71 nova front suspension setup advice

[strtlegal]

My car sits just like that maybe a tad lower in the front and my rear I adjusted up..I dont like the look of it being lower in the back.

Your not going to be able to go any lower then that unless you ditch the fender liners and run steering stops on your control arms. I cut mine in the center to clear my tires at full bump.

[LS1NOVA]

I agree with Strlegal, you need the Speedtech spindles in order to get the front low enough on these cars while retaining good geometry. When they are lowered too much using just springs the lower ball joint pivot gets higher than the lower control arm inner pivot point. This is bad. The almost 1" drop the Speedtech spindle offers is perfect.
If I was to redo mine, I would add these.

Im using SC&C's stage 2 plus. I works really well and I am very pleased with the auto x results. Im using a 17x8 with 5" BS. Using a 7" wide wheel you will have some extra room to avoid rubbing.

Whatever you do, use a system that improves over the stock geometry such as Speedtech, Sc&C. Slapping on some dropped spindles and arms from XX company does not always offer much for improvement besides looks and wow factor.

[MC71Nova]

The SC&C stage 2 kit looks very interesting. A few questions. I don't see an X-Body kit.. did you use the Camaro '67 - '69 kit? Would that work for a '71 Nova? if you retain the stock lower control arms, is the tall lower balljoint a press-in or a bolt-in thing? Is that $816 price for both sides? It seems like this would get me much better camber adjustment and geometry, even if I use a stock height spindle. If I do that, what is the best way to lower the car 2" - 3"... springs only? Do the balljoints affect ride height? Would cut stock springs be better or lowered springs like a Hotchkis 2" lowering spring?

[strtlegal]

Yes before I met Blake I used to deal with Marcus @ ScandC alot...That guy has probably forgotten more about suspension then any of us would ever know...

Yes you can use your stock spindles with a tall ball joint and I think you will need to do a Gulstrand mod as well.. You can also buy his lower arms that move the spring down further in the bucket allowing a sort of drop. Because you still want to get it lower...You could buy DSE springs and use the rest of his stuff.. It is a great option

[lhkustoms]

Originally Posted by MC71Nova

The SC&C stage 2 kit looks very interesting. A few questions. I don't see an X-Body kit.. did you use the Camaro '67 - '69 kit? Would that work for a '71 Nova? if you retain the stock lower control arms, is the tall lower balljoint a press-in or a bolt-in thing? Is that $816 price for both sides? It seems like this would get me much better camber adjustment and geometry, even if I use a stock height spindle. If I do that, what is the best way to lower the car 2" - 3"... springs only? Do the balljoints affect ride height? Would cut stock springs be better or lowered springs like a Hotchkis 2" lowering spring?

The 67-69 F body and 68-74 X body use all the same components. In your application you will not use a "tall lower bj". Using it would move the steering arm up and it needs to be moved down to reduce bumpsteer. the best way to lower your car is using 2-3" drop springs. You want to lower it to where the balljoint pivot is level with the inner lca pivot. I would use 2" drop springs to start and cut the spring if necessary to achieve the desired height. The tall upper bj will improve the camber gain about 60% of what a tall spindle like our Pro Billet spindles or the ATS spindles negative camber gain will produce over stock spindle geometry. The benefit of using our Pro Billet spindles is that you can use stock style disc brakes and wheels until your ready to upgrade or the budget allows. Install them get an alignment and your back driving again. Unlike our Pro Billet spindles If using the ATS spindle you will need to upgrade to 13" brakes and minimum of 17" wheels before you get back on the road.

The SC&C street comp 2 package is a great improvement over stock and Marc does offer them as an option with our Pro Billet Z/28 style geometry corrected steering arms instead of the tall outer tie rod. You get reduced bumpsteer as well as a quicker steering ratio and better wheel clearance.

[MC71Nova]

Wow! All excellent advice and you've all given me much to think about. I just need to decide now how hard I intend to drive it and how much the budget will allow. I've heard guys say over and over that a DSE subframe (or another AM subframe) is the way to go from day one as you'll just end up there eventually and spend 2x the money in the meantime getting there. I can see the logic but I simply can't justify $8 - $10K in front end/brakes/subframe right now, especially in this economy. I'll have to mull it over and go from there but I apppreciate all of the excellent advice. Obvously lots and lots of great, experienced folks here!

[strtlegal]

I was saying using a taller upper ball joint with an SPC arm will be a nice improvement..This is why I also mentioned you needing the Guldstrand mod. The stock spindles are your limiting factor however this package is a nice upgrade. But if you can save some money to it right the first time..

A front clip is not necessary but it does haves it's finer quality's..