1972 Chevy Nova Suspension - The No-Bull Nova, Part 1

Given the exceptional power-to-weight ratio we expect with our No-Bull Nova, we needed some serious brakes to put a stop to all the fun. Luckily, Baer has a system tailored just for our needs at an affordable price. Its Pro-Plus six-piston calipers and 13-inch rotors will provide all the stopping power we will need. The two-piece rotors are slotted and drilled and have crossover tubes to expel heat and making life easy, the pads are identical to those found in the C5/C6 Corvettes. The Pro-Plus brake package is available in red, black, and silver at no additional charge.

First, we installed the caliper bracket to the AFX spindles, followed by the rotor itself. Next, the caliper bolts to the bracket using the supplied hardware and also comes with shims to center the brake pads around the rotor. Once installed, make sure there is no bind between the rotor and pads by spinning the rotor so that it completes a few rotations.

Check out the front Baer brakes in their finished form. Providing racing ingenuity in an affordable package, the pads are available at any local parts store and after you go through a set of front rotors, you can move the back rotors forward and simply buy a set of two rotors as opposed to a complete kit.

Next, we attacked the front sway bar, which is made of 1.25-inch steel and provides a much stronger anti-roll link than the factory (if your car actually came with one). Speed Tech supplies all the hardware and mounting links to make installation quick and painless. The endlinks attach directly to the lower control arms and provide two pivot points tying the suspension together as one unit.

The Unisteer rack-and-pinion kit installation is a little tricky in that both the right and left mounting blocks must be installed at the same time. Once placed on the subframe, the tie-rod ends can be installed on the AFX spindles. Aligning the spindles at this point can be done by eye, but must be adjusted and tightened on the alignment rack. At this point, we will be leaving the steering link unattached until we decided on a steering shaft and get our engine and headers in place.

At this point, our front suspension is all but complete aside from alignment, brake lines, and the beautiful set of 18-inch wheels we will be bolting on. The kit also comes with engine mounts per your request and we have supplied a sneak peak of the powerplant we will be using

In the next issue, we will be tackling the rear suspension and diving even further into our attempt at building the quickest road race automobile around. Plus, our torque arm setup should work like a dream on a dragstrip because we will also be putting the screws to this hot rod on the 1,320.