Inliners International Forums General Discussion Drive Train Can I use the Front Clip from a '79 Nova for my '50 Chev?

Here's the thing.. I'm picking up a '79 Nova that I'm scavenging for tons of parts. This car is literally saving me thousands. I'm using everything from the engine (250 six), tranny (350), heating system, radiator, cross members (with a little modification), power brake unit, seat belts, stereo, etc., etc. What I am wondering is if I can use the front end of this thing? Has anybody every done this type of a transplant before or is it even possible? I seeketh thy knowledge as I know there much out there. Many thanks!

Another thought... has anybody had any success with grafting a body onto another car's chassis? Think I may have to do a little measuring and see if it's a possibility.

Take the measurements off the Nova subframe and see how they compare to your stock frame. If there is not too much difference in width, thickness and height of the frame and the track is similar, a good welder should have no problem.

Another thought, if the remainder of the Nova is decent, sell what is left to a rodder or a racer and use the money to buy a Heidt's or Fatman front end conversion.

Your 50 Chevy has Ind. ft. suspention it would cost more than you would gain if yours is good now.

Those conversions usually are to remove an straight axle or repair major collision damage etc.

Good luck John M...

Had a buddy that put his 1950 Chev HTP body onto a 1976 M/Carlo frame. Car rides and runs like a Caddy but it is one major time consuming job. He was a licenced body man when he did it. All the floors had to be redone as the car is channeled over the frame. Not a job for a novice. Better off to rebuild your own front end or go with a Must II crossmember.

The short answer is YES, I recently finished adding a '77 nova front clip to my '52 frame. If you drop me your email addy I can send you a bunch of pix.

I choose to straighten the 52 frame so the frame members are parallel starting in front of the rear cab mounts.

The end result is that is looks like GM did it. Did it take a while - yes, I must of measured and leveled and measured 500 times before cutting. One thing that REALLY helped was a laser level that rotates 90 so I could get horizonal and vertical reference points. Home Depot has them. I set it up on the rear most crossmember. A long high quality bubble level is also needed.

To level the frame (my garage floor is like an ocean..) I used 4 pc's of 2x2 box tubing tacked to the frame one one end and 4 sicsor (sp) jacks welded on the bottom.

Pic's will show the process better.

Walt,

Thanks much for all the info. It doesn't sound like it's too bad of a task. I too like the idea of power brakes, steering, etc. I just think this would be a nicer way to go than what I currently have up front (which all needs to be rebuilt right now anyway). Thanks again.

Thanks Walt,

I can weld that's not a problem. I will look for the common area that you are speaking of. I was able to understand what you were describing and I believe this is a task that I can handle just fine. I'll probably go over board on the reinforcement as well, but better to be safe. Can I use my stock rims without rubbing on the fenders? I want to maintain a "relatively" stock look outside. Thanks!

One other thing most rod builders aren't aware of is that particular vintage Nova, Buick Skylark, etc., have an excellent geometry from a handling point of view. Oval track racers that had to use a stock based front clip always spliced these snouts onto their frames. From a racing point of view that snout is superior over the often used early Camaro snouts.

Someone asked why even change the front snout if your vintage ride already had independent suspension. First would be the improved ride quality and steering gemoetry. Second would be the fact that if you plan on running a newer engine that uses side mounts then they are already there and issues like pan clearance and so on don't happen. Suspension repair and upgrade parts are more readily available for the later snout and prices are less in most cases than NOS or repop items through a vintage parts source. The minor added fabrication to hang the sheet metal back on the car's new snout is not a very big deal.

Done safely and correctly a car that has been clipped is a real joy to build and drive. Done wrong and it is your worst nightmare and horribly unsafe.

Mike G ( 4355 )

It's good to hear that that the Nova clip is such a good choice. Makes me feel better about my decision and the fact that Walt has had one on his Chevy since '80 and he's happy with it makes these seem like a very good choice.

Can I re-use the old mounts and just relocate as to where they will need to be?

i am about to do this to my '59 chevy apache 36 with a clip from a '77 nova.

i have already spent hours studying, measuring, sketching, and watching a video i found for this conversion for my truck. i think i almost have the courage built up to slice the frame.

Hey all,

I too have replaced the straight axle on my 56 Chevy PU with an independent front. I did it mostly because I was towing a boat and needed help from power steering in reverse. At the time, power steering kits for tri 5 Chevy PU were not available so I made my own. It proved to me that my geometry skills weren’t up to GMs level. So what I did was buy a cross member from Gibbons that allowed me to bolt on Mopar torsion bar suspension. I wanted adjustable ride height so I went with the Mopar instead of the Ford. Power steering, power disk brakes, taper roller bearings, adjustable ride height, easy install and good parts availability, not bad for 1 install. I have run this for about 14 years and just now I need to replace ball joints. Maybe if I had greased it regularly it would have lasted longer.

My point is if you have the desire to do something more custom then weld in that Nova sub. If you want something that bolts/welds in and comes with instructions, then consider a M2 kit or other prefab.

No matter what you do it will be cool. I don’t think I have ever seen a Chevy I didn’t like, especially if they start with a ‘5. My first ride was a ’53 and ever since then I have been a Chevy fan.

“Old Chevys never die, they just go faster” or in our world “Old Chevy Sixes Never Die”

Luis