Restarting My '70 Nova Project

/ Restarting My '70 Nova Project #41  
Old saying from Group 7 racing and shown by Hank the Deuce at Lemans. "In racing there's no substitute for cubic money".

Now, back to stuff we can/could afford ... :)
 
/ Restarting My '70 Nova Project #42  
Long ago I had a 68 Charger. Light metallic green with a dark green vinyl top. 318 with a 904 trans. While in the army in Fort Sill put a 340 cam in it Edelbrock LD4B manifold, Used a Holley 650 4 barrel, Moroso valley cover, Chrysler electronic igntion conversion, Had dual exhaust installed with thrush 5163A oval mufflers. Got SS reversed Cragars with F70 front and G60 in the rear they filled the wheel wheels just right. Didn't need them but put on a set of Lakewood traction bars just for looks. With the 340 cam the ole 904 didn't take it long so put a 727 in from a 340 Dart, with a Winters shift kit. Drive normal Ok, Drive hard every shift was a BANG. The only thing I never got changed was the 2.76 rear gears. That was OK because I out ran a Duster 340, he just couldn't keep up-- he was floating the valves. Had a cop stop me once and he just kept looking under the car, He said it sound like I was speeding? I think he thought I had glass packs on, Those thrush ovals looked like stock mufflers if the chicken was turned up.. Got back home and a year or two later found a local dealer had a 70 Challenger R/T 383 auto --- Yep dummy traded. A while after that was doing service work and waiting at a light making a left I heard this car pull up to my right rear corner-- Ba-lup, Ba-lup, Ba-lup Just had to see what it was-- yep you guessed it was the ole charger and boy was i beating myself up!!!
 
/ Restarting My '70 Nova Project #43  
Power level in that video is just right. What is terribly wrong is the lack of traction ! Great for a smoke show, terrible for hole shot acceleration. Would be embaressed terribly in a drag race with anyone that had good traction, with much less HP.
 
/ Restarting My '70 Nova Project #44  
Power level in that video is just right. What is terribly wrong is the lack of traction ! Great for a smoke show, terrible for hole shot acceleration. Would be embaressed terribly in a drag race with anyone that had good traction, with much less HP.
Exactly. My friends (rip) SS/AMX (naturally aspirated) was running 7.90s (SSA) with a 390 cu.in., right at 1,000 h.p., 3150#.
Orange is exactly right.
 
/ Restarting My '70 Nova Project #47  
I had a brand new 68 Dodge Charger R/T with the 440 engine. Needed 93 octane gas. Raced a corvette from 60 to 120 and he quit at 120 and the Charger was still accelerating. It would idle at 30 MPH. As they say, the only thing that beats cubic inches is cubic feet.
My Wife's Sonata will outdo that, lol. Back in those ole days, I had 2 kinds of races. Zero to 130, or 130 up. The old 66 has seen the downhill side of the speedometer way too many times, and has earned its retirement. Bumping the 160 marked speedometer isn't something i need to be doing, since a clean driver's license is required in my field of work!
David from jax
 
/ Restarting My '70 Nova Project #49  
Wow! What a strange post. The only street race I lost was to a brown 390 AMX! It was a light to light run on State Street in SLC Utah in 1983. I remember the night very well.

AMX Mmm Not hopped up much but
Bought this for my wife awhile back- still need to paint it.
74 AMX, Black on Black, Go Package, 360 four barrel auto car

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/ Restarting My '70 Nova Project
  • Thread Starter
#50  
Got some metal hung on the car in the last couple of days. Mounted the radiator support and both fenders. Got one door down from the upper deck and put the hinges on it. I have a friend coming over tomorrow to help get both doors hung.
I have 17 flip top storage bins full of new and old parts, and have been going through them looking for various items. Found most of what I was looking for, like the box of all new bolts for the front end. Found some stuff I forgot I had too.
After the body and other metal goes off for paint, I need to get out the engine I built to put in it and get it started. I have the original numbers matching engine and transmission which have both rebuilt and preserved. For for ***** an giggles I built up a 434 cu. in. small block stroker engine in a 400 truck block that I'm going to put in it initially, along with a Tremec TKO five speed that has a .64 to 1 overdrive. That will get my 60 mph revs down to around 1900 instead of 3000.
Damn it's been hot and humid here the last few days.
 

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/ Restarting My '70 Nova Project #51  
OKay I'll play. I took this car, which I bought in 2006
IMG_1661.JPG


Then I found a couple of rust bubbles and decided to rebuild it... Next thing I know, it looked like this....
IMG_0043.JPG


I took thousands of photos of the process as I built it but I'll get right to it and show you what it looks like today...
IMG_1663.jpg

IMG_1664.jpg

IMG_1672.jpg
IMG_1681.jpg

Lots more photos and a few threads on the Internet that detail the build. Its as nice underneath as it is under the hood. Trunk is fitted with dual Odyseey batteries with custom aluminum mounts, etc.
 
/ Restarting My '70 Nova Project #55  
I have a Nova question on my 1974: how can I fix a sticky steering wheel? Anyone know what to use, I've tried cleaners, detergent, etc. It's the material it's made from, older ones were better. I know a wheel cover will work, I'd rather keep it stock.
Thanks anything that works!
 
/ Restarting My '70 Nova Project #56  
OKay I'll play. I took this car, which I bought in 2006 View attachment 710480

Then I found a couple of rust bubbles and decided to rebuild it... Next thing I know, it looked like this....


I took thousands of photos of the process as I built it but I'll get right to it and show you what it looks like today...
View attachment 710482
View attachment 710483
View attachment 710484View attachment 710485
Lots more photos and a few threads on the Internet that detail the build. Its as nice underneath as it is under the hood. Trunk is fitted with dual Odyseey batteries with custom aluminum mounts, etc.
Very nice restoration!
 
/ Restarting My '70 Nova Project
  • Thread Starter
#57  
I have a Nova question on my 1974: how can I fix a sticky steering wheel? Anyone know what to use, I've tried cleaners, detergent, etc. It's the material it's made from, older ones were better. I know a wheel cover will work, I'd rather keep it stock.
Thanks anything that works!
You might try some mineral spriits or paint thinner. I had the same problem on a truck years ago, and I think that's what worked for me. Try it on a small area first.
 
/ Restarting My '70 Nova Project
  • Thread Starter
#58  
Got the doors hung on Saturday, now I'm waiting on a pack of fender shims so I can start getting the fenders fit.
R & L is supposed to deliver the new hood tomorrow.

IMG_20210821_095435007 (Medium).jpg
 
/ Restarting My '70 Nova Project
  • Thread Starter
#59  
Fender shims? :oops: Aligning body panels... the thought is horror. 1 hr to install my fenders. 6 hrs to get them aligned to the doors. Still don’t line up on passenger side very well.
Good Luck! (y)
Yeah, I'm not looking forward to this, although a cursory examination of the left fender seems to look like it might fit pretty well. The right one though, not so much.
 
/ Restarting My '70 Nova Project #60  
I'd replaced a front fender on my first Camaro but had left out several bolts that attached the inner to it aroud the wheel opening. Didn't go far before I could see the front of the car kinda undulate. After filling all the holes with new J-nuts & bolts and tightening, ... on the second try I got the right jack pressure under the corner to line up to the doors & hood (loose again), retighten, and all was solid again. It seemed easy at the time. BTW six years later I quit daily driving the '71 and sold it. Had bought my '77 Nova by then.
 

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