What subframe?

[sweet70beast]

I have a 50 Chev 3100 and am thinking about subing it I have access to a 68-74 Nova sub, a 75-80 Nova sub, a 70 A-body frame, or one from a late 70's Monte. Question is for you guys who have gone this route what did you use? and why? what would you do differently? what do you like or hate about your subframe? Pictures would be great.

[mr48chev]

I used the 68 rear steering one in the 48 when I subframed it.

What I liked.
It clears the stock radiator support in front. I just had to make some spacers and drill two holes to mount the core support to the front crossmember of the subframe.

it was easy to weld on a couple of angle iron brackets to mount the front bumper.

It drove like it was on rails. The truck handled very well

It rode great, even sitting as low as it did.

What I didn't like

I had to hack up the inner fender wells to clear the a arms. Not a biggie but they do take up a lot of room.

The steering box is offset to the left of the stock column about 1-1/2 inches
This was the biggest issue as I had to offset the column to make it work.
In that respect I think the later subframe may be a better choice as you won't have the steering column issues and you would have better clearance on the left side of the engine.

If you decide to do the subframe thing I would make this suggestion and it worked perfectly when I subframed my 51 Merc.

Block the truck up at the truck at the desired ride height (level) don't worry about rake at this time. The idea is to get it sitting exactly how you want it to sit when you drive it.

Before you cut anything take a lot of reference measurements and write them down. I've seen some guys put chalk marks on the floor for center line of the axle

set the subframe on a block or jack at it's stock ride height. Level both ways. No wheels or tires on it at this time. Here we measured a students Nova and found that it was right at 6-1/2 inches of clearance at the bottom of the center of the crossmember.

Figure out the best places to mate the two up and then do your cutting (I'd leave a bit to trim to fit) and mate the two together. When everything is square in every direction, weld it together solid enough to be able to put the wheels on and I would suggest fitting the sheet metal before doing the final welding and reinforcement plating.

What you should end up with with is a truck that sits exactly at the ride height you want it to and has a great ride to boot.

After the front end is complete you can mount the rear end to get the desired rear ride height and rake that you want.

[sweet70beast]

I am leaning towards the 75 and up Nova frame because they all came with disc brakes and hopefully the steering will be easier to work out. Has anyone out there used the 75-80 Nova, 70-81 Camaro subframe?

[pugs]

i did a 75and up nova in my 57