Well, the front brakes I got from ebay have the wrong brackets ( they sent me the base model brackets instead of the z51) :mad: so I am put in a position to make a choice here. These z51 rotors minimum wheel diameter is 18" however the brackets I have is for the base rotors which min. wheel diameter is 17" So I could buy the right brackets and run 18's or I could by the smaller rotors that match my brackets and run 17's

I am planning on having the car sit low and I think I could pull of 18's with no problem but I am really having a hard time making a decision. :headscratch:

think about what the tire size it you want to run as what I found is that 17s tend to have a little more sidewall and the overall diameter tends to be the same between 17s and 18s. If tire diam is the same in the widths you are looking to run, then go with 18s and run larger brakes. If you can save an inch on overall diameter, then the car would be 1/2" lower and maybe it is worth it to run 17s for that.

I like the look of more sidewall on older cars but by the time I really weighed all the tire options, I chose 18s as there is a larger selection in that wheel size and overall diameters were basically the same in the widths I was considering. In full slick options, there were only two 17" options and ELEVEN 18" options. Even in aftermarket street performance tires you will find a wider selection of 18s v. 17s.

For example, I was looking at 295 fronts and 335 rears. In Hoosier Radials, the tire diameter of the 17s and 18s are exactly the same in those widths, they just have a 35 series 17 and 30 series 18. So overall ride height and inner fenderwell clearance is identical so I went with 18s to clear massive brakes.

Unless you have a serious preference for the taller sidewall look of the 17s, I would run 18s. Oh, and if you change your mind, you will have more luck selling off 18s than 17s for all the reasons I stated above.

17's will be less expensive but not my much. However it is getting harder and harder to find 17's

I would stick with the 18's plus is anyone really going to notice your car is 1/2" closer to the ground.

Main reason I am questioning 17's vs 18's is 100% looks. These are small cars and I feel that 18's may look mispositioned. Either way I am going to run the same diameter and width tire. So yes the 17's would have more sidewall.



Side note, 4 link kit showed up today, I guess someday I'll have to start installing these parts I've been collecting but convincing the wife and a 4 month old that I should be working on the car hasn't been going so well.... :)

Also, the car is headed to the body shop tomorrow to have the right rear uni-rail straightened before I start the 4 link and mini tub install.

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...9.jpg~original

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...0.jpg~original

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...5.jpg~original

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...1.jpg~original

here is my old nova with 17' and 18's. The smaller wheel openings do make it difficult to run larger diameter wheels on these cars without surgery.

https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/...03706884_n.jpg

[QUOTE=Musclerodz;550530]here is my old nova with 17' and 18's. The smaller wheel openings do make it difficult to run larger diameter wheels on these cars without surgery.


I do like the way your 17/18 combo looks, thanks for posting.

Hey Kevin,

Just thought I would share the link to this one.

ps - don't make yours to perfect like this one. Just make the engine bay look like this

http://www.chevyhardcore.com/news/eb...list-1967-nova

http://cdn.speednik.com/files/2014/0...ro-Touring.jpg

http://cdn.speednik.com/files/2014/0...ouring-LS7.jpg

That car is beautiful, I had it as my desktop background at work for a while. I really like those forgelines but they're way out of my budget. I know I dropped some serious coin on the suspension and it seems this would be another super high dollar build, but the rest of the car will be fairly budget friendly. To me, the suspension is where I didn't want to cheap out. You can't upgrade these clips, what you buy is what you get, where the motor and other items can always be upgraded down the road. Thanks for all the feedback guys, Hope I can have some in process build pictures soon just waiting for life to settle back down a little and see if I can scrape up some free time.

Went and checked out the nova in the body shop today and to pay my bill. The trunk gap that was bad is now looking much better and they told me the right rail was push forward, up and out to the side, so I am really glad I decided to let them pull it before the 4 link install. Plus now the body gaps look better too. They only charged me $240 and that includes setup and measuring. They checked the entire car from the firewall back. :thumbsup:

I'll post some before and after trunk gap pictures when I get the car back.

Just curious, did they have a frame spec. manual for the car? Dad thinks he still has one, but we need to dig it out.

If they do have one, see if they will let you scan it! I'd love to have a copy.

Keep up the good work.