1968 Chevy Nova Project Car - 12 Bolts To Glory

Moser Engineering has long been known for its high-quality racing axleshafts, and that's still a core part of the company's business today. The axleshafts start off as forgings made in Portland, Indiana, from Moser-designed tooling. From there, all of the machining and processes are done on site. That gives Moser complete control and allows them to do custom work with a quick turnaround time. The street axles, which we used for this project, are made from a custom alloy, and are induction heat-treated to optimize torsional strength. Whatever you're building, they can make axleshafts that will deliver the strength and durability you'll need.

With all the increases in rear axle strength we're making, we decided to remove another fuse from the driveline. Instead of sticking with the stock 1310 U-joint at the axle, we had Moser install a pinion yoke that accepts a 1350 joint. Their steel yokes are much stronger than stock, and a 1350 joint has larger caps, larger trunions, and more needle bearings than a 1310. The downside is that we'll need to have a new driveshaft built to accept the larger U-joint.

The 30-spline 12-bolt axle splines (left) look puny in comparison to 35-spline axles. Moser custom alloy axles are induction heat treated and completely magnufluxed. They are engineered to take the abuse of racing and street use.

When you're building a new axle from scratch, it's easy to make good choices for strength. Originally, 12-bolts used C-clips to retain the axleshafts. This can be problematic in a performance application, and the preferred method is to use retainer plates at the end of the axle tube. We chose to use the large Ford housing ends that are made to accept axle-retainer plates and a variety of aftermarket brake packages.

We used a Moser Performance cover for two reasons. First, for the functional justifications. The cover provides preload on the main caps and has drain and fill plugs making oil changes much easier. From a fashion standpoint, it looks really cool, and we wanted something to signify that this was not your standard 12-bolt rear axle.

The only thing left to add to our new rearend is a set of brakes. For this project, we'll be using CPP's disc brakes to put on a modest but very functional pair of 10-inch rotors. The rear disc brakes are part of a total conversion kit that CPP offers for '62-74 Novas, which includes a power master cylinder, proportioning valve, front and rear rotors and calipers, brackets, bearings, and everything else needed for an easy swap.

The covers are made from 356-T6 aluminum. The thick, machined gasket surface makes oil leaks extremely unlikely. The inside of the cover is designed to route oil slung off the ring gear to critical locations. The main-cap preloads minimize deflection as the ring-and-pinion try to force the carrier rearward under hard acceleration.