Thinking of IRS, anyone done it yet?

I may have access to a IRS from a late 70's/early 80's vette. It would be for a 67 wagon. It's mostly for the street/hwy and may see the strip 2-4 times. Anyone take this on? Thoughts?

I am, but not from a Vette. I am putting in the Heidts IRS. ordering date is very close

I am, but not from a Vette. I am putting in the Heidts IRS. ordering date is very close

That set up looks great. If I had the money to do that I would. I'm also considering an IRS from a Mercedes. :eek: I think the vette one may be way to wide to even attempt. We'll see, it's all in the early stages. I have most of the cargo floor up, so if I need to make changes it would be a lot easier right now.

The 64-82 Corvette rearend should work under your Nova. It is 58" from hub to hub just like your stock 62-67 Nova rearend is. The 79-82 Vette rearend has a big aluminum crossmember which makes them easier to mount. I have sold a couple of the Heidt's IRS units to Mustang guys. I am sure it would work great under any Nova too.
Tim

The 64-82 Corvette rearend should work under your Nova. It is 58" from hub to hub just like your stock 62-67 Nova rearend is. The 79-82 Vette rearend has a big aluminum crossmember which makes them easier to mount. I have sold a couple of the Heidt's IRS units to Mustang guys. I am sure it would work great under any Nova too.
Tim


Thanks, I was having trouble finding that info.

and there chimes in who I am ordering it from,Tim:yes:. Had some setbacks since I first talked to you on it, but will be in touch soon with a couple questions and an order:D

Brett

I know that a member on here, Stangs4sale, put a Corvette rear suspension under his 2nd gen. He said he had to shorten it a bit if I remember right. I think that was because he minitubbed it. Looked SWEET under there.

There's a guy in Germany who has a Jag rear end under his 66 along with 13" Wilwoods and a Chassisworks front clip. If someone PMs me I can email pics to be posted. His name is Gero, I don't think he'd mind if I shared. It's not rolling yet, the last time I saw pictures of it the car was in primer.

I just promised the wife no big projects next winter on the Nova. I just stipped mine down completly and repainted... she never complained once.

HOWEVER.... that Heidt's IRS is temping. Wonder if anyone has tried one in a 2nd gen?
Tg

Here is a Nova. The rear end in being veiwed in a mirror.

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb95/6T6NOVA/YOKOS62.jpg

Here is a Nova. The rear end in being veiwed in a mirror.

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb95/6T6NOVA/YOKOS62.jpg

I believe that's a Kugel IRS. Visually,Pretty much the same as the Heidts, but pricier when I checked into it.First time I saw it I was hooked. Then I saw it installed in a second gen in a Magazine, and I was locked! When you break down all the components of the setup (Wilwoods,9",coilovers,etc) it it isn't much different in cost I found

here is the Heidt's , Tom
http://www.customrodder.com/tech/0505cr_02_z+rear_suspension+.jpg

Should have never posted that picture....:no:
Tg

Yeah, I saw it in person. Glad I had baggy pants on:eek: I can't wait to get mine installed

Should have never posted that picture....:no:
Tg

HAHAHA That is funny. You sound like me "I am done" "Boy that likes good wonder how much it cost" Here we go again.:devil:

C-6 'Vette IRS rear end in a '66 HT!

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g170/novanutcase/RearUCAMock4.jpg

John

C-6 'Vette IRS rear end in a '66 HT!

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g170/novanutcase/RearUCAMock4.jpg

John

and people think the Heidt's is expensive:D Can we still classify your car as a 66 HT John ?:notworthy: Can you see the guy at the BMV inspecting it for plates...get the jacket, this guy says it is a 66 Nova:D

here is the Heidt's , Tom
http://www.customrodder.com/tech/0505cr_02_z+rear_suspension+.jpg

Man, that's beautiful!:yes: One can only dream!

The dreams over! I looked it up and found a price, it cost way more than my car's worth.
Still pretty though!
http://www.heidts.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=product/product_id=130/category_id=84/home_id=70/mode=prod/prd130.htm

The C4 vette rear ends WILL have to be cut down and motified. Not to mention the knuckles are large and can interfere with the rear sub frame if you are wanting to drop your ride. I was on the way to this setup and discovered there would be WWAAAYYY too much in modifications (and ********) just to say i have IRS. Not to mention that in its stock form the Corvette diff (even the d44) cant take a lot of abuse over around 325 ft/lbs. Remember those Vettes never really got close to 250 in those days. SOOO.... by the time you buy the vette rear setup, build the diff to handle the power, modify the subframe, and machine the arms and half shafts to be narrow enough for a 62-67 you might as well buy an aftermarket setup cuz your gonna pay the same if not more.

Just my $.02.

C-6 'Vette IRS rear end in a '66 HT!

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g170/novanutcase/RearUCAMock4.jpg

John

So thats how you got your sick stance, John. That is really a thing of beauty. You do the machine work yourself?

and people think the Heidt's is expensive:D Can we still classify your car as a 66 HT John ?:notworthy: Can you see the guy at the BMV inspecting it for plates...get the jacket, this guy says it is a 66 Nova:D

Hahaha! Barely! Hopefully he just looks at the VIN plate and nothing else cuz if he does I'M IN TROUBLE!

So thats how you got your sick stance, John. That is really a thing of beauty. You do the machine work yourself?

I don't but http://www.ironworksspeedandkustom.com does! LOL!

Here's another idea for an IRS conversion! 8.8 Ford Diff!

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g170/novanutcase/SinjemTrunkview.jpg

John

I don't but http://www.ironworksspeedandkustom.com does! LOL!
John

WOW. :eek: Thats all i gotta say. :notworthy: Thats some high quality craftsmanship. I guess if your gonna pay to play... GO BIG huh? When is the planned completion date? How much is it setting you back? (If you dont mind me asking.)

WOW. :eek: Thats all i gotta say. :notworthy: Thats some high quality craftsmanship. I guess if your gonna pay to play... GO BIG huh? When is the planned completion date? How much is it setting you back? (If you dont mind me asking.)

My first born! LOL!:D

John

Check out Control Freak IRS. Set up made for serious hp. I was planning a IRS for my 63 but after much research I read my way out of IRS. If you have to modify say a corvette or jag rear end they will not work as designed and may be worse handling that your stock setup. I read an article by the owner of Detroit Speed who was an engineer for GM and he says that a properly designed solid rear end will handle as good as an IRS and be able to handle much more hp for alot less money. Buy hey those IRS look good but is it worth the money for the look or do you plan on driving the car?

John, tell the BMV it's a 66HT...Hugemongous Tires or even Holy Toledo!:yes:

Check out Control Freak IRS. Set up made for serious hp. I was planning a IRS for my 63 but after much research I read my way out of IRS. If you have to modify say a corvette or jag rear end they will not work as designed and may be worse handling that your stock setup. I read an article by the owner of Detroit Speed who was an engineer for GM and he says that a properly designed solid rear end will handle as good as an IRS and be able to handle much more hp for alot less money. Buy hey those IRS look good but is it worth the money for the look or do you plan on driving the car?

Yes and No! It depends on how you're going to drive the car and where. For instance, if I was building a car for mainly dragracing then an IRS is not a good choice. The build I'm doing now is going to be driven primarily on the road course and street. Yes, a 3 bar would work or a truck arm but I felt that weight distribution was an important factor to consider and with the other setups the trans would have to be traditionally mounted which would put more of the weight towards the front of the car. Also, I wanted to push the engine back and down which would have made the footwells unusable due to the size of the tranny housing being moved back also. With the transaxle/IRS setup I could get a more even weight distribution. I also had to consider that for maintanence purposes it would be easier to get parts from GM rather than have to figure out what will work with the other and who I got what from. I also wanted to have a little of the wow factor thrown in as well!:o
As far as strength, IRS's can be built to withstand a lot of HP. The 'Vette C6-R runs the same trans from their production models but beefed up and geared for the road course.

John, tell the BMV it's a 66HT...Hugemongous Tires or even Holy Toledo!:yes:

LOL!!! It should be interesting when it comes time to register the car!:D

John

Well, I think that I may need one of those old plastic protective covers for my keyboard. If anything just to keep the drool out of it. Great ideas on this stuff. My grandfather has the irs from the corvette. I'll check with him on the width and such. If it works out to 58 like Tim said then I'll go that route. If not, I'm going to dig up a mercedes. If that doesn't work, then I'm finding a bank to rob.:devil: Kidding by the way.

So here's where it starts. I picked this set up for free. It has been modified, but with a few used orig. parts I should be able to get it to a point where I can mock it up and get it going. My grandpa had extended the width out when he was running it under a impala.
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z84/boyds67wagon/P5190031.jpg

How about the IRS in the late model GTOs? I havent measured anything, but they seem to be similarly sized cars. I also havent crawled under my car to see what all is involved with it...

The swing-arm setup from the '04-06 GTO is not the route to go. There are much better choices in regards to geometry, strength, availability of parts, and ease of install.

If I had the time and money, I'd rip the rear-end out of my '04 GTO and replace it with something else in a heart beat.

It would be awesome to mount a quick-change rear under a Chevy II.

http://www.gospitzer.com/Photos/Front%20Page/quickchange.jpg

Well, I picked up a IRS from a C4 Corvette, (1987) and sold off the one from the 1979. The older one I had just needed too much money to get into a usable state. Here's some progress pics of what I've got done so far. I'm narrowing it 2" each side. The brackets you see in the pictures are just temporary. I'm drawing some up on the computer and I'll send them over to be laser cut out of 1/4" plate. Should be stiff enough for what I'm doing. I'm also drawing up some plates to support the original shock mounts to be used to mount coil-overs.

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z84/boyds67wagon/rearsuspension.jpg
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z84/boyds67wagon/PB160006.jpg
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z84/boyds67wagon/PB160004.jpg

Here is another one. The front mount for the diff. is only temporary. Just put the motor and trans back in to get everything lined up. This whole project has been think for three days and work on it for two hours, repeat.
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z84/boyds67wagon/PB160007.jpg

Lookin' good!!!!

John

HOT ROD Magazine featured a Old School conversion back in the mid 60's. car was called BAD BASCOMBE...Corvette rear suspension and a 360 HP Vette motor...I will see if I can scrounge up some pictures...great article with a parts list and lots of pictures

Lookin' good!!!!

John

Thanks, your build though far more advanced, is an inspiration. I always enjoy checking up on it.

HOT ROD Magazine featured a Old School conversion back in the mid 60's. car was called BAD BASCOMBE...Corvette rear suspension and a 360 HP Vette motor...I will see if I can scrounge up some pictures...great article with a parts list and lots of pictures

That would be a big help. It's difficult to find information on doing this sort of thing. I have found little snippits of info on pro-touring.com and Lateral-g, as well as Hotrodders. I'll put together a more comprehensive version of everything once I get it all in. It's been a real mental strain, especially for a mental case. :yes:

**UPDATE**

I have the center section mounted and the trailing arms and everything in place. I could not go as low as I wanted because of the original wheel tubs. I didn't want to loose anything on the rear seat so I'll settle for a 1/2-3/4" drop in the rear. Just a couple of adjustments next week then it's off to the media blasters!
Sorry for the bad pic. It gets the point across though.
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z84/boyds67wagon/P1300004.jpg

These wheels will be going away, but it gives you an idea of the rear ride height. I'll be going to a 235/50/R17 on the rear.
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z84/boyds67wagon/P1300005.jpg

Well, I picked up a IRS from a C4 Corvette, (1987) and sold off the one from the 1979. ... I'm narrowing it 2" each side. ...

What do you have to shorten just the half shafts? Is the 235 tire the widest because you still have to clear the stock frame member? Any pics of the trailing arms in place? Thanks. -Bob

What do you have to shorten just the half shafts? Is the 235 tire the widest because you still have to clear the stock frame member? Any pics of the trailing arms in place? Thanks. -Bob

I could go with a touch wider tire. The only thing holding me back is that I would like to have a 50 for ride comfort and if I go any larger width I also would have to go larger diameter. I only have about 1/2" between the tire and the front of the wheel well right now.

The "down tube" part of the original frame between the diff mounts and where the old leafs used to mount has been removed to make room for the trailing arms. I can't go any lower without putting the trailing arm mounts completely in the passenger compartment.

As for the narrowing, there are 3 areas you need to shorten.

Toe adjustment rods: 2" each side
Camber adjustment rods: Order new ones and promptly cut them up to be 2" shorter
Half-shafts: again 2" per side.

This leads into a whole pile of clearence issues both with the diff. mounts and the car itself. I believe it would have been a lot easier to do this with a sedan or coupe. I had to trim up the "corners" to allow them to pass vertically by the diff. mounts. As previously stated I had to remove portions of the original frame. Also the trailing arm mounts are currently half in the passenger compartment, and half below it. It's been entertaining to say the least. I don't think I'll do this again without going with a full frame car.

Here's a poor pic of the trailing arm mounts. They are not complete as I still need to move the passenger side one about 1/4" forward. I'll get some better pics to post later.

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z84/boyds67wagon/P1300006.jpg

And here's a pic of the overall project as it sits today. Still lots of work to be done. Once I get this rear suspension done I'll be a lot less stressed mentally.

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z84/boyds67wagon/P1300007.jpg


Here's how another guy mounted his.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd140/ls1novas/67%20nova%20ls1%206spd%20corvette%20IRS/67ls1corvetteirsfirstjourney004.jpg

Well, after I went mad dog on the poor wagon, I deemed my work unsatisfactory. So off to Big John's Butcher Shop in Vancouver, WA it went. He got everything figured out and put where it was suppose to be. I'm real happy with how it came together. Now I'm REALLY itching to get it on the road to see how it handles.

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z84/boyds67wagon/P4100002.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z84/boyds67wagon/P4100004.jpg

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z84/boyds67wagon/P4100001.jpg

What a transformation from the last pics I saw. Just wasnt going right huh?? Well it looks solid now!!! JR

Oh yeah, are you gonna tie that beefy frame up to the front. Will it have to kick down to get to the floor level. Keep the solid, what 2x4 rails? going forward and its gonna be strong.

What a transformation from the last pics I saw. Just wasnt going right huh?? Well it looks solid now!!! JR

Oh yeah, are you gonna tie that beefy frame up to the front. Will it have to kick down to get to the floor level. Keep the solid, what 2x4 rails? going forward and its gonna be strong.

Oops, I didn't show that pic. Does kinda look like it just hangs out into nothing. It does drop down below the rear seat where it ties into the 2x2 subframe connectors.
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z84/boyds67wagon/P4070010.jpg

Oops, I didn't show that pic. Does kinda look like it just hangs out into nothing. It does drop down below the rear seat where it ties into the 2x2 subframe connectors.
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z84/boyds67wagon/P4070010.jpg

Ahhh.. Rock solid!!!! Man... JR