[edspring1]

Hello everyone. I have no doubt everyone will see my name more often in the next few months. I need HELP with this newly purchased 1972 Nova. 1st let me say I am an old hot rod guy, but this is the 1st Nova for me. Anyway I purchased this surprisingly solid 72 Nova. Heres the thing thou, it has had a full back half 'kit' installed buy someone. Its a pretty strange kit. Not one I am familar with anyway. It has the OEM leaf springs moved inward so far that the OEM gas tank was narrowed, the hyd. shocks come threw the forward trunk pan and attach to an after mrkt. plate thats been welded in, it also has tubular frame connectors contoured to the floor, as well as a 8 pt. cage welded in. And here is the oddest part, the rear is OEM width but whoever did this went threw the expense to have the OEM rims widen to 14 inches ALL to the the inside. None of that I need help with. I have been looking over some Cal Trac stuff and think I have made a few decessions that will upgrade whats there. Of course unless someone here has a different company or would like to chime in with some info. What I REALLY need help with are the wheel well openings. The original guy has taken a perfectly good, rust free, dent free OEM pr. of 1/4's and rolled/flattened/knife edged the lip of the opening. Sadder than that, there was no reason to do that because the OEM rims maintane the OEM outter offset. The tire couldn't hit the lip if it had to. I saw that "someone" was selling the extended length 2 pce. {ea. side} "METAL" openings that maintanes the OEM body line but extends the opening to I believe it was 37 inches. It is NOT a 80%, or 1/2 quarter panel. Simply metal 2 pces around the opening. I was following a thread, and ran across the add where a company was selling the fiberglass one pce. but below that particular add it said, 'metal ones available also' . I clicked on that link and saw the metal ones and I think they were 59 bucks ea. I thought I had saved that website but as it turns out I hadn't. I know Harwood carries the one pce. fiberglass ones, but I am interested in the extended/lenghtened/metal ones. Can anyone out there help me ? Is anyone familar with the company I am looking for ? I have been on this computer trying to find them again for over 10 hrs. without luck. Thanks in advance and any pointers you can offer is very much appreciated !!!
Ed

 

[edspring1]

Help

No one has ran across this before ?

 

[david68]

I've never seen or heard of the kit you are asking about but there was a thread on here quite a while back about cutting the wheel openings out of some spare front fenders and welding them in place in the rear quarters of a third gen in order to gain clearance for larger diameter tires. If you haven't already tried this you might look at your browser history to find the website you're looking for. Good Luck!

 

[craigs73]

post some pics.... will help people see what your talking about and most likely get more responses....:yes::yes:i do got one question for you.....is your car a 72 or 74? i notice under your username it says novas...and you have 74 in there and this thread is a 72....

 

[edspring1]

As it turns out

Well as it turns out my Nova is actually a 1973. I was told at the time of purchase it was a 74 but the VIN proves 1973. {no title} The rear wheel well area apparently are all the same from about 68 -74. I only mention this because thats what all the repair panels stipulate. However the 80% and full size quarters are different. But around the wheel well they must be the same ? I still haven't find the web site in question. I hate to use the Harwood set because paint is never a 100% match between fiberglass & metal. I am starting to think that my only option is to get the patch panels and then find/make a center spacer of sort. Finding a good lip on a 35 YO donar car here on the eastcoast is all but impossible. I guess I could spend a few hundred bucks to purchase all new pces. and then cut them up, but thats what I wanted to stay away from. Too much welding and body work. Mainly body work...LOL I have tons of other stuff to work on, so I'll continue my search for these lengthened metal well wheels or donor peices while the process continues. If anyone knows of donor peices I am in the market obviously.
Thanks
Ed