to the rear end and fighting with backspacings. The other thing you'll want to do before you get wheels is decide on what rear suspension you're going to use and whether or not you're going to install deep tubs. That will also affect the wheel size. I bought 10" rims, then decided to install deep tubs so now I'm going to send my 10s away to have then widened to 12". Also, with the new rear end that I have, I can still cut off another 3/4" to make my wheels fit a little nicer in the wheelhouse.

[nix71nova]

I see, thanks!