Does it seem like we run a lot of suspension stories in Super Chevymagazine? It sure does, doesn't it? But there must be a reason for it,right? I was finishing the last few sentences of this article, wheneditorial duties took me to our New Jersey offices. Living in the LosAngeles area, I thought I was prepared for the onslaught of traffic, theNew York and New Jersey turnpikes, and toll roads. Not quite. I wasamazed at the circle-track style of driving in this part of the country,people zipping left, zipping right and applying major force to the brakepedal for a better pole position. This was quite the norm, and I thoughtto myself, "Damn, I'm glad I'm driving a rental and not my Camaro!"
On a '62-'67 Nova, the steering column bracket on the dashboard has analignment pin for th
But what if I was driving my prized possession, or what if you weredriving your prized possession and found yourself in this kind oftraffic climate? While many of us may not drive on these particularroads, we still drive our favorite cars, right? And driving the roads ofAnytown, USA can present its own challenges. Thirty-plus years ago thiswas not even an issue, as most cars on the road had the same lousybraking and suspension capabilities. As time marches on, even the lowestgrade production cars are equipped with better-handling suspension andbraking than our favorite '50s-'70s rides. Let's even the playing field,shall we? The mostly stock '66 Nova SS that is the parts recipiant inthis story is meant to be a driver, so let's make it that way.
...We decided to punch and drill thenew Flaming River column for a perfect factory-style f
When Flaming River informed us it had a new bolt-in rack-and-pinionsystem for the early Novas, we decided we'd see for ourselves just howthis set up would work. For the most part the install of the newsteering system went according to plan, but we did encounter some bumpsalong the way. Our test Nova already had a set of 2-inch drop spindlesinstalled (Flaming River recommended using stock height spindles), andwhen it came time to attach the tie rods to the drop spindles, the angleat which they bolted on could have created some bumpsteer issues.
Our second bump in the road was the exhaust clearance issue we faced.This Nova was still using the original center dump ram's horn-styleexhaust manifolds. After the installation of the rack-and-pinion, it wasobvious that the new steering shaft would not clear the old exhaustsystem. The solution? We called Flaming River, and they informed us thata set of later model, rear dump truck headers would work. They alsoinformed us that they were in the process of developing headers for thisparticular application. Now that we have discussed the snags, let's takea look at what comes with this kit.
A stainless steel sleeve provided in the kit, fits over the base of thecolumn...
The system replaces the early long-shaft steering box with a new tiltcolumn, according to Flaming River, and the kit includes the cradle,quick ratio manual rack-and-pinion, mounting clamp for rack withbushing, grade 8 fasteners for cradle installation, tilt column withmount, wiring connectors and chrome moly universal joints for improvedangle with the intermediate shaft. The true fixture-weldedmounting-cradle fits between the frame rails, and it bolts in placeusing the original chassis location. Some modifying is required, and thesystem installs with hand tools.
...The sleeve is then adjusted to fit the column and mounts to thefirewall using the stock
The price is the most attractive part of using the Flaming River set up.At $1,190, this will improve your '62-'67 Nova's handling at areasonable cost. Now, about that exhaust header clearance issue. At thewriting of this story, a set of exhaust headers was on its way fromFlaming River. When they arrive we'll give you the blow-by-blow of howwell they fit and how you can adapt the same system to your Nova shouldyou decide to go the same route.
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From this photo you can see the way the column attaches to the firewallusing the stock pla
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Use your stock bracket during the install of the new column, and makesure you align the br
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Be sure to keep the original hardware, which will be reused wheninstalling the new polishe
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When attaching the column base to the firewall, you will have mark anddrill the holes for
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At the top of the column, you will have to install the tilt arm...
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...signalarm, flashing hazard switch, and canceling cam.
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After all the steering column internals are taken care of, the steeringwheel adaptor hub i
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...Do not over-torque it when tighting. Thisprevents the hub from coming in contact with t
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Finally the crown jewel of any steering column, the steering wheel. Thehorn button is wire
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...Inthis Nova, we chose to use the Nova Fiber wheel, also available fromFlaming River.
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Last but not least, the wiring to get the whole show on the road,Flaming River provides a
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Before the actual install of the Flaming River rack-and-pinion, werecommend a bench mockup
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One of those pieces that's better done on the bench is the joining ofthe rack-and-pinion t
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Doing it this way eliminates some frustration and the risk of rounded nuts later on
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Here's another bracket that's best installed on the bench...
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...Preassemblyof this kit goes a long way when it comes to saving time underneath thevehic
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...And prevents post installation headches.
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Prior to the instillation in the car, use one of the U-joints to findthe center of the rac
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The rack-and-pinion support bracket bolt to the Nova's stock steeringbox location, located
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Grade 8 bolts provided by Flaming River-install directly into the holesthat used to hold t
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Just tighten everything up and it's on to the next step.
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On the passenger's side, the support bracket bolts to the frame railwhere the pitman arm w
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...However it's necessary to drill two bolt holesinto the frame rail.
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Not provided in the kit are a set of '68-'69 Camaro tie rod ends(recommended by Flaming Ri
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...At this point in the install, we noticedthat the mounting point for a 2 inch drop spind
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While measuring the steering shaft, we noticed that the Nova's stock(rams horn) exhaust ma
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...A set of rear-dump truck headers will work, but Flaming River iscoming out with its own
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Cutting the steering shaft...
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...and drilling a recess hole for the set screwsin the U-joints, should only take a few mi
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Here we are fitting the freshly cut steering shaft. What you can't seein the photo is the
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Red Loc-tite was used to give us peace of mind...
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...that the set screws inthe steering shaft would never back out.
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(From the front looking back) For you Nova-holics with lowered vehicles:The rack-and-pinio
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Flaming River Industries, Inc.
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Harrison's Restorations
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