Repair 7

Chevy Nova Alignment Specifications

First introduced in 1961 as a 1962 model, the Chevrolet Nova is best remembered as one of the more dominant and beloved vehicles of the muscle-car era that stretched from the early 1960s to the mid-1970s. However, its performance ratings began to fade after the gas crisis of the early 1970s, as was the case with most sports cars of the time. Chevy phased out the Nova after 1979, but briefly resurrected it from 1985 to 1988 as a front-wheel-drive subcompact that could hardly be recognized as having any relation to its predecessor. The specs provided below apply to all trims of the 1988 Chevy Nova but should not be applied to Novas from other model years, as alignment specs tend to change from year to year.

Caster

Caster is the angle that the steering axis of a wheel is tilted when viewed from the side of a vehicle, with zero being a vertical line from the ground through the center of the wheel. The ideal caster angle for the front end of the 1988 Chevy Nova is +0.88 degrees, but it can range by 0.75 degrees in either direction, with a cross tolerance of 0.5 degrees. The caster is not adjustable on the rear end of the 1988 Nova.

Camber

Camber is the angle a wheel tilts when viewed from the front of the vehicle. If the top of the wheel tilts in, the wheel has a negative camber. If the top of the wheel tilts out, the wheel has a positive camber. The ideal setting for the camber angle on the front end of the 1988 Nova is -0.25 degrees, but it can range by 0.5 degrees in either direction, with a cross tolerance of 0.5 degrees. The ideal setting for the camber on the rear end is -0.52 degrees, but it can range by 0.5 degrees in either direction.

Toe-in

Toe is the measurement of the angle of the wheels in relation to the centerline of the vehicle. If the front of a wheel is angled slightly inward toward the vehicles centerline, then it has toe-in. Most vehicles are designed to have slight toe-in, and the measurements for it are given in positive degrees or inches. Negative toe settings suggest toe-out, in which the front of the wheel points slightly outward, away from the vehicles centerline. The ideal setting for the toe-in on the front end of the 1988 Chevy Nova is +0.08 degrees, but it can range by 0.08 degrees in either direction. The ideal setting for the toe-in on the rear end is +0.31 degrees, but it can range by 0.16 degrees in either direction.