55.2-59 Camaro/Nova Subframe - Quick Question

[tattooedblue]

Helping a buddy with his 55.2 Panel.
He picked up a 72 Nova subframe, and he wants help putting it in.

I have searched here and found plenty of threads on it, however I am not seeing anyone mention how much it actually drops the front when doing the "stacked method" like this



Any help/info would be great.
Again, not mine, he already bought it, it's happening. lol

[dsraven]

a word of advice. when you go to remove the clip from the donor vehicle make sure to capture the lower control arms with threaded rod through the shock holes BEFORE you take the clip out of the vehicle. the entire weight of the front of the car with engine and trans should be on the front end so it is sitting at it's normal ride height, then remove the shocks and run some good sized threaded rod up with large/thick washers on both ends. this will help you plan out the ride height of the truck. also, figure out what kind of stance you want-fore to aft- and set the frame at that angle before you start chopping the front off. when all said and done the lower control arms of the front end should be parallel to the ground, side to side, and the lower control arm pivot shaft should be level to the ground fore to aft.
you will also need a set of tires with the final tire size installed. they don't need to be the actual tires for the finished build but need to be the same size. these trucks have a front wheel opening that tapers down at the rear so when the body is lowered, like when a clip is installed, the wheels can end up looking like they are stuffed into the rear of the wheel opening. some place the axle centerline ahead about an inch from stock, some a little more. it depends on personal preference and how much drop you will end up with. a good idea would be to clean up the floor under the truck before you cut the old stuff off, then place a plumb bob on the axle centerline and mark the floor at this place. then you will have a reference. you could also mark the frame behind the cut off area so you can measure forward from there.

[idbeast]

Jeffs56 page 2 has some good answers and pictures you should look at.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=777344

[mejum]

I did the stack method on my '57, I also lowered the rear by hanging the leaf springs below the axle (I took a couple of stock leafs out), and the lowest point of my truck is the front cab corner and I would estimate that it is 5-6" off the ground.

[mr48chev]

Most Nova's and Camaros had/have around 6-1/2 inches of clearance between the bottom of the crossmember and the shop floor surface If you were to slide under and measure.

When I did my 48 and then my 51 Merc we sat the front crossmember on a 6-1/2 inch tall block of wood and slid the chassis up to it at the static ride height we wanted when we were done.

Measure the distance you have from the bottom center of the crossmember, deduct 6-1/2 inches and that will have you within probably 1/2 to 3/4 inch of where it will sit when done. Tire diameter and total weigh will factor in but that will give you a reasonable ballpark figure.

[my56chevytruck]

Originally Posted by tattooedblue

Helping a buddy with his 55.2 Panel.
He picked up a 72 Nova subframe, and he wants help putting it in.

I have searched here and found plenty of threads on it, however I am not seeing anyone mention how much it actually drops the front when doing the "stacked method" like this



Any help/info would be great.
Again, not mine, he already bought it, it's happening. lol

I also have a 55.2 with a 2nd gen Camaro front clip attached with the clip underneath the original frame. I can get you measurements after Christmas. PM me if you want more info.