[Greg Reimer 7376]

Definitely, you need a swing out bar. I built my first Chevelle when I was 29. I didn't have a swing out bar, but now at 65, I have had one for a long time. Makes getting in and out a lot nicer.I used a roll bar kit and cut it to fit and had a guy weld it together for me so that all I had to do was drill bolt holes in the floor and bolt it in. Make sure that you situate it to the rear enough so that you can put the seat in a comfortable location the first time, because it's way harder to move it later. Also, my main hoop mounting points are bolted to the frame with 1/2" Grade 8 bolts and lock nuts. Originally, the SS has bucket seats, my cars were all small block cars, so they had a front bench seat. In fact, my Chevelle wagon never had a roll bar in it because it never needed one. The 396 will definitely need one. Be sure you build it by the book, General Regulations chapter 4 has nice drawings and diagrams for roll bars, padding requirements, and driver restraint rules. I've never had a problem with tech with any of my cars, but it's important to build it by the rules in the first place. The Nova would achieve a greater degree of unit body stiffening with a 5 or 6 point bar, be sure and solidly tie the front subframe to the unit body, and the bar to both. I remember some big block bracket Novas and Camaros that displayed a bit of difficulty with doors closing properly after a time of racing because there was not sufficient lateral bracing due to the body taking on a twist. Best wishes on your new project!