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Hi Guys
Dec 25, 2011 13:55:48 GMT -5
Post by greybeard on Dec 25, 2011 13:55:48 GMT -5
Just signed up. I'm an old timer who is a big fan of sixties style gassers of all kinds, but a real passion for pre- shoebox Chevys. Where are you guys located? I'm in Florida, Jupiter, on the east coast just north of Palm Beach. I live in Jupiter Farms, fifteen minutes from Palm Beach International Raceway, an NHRA strip and road race track, and waay too close for my wife's taste. Because it tempts an old geezer like me to get out there and bang gears, and blow stuff up, and fix it again, and then.....let's see what it'll do, and then the cycle starts all over I'm a big fan of Corvettes and have a 91' ZR-1 as a weekend driver. I've had that car for twenty years and they'll probably bury me in it. But the car that gave me Gasser fever again is my first car, a 53' Bel Air 2dr. hardtop. It was a custom "lead sled", purchased in 1960 when I was 16, that I started to turn into a street/strip car. More on that later, I've got a lot of questions, like: Where are you guys at? From the snow in a couple of pix I've seen It's maybe Colorado, more likely somewhere in the north-east. I'm originally from Erie Pa., on the lake, not far from Cleveland, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh. I raced at Presque Isle Timing Association (that's near Wattsburg in N.W. Pa.). Well it's Christmas, gotta go, visit the kids. BTW, I don't know where you all are, but it's 70f. here today ;D ;D ;D . Catch you later. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !!
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Hi Guys
Dec 25, 2011 22:00:46 GMT -5
Post by btroffblown on Dec 25, 2011 22:00:46 GMT -5
Welcome aboard from So Cal. Yes we are having the mid 70 weather also.
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Hi Guys
Dec 26, 2011 7:03:39 GMT -5
Post by straightaxle64nova on Dec 26, 2011 7:03:39 GMT -5
I lived in Orlando for a little while, then was stupid and moved back to Maryland where it still gets cold in the winter. Its in the 40s here right now. My 1st Christmas in Florida, my parents came to visit and the first thing my mother did was close all of the windows (it was around 70 degrees) and turn on the AC. Welcome to the site. I hope all of the cool cars on this site help to bring back fond memories for you.
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Hi Guys
Dec 26, 2011 16:23:25 GMT -5
Post by greybeard on Dec 26, 2011 16:23:25 GMT -5
Maryland's cool, but too cool for me today. My sister lives in Columbia Md., nice town.
That's a nasty little Nova you've got there. I read your post on the straight axle, and I'm trying to decide whether to go with one on a 53' Chevy. A couple of questions, I assume that the reason to use a straight axle is to get the front end jacked way up for weight transfer and still be able to get the front end aligned. Is there a weight penalty when you use the straight axle? It looks like if you weighed the springs, (semi-elliptical), compared to coil springs they'd be way heavier. Would the straight axle itself be lighter that the four A arms combined? I know it wouldn't be "Period Correct", but wouldn't a new crossmember, modern tubular A arms, and coilover shock springs be the lightest weight combination? Maybe that's too Pro-Street, and would destroy the Gasser look. What's your opinion?
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Hi Guys
Dec 27, 2011 7:30:15 GMT -5
Post by straightaxle64nova on Dec 27, 2011 7:30:15 GMT -5
When my Nova was in the building stage, I wanted the axle because I wanted something different. I really like Pro-Street cars, but to me, Pro-Street should be drag-car that can be street driven. I like aluminum interiors, not this leather/tweed crap with AC and a stereo. In my opinion, Pro-Street is bare-bones, with maybe cool paint. When I bought the Nova, my dad told me that it would make a cool straight axle car because the rear wheel openings were already opened up. Then the Hot Rod magazine came out with Steve Magnante's AWB Nova build.
If by "weight penalty" you mean at the strip for a class, as far as I know, there is none. The leaf springs on mine are basically for a 2500# trailer. They may weigh a little more than a coil spring, but not much. My Nova has a homemade subframe with just bare bones. I don't have the shock towers anymore, and its just 2x3 tubing for the lower rails and 1 3/4" roll cage tubing for the upper rails. There's no radiator support since I used the upper rails to mount the radiator with aluminum tabs. The nose was mounted with 1/8" flat stock bent to hold the front up, and the nose comes off in one piece that is bolted together. It frees up a lot of space for headers, steering components, and any engine I want to put in will fit. For me, this is a little lighter than the stock front suspension, but a lot cooler looking.
Its all in what you want to do with your car. If you like it, drive it, and have fun with it, that's all that matters. Not all gassers had straight axles in the old days.
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Hi Guys
Dec 28, 2011 10:16:39 GMT -5
Post by Kustomizer on Dec 28, 2011 10:16:39 GMT -5
Graybeard welcome! And if you keep rubbing in the 70 degree temps I'm going to have to ban you from the site! LOL!! We are located in a south suburb of Minneapolis, MN. In the 60's gas classes were based on weight vs cubic inches, so going with a lighter straight axle frontend might change the class you were in. I think the biggest weight savings is when you cut the whole "Heavy" front chassis off with the a-arms and use 2"x3" steel to make new frame rails. Not all gassers had straight axles, so not using a straight axle wouldn't hurt your "gasser" car, but modernizing the front suspension in my book would.
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Hi Guys
Dec 30, 2011 13:38:55 GMT -5
Post by ransom7w on Dec 30, 2011 13:38:55 GMT -5
Im from sw iowa and its 40 F here with no snow darn good winter so far
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