[mdf5699]

I am emailing you in the attempt to find a possible member that
> may live
> in or near the Baltimore area. I recently purchased a 1965 Nova
> and took
> it to local shop to have a front end rebuild kit installed. Its been
> there 3 weeks and they cant get it right. they asked if I knew
> of anyone
> that owns one that they might be able to look at it to see whats wrong
> with mine. If you happen to know of anyone that own a 63-67 that lives
> close I could use the help as I am desperate.

> Thank you,
> Marc Farthing
> Baltimore, MD
[email protected]
> 410-935-3755
>

 

[chuckha62]

I'm nowhere near you, but I have to wonder... What kind of shop can't figure out a Nova front end? They're VERY simple. What are they running into? Have you looked to see if there is an assembly diagram available online? You may want to do a search or two and see what you find. That might be all they need to figure out what's going on. If not, then you may need to find another shop.

Good Luck!

Chuck

 

[Nova 404]

Yes it would be nice to know what they are having a problem with?What exactly are they doing? Ball joints and Tie rods? New control arm bushings?I should be able to find you a blow up of the front suspension if you think it might help.

 

[Rotorbolt]

What problems are they having? These suspensions arn't that difficult to rebuild or figure out. They do have a lot more parts in them compared to a modern front wheel drive car. Most of it in the steering. Not every shop is created equal or familiar with every make and model car. Find another shop. Best ones to use are restoration or hot rod shops. Those kinds of shops have more experienced guys working in them with the right tools who are familiar with "old school" technology. They might be a little more expensive, but you'll get more professional results.
Most of todays typical everyday shops deal with late model front wheel drive cars. How often are the suspensions totally rebuilt in those?
I know a rebuild kit for these isn't exactly cheap. I would inspect what they have done so far and look for any damaged parts, especially the new rebuild parts. The shop is liable if the suspension isn't right and somthing breaks while driving. This is potentially dangerous as it might cause a wreck or someone ends up seriously hurt or killed.
Do you know the cars history?, was it in wreck at one time? Has it been disassembled before? maybe somthing is missing or bent/ broken/ damaged? I would also suggest obtaining a shop repair manual and a factory assembly manual. They are widely avaliable usually a good investment. Especially in situations like this.

 

[64PRONOVA]

Believe it or not, quite a few shops seem to have trouble aligning 1st and 2nd gen Novas. I don't know if it's the equipment they are using or what? I had to take my '65 to three of them before I finally found one that could do the job right. The 1st two screwed it up worse.

You need to find a shop with older guys working there. The cheapo tire shops with the punk kids just can't seem to get the job done right.

 

[6T6NOVA]

The problem is most of the newer Alignment computers DO NOT have the 62 through 67 Chevy II /Nova front end specs. So the worker figures, I will set everything to ZERO.

ZERO is not what these car where made to be set to.

Caster Positve 1 degree +/-1/2 degree *
Chamber Positve 1/2 degree +/-1/2 degree *
Steering Axis 7 degree +/- 1/2 degree *
Inclination
Toe-In 1/4" to 3/8"

*Must not vary more than 1/2 degree from side to side.

Bryan

 

[ajaxbleech]

yup my nearby firestone shop handeled mine, and the guy asked me to bring in my service manual so he could make sure to get the numbers right. he wouldn't start until i brought it in.

 

[NOGO]

The problem is most of the newer Alignment computers DO NOT have the 62 through 67 Chevy II /Nova front end specs. So the worker figures, I will set everything to ZERO.

ZERO is not what these car where made to be set to.

Caster Positve 1 degree +/-1/2 degree *
Chamber Positve 1/2 degree +/-1/2 degree *
Steering Axis 7 degree +/- 1/2 degree *
Inclination
Toe-In 1/4" to 3/8"

*Must not vary more than 1/2 degree from side to side.

Bryan

Actually most of them do have the specs you have just quoted (every machne that I have used). Unfortunately those are not the best specs for alignment with new radial tires. Plus 1/2 degree tolerance is WAY too much! Any decent mechanic should get it within a 1/10.

 

[DesertDeuce]

I am emailing you in the attempt to find a possible member that
> may live
> in or near the Baltimore area. I recently purchased a 1965 Nova
> and took
> it to local shop to have a front end rebuild kit installed. Its been
> there 3 weeks and they cant get it right. they asked if I knew
> of anyone
> that owns one that they might be able to look at it to see whats wrong
> with mine. If you happen to know of anyone that own a 63-67 that lives
> close I could use the help as I am desperate.

> Thank you,
> Marc Farthing
> Baltimore, MD
[email protected]
> 410-935-3755
>

I wont be back in Maryland untill august, but i can recommend a shop in the Baltimore/catonsville area that can get it right.