On my 64', when I'm romping on the car at speeds above legal limits (heheh) it seems to get floaty in the front. Its a stock rebuild with new bushings, springs and monroe shocks but with no front sway bar. I plan on going to a front clip soon, but that in about a year or so. Is there anything I can do to get rid of that floaty feeling? Putting a sway bar back up front? Especially when I go to the strip soon, I want to feel confident at speeds over a 100.

Also, this is my "street" toy, that I want set-up for drag. I have mono leafs in the rear with traction bars on them. I heard that 255's will fit in the stock tubs, I just need to move everything inboard. Could I move those peices inboard and if so, what is the best way to go about doing that????

Thanks Again,
Smitty

i think throwing the sway bar on the front would help out a bit...its would help with responsiveness of the front end...but make sure your not comparing it to your wrx..lol

haha yeah definately.... The subaru is long gone (2yrs ago) hehehhe.

So does anyone have any info on the rears though? I was thinking about doing something similar to the 1st gen camaro/3rd gen nova set-ups. The kind that uses the stock suspension but they use the brackets just to move it in about 2inches or so along with the shocks. Thats the main info I'm looking for right now. I want to stick with the stock suspension configuration for a bit. Oh and when you gents' shorten the rear on these cars, about what length do you shorten them too? I've read 56" is that about right or should it be cut down more? I was told that length, and I could get a 255 in the rear with stock tubs.


Thanks
Smitty

on your year there is so much you can do..im not sure whats everything you can do with the stock set up..heidts makes a bolt in rear clip for that car, air ride has a bolt in air bar for the back..

normally anytime you move in the leaf springs your going to need some fancy offset shackles plus if your tank is to wide a shorter tankS is needed..i wish i could help you more with that particular year as far as what is needed to run the 255..i would think picking out the perfect bsp would help it with fitment..

Well I guess I'll be an adventurous young buck and break out the hammer and welder and learn as I go hahah....

Thanks a bunch again.
Smitty

If you don't want to spend thousands to make it handle and feel better, consider the kit by CPP. This kit replaces the lower control arms and strut rods with tubular control arms. I installed the kit last summer and it's the best oney I've spent on my car. The difference is night and day.

If you don't want to spend thousands to make it handle and feel better, consider the kit by CPP. This kit replaces the lower control arms and strut rods with tubular control arms. I installed the kit last summer and it's the best oney I've spent on my car. The difference is night and day.

You don't have to go to a full bolt in front clip to improve upon the MacPherson strut suspension. Anything that will get the CG lower and moved towards the middle of the track and wheel base will help handling. Right now the weight is on the top ball joint with a mild steel half inch rod controlling toe-in and caster. The whole front end adjustment is controlled by one stamped steel ovate disc that sits in an elongated slot.

Adjustable shocks, aftermarket uneven A-arms with the weight on the lower ball joint will help the most. Upgraded parts in the steering and spindle are next to control deflection; with a stiff anti-sway bar not needed on the front for straight line driving.

The rear suspension will need to be back halved to get any big rubber under it; and mini-tubbed with a traction devise to run even modest rubber. The stock suspension with traction bars (slide-a-links beat slapper bars) and adjustable rear shocks will get the car in the nines and sticky rubber. Trouble is the small wheel wells.

The reason the NHRA pulled the plug on AA/FA class racing was they were squirrelly on the top end (700 horse, light cars with short wheel-bases). The early Nova’s were built for economy (four bolt 13" wheels) with tiny friction drum brakes running off of a single brake cylinder (the master).

The engineers never envisioned a V-8 being installed in the car at all, never mind a 500 horse V-8. If you are going to be doing this you will have to take it upon yourself to redesign or improve upon the factory design with aftermarket parts for it to be safe. Ralph Nader got real excited with GM installing a six cylinder in the Nova’s chief competition for the cheap economy fun car called the Corvair. (He called the Corvair "Unsafe at any speed" because people were hot rodding the car beyond what the designers envisioned as it’s end use). Would hate to think of what he would consider the Nova with a 1200 horse Chevy SB2 motor in it.

Big Dave