Nova front steer vs rear steer. Which is better?

[Bonechip67]

Found a 76 nova sub frame. Was thinking of putting it under my AD, but was wondering the pros and cons of the front steer vs the rear steer. Problems with lining things up, which one steers or rides better, etc... Thanks

[FiftyTwo]

On a front steer, the steering gearbox is right in the way of the radiator support which makes fitting up the front sheet metal and bumper a real pain. Connecting the steering column to the front mounted box requires a longer shaft, u-joints, etc. and may cause problems with your exhaust, headers,etc.

A rear steer would be much better. You'll still need to fabricate a bracket across the front of the frame stub to mount the radiator support along with some bumper mounts, but at least the steering box isn't in the way. Connecting the column to the box is pretty easy and shouldn't interfere with the exhaust.

I would think the ride, steering and handling would be the same.

[mr48chev]

I ran a rear steer subframe on the 48 and it worked pretty well but the steering box doesn't line up with the column and wheel in it's stock place. If I were to do it again I would use one of the columns with a couple of U joints in it under the dash to get things to line up and keep the wheel in it's proper place.

I used the stock core support by drilling a pair of holes in the front crosspiece of the subframe and using some rubber pads to shim it up. I think I used Camaro style headers on it then. That was in 1981 so the memory is a bit faded.

The AD frame rails don't meet either subframe very well though and I ended up notching and spreading the frame rails to meet the subframe and then boxing everything in. Lots of fitting and measuring before it was done.

[mknittle]

Originally Posted by FiftyTwo

On a front steer, the steering gearbox is right in the way of the radiator support which makes fitting up the front sheet metal and bumper a real pain. Connecting the steering column to the front mounted box requires a longer shaft, u-joints, etc. and may cause problems with your exhaust, headers,etc.

A rear steer would be much better. You'll still need to fabricate a bracket across the front of the frame stub to mount the radiator support along with some bumper mounts, but at least the steering box isn't in the way. Connecting the column to the box is pretty easy and shouldn't interfere with the exhaust.

I would think the ride, steering and handling would be the same.

mine clears fine but it is close I made a step for a bigger sway bar though.

[Daze57]

although i have a 57 and not an AD truck ;my subframe is 69 firebird w/rear steer - it was the only thing i could find @ the time . the steering colume uses 1 double u joint and that goes right to the steering box.-i dont see to many trucks at all using rear steer - but the ride is very good -although i cant make a real sharp turn ; it handles very very well i upgraded to a 1 7/8 sway bar and thats helps alot -if i had to do it again - i might go a different route - but i am very happy w/a rear steer ride .also i am running 69 firebird headers - no clearence problems at all.
again just my 2 cents worth

[mknittle]

Originally Posted by Daze57

although i have a 57 and not an AD truck ;my subframe is 69 firebird w/rear steer - it was the only thing i could find @ the time . the steering colume uses 1 double u joint and that goes right to the steering box.-i dont see to many trucks at all using rear steer - but the ride is very good -although i cant make a real sharp turn ; it handles very very well i upgraded to a 1 7/8 sway bar and thats helps alot -if i had to do it again - i might go a different route - but i am very happy w/a rear steer ride .also i am running 69 firebird headers - no clearence problems at all.
again just my 2 cents worth

1 7/8 sway bar! and i thought mine looked big at 1 1/4!!!

[tmoble]

probably a typo for 1&1/8, there is no 1&7/8 bar.

bad part of the early rear-steer is that the steering box is offset from the stock column, I've seen some really nasty u-joint deals over the years. Also, the early rear-steer is basically similar to the 64-72 Chevelle, only with rear steer. Problem there is that short spindle whacks the suspension geometry, the roll center is about 6" below ground level. That's the fundamental reason why the cars drove like tuna boats stock.

The second gen Camaro/Firebird is hugely better in this regard and the A-Arms are much better, stronger. The steering box being further out towards the front means you don't need sharp u-joint bends. The roll center is several inches above ground level, handling is massively better. Nice disc brakes too. The downside is the problem with interference between the core support mount and the steering box. Mine was done in '93, has at least 100,000 trouble free miles on it.

Here's a shot of my steering shaft:

[tmoble]

BTW, that's an early Toronado steering shaft. Picked it up off the ground in a wrecking yard in 93, still working fine today.

[Kabwe]

Here is a 1971 Nova clip that I installed on a friends AD truck. It rides and steers great.

[tmoble]

Bam, did you move the column over in that truck?

[Daze57]

kabwe
-when you did that rear steer install on this truck did you find any hard turning issues ?and if so did you find a remedy ? also what headers are being used on that truck?
your work and skills are off the hook - great to read thru your thread

[Kabwe]

Originally Posted by tmoble

Bam, did you move the column over in that truck?

Hey tmoble how are things going? No we did not move the column, but we did shorten it quite a bit. It was almost a straight shot but the stock rag joint (the one in the picture) did bind a little when we drove it the first time. So we replaced it with a Borgeson Steering U-Joint and it fiixed the issue. If you would like I can stop by my buddy's house and take a picture. Here is a picture of how much we shorten the column.

Originally Posted by Daze57

kabwe
-when you did that rear steer install on this truck did you find any hard turning issues ?and if so did you find a remedy ? also what headers are being used on that truck?
your work and skills are off the hook - great to read thru your thread

Thanks for the compliments man. As far as the AD truck I drove it and there is no problems with turns of any kind since we installed the borgeson steering u-joint before you could feel a slight wobble while turning the wheels. Now the truck rides straight as an arrow and handles great. The headers are 1st Gen camaro.