Restarting My '70 Nova Project

[goeduck]

My god, that is a GOOD LOOKING engine !!!! Belongs on a calendar. Very nice work !!

 

[goeduck]

I am checking back a few hours later .... Did I mention that is a GOOD LOOKING engine? Absolute beauty !!

 

[BravoXray]

I am checking back a few hours later .... Did I mention that is a GOOD LOOKING engine? Absolute beauty !!

Thanks!
I hadn't built a small block engine since I built a 302 Z-28 clone back in the '70s, so I kind of went crazy.

I'll have to post a link to a video when I get it fired up on the stand.
Should be kinda of lopey, I put in a hydraulic version of the old 327/350hp cam.
I pulled it out from the cranny where it's stored, and barred it over a couple of turns today. First time in a year or so. Gonna pull the plugs and quirt a little oil in the cylinders before I start it up.

 

[the old grind]

OEM #3863151 cam? What a great choice for the 'package'. (really 'comes on' at >2500 rpm, just right with 3.55:1)

Sign in front of passenger seat: "Hands of the grab bar, you're tearing out the dash!"

btw, traction bars if not a 4-link for that much muscle and IMO frame connectors are a must.

 

[jyoutz]

Novas were underappreciated at the time and only get better looking with age. Big fan of their looks, but I never had one

I had a 73 Nova, but it had an underwhelming straight 6 and speed transmission.

 

[jyoutz]

I had a 73 Nova, but it had an underwhelming straight 6 and speed transmission.

3 speed transmission

 

[BravoXray]

OEM #3863151 cam? What a great choice for the 'package'. (really 'comes on' at >2500 rpm, just right with 3.55:1)

Sign in front of passenger seat: "Hands of the grab bar, you're tearing out the dash!"

btw, traction bars if not a 4-link for that much muscle and IMO frame connectors are a must.

I don't remember what the OEM equivalent cam part number was, I put it together 5 years ago, and I've slept since then. I'll have to look in my build up book and find out. According to the head chamber CCs, the head gasket thickness and piston dish CCs, it should be around 10.25:1 compression ratio. I'm going to put a compression gauge on it before I fire it up just to get an idea of what the static compression ratio really is. Bore is 4.155" and stroke is 4.00". Had to do a little grinding on the block and use a special pan to get the rods to clear everything. The rods are asymmetric, one side has releif cut for cam clearance. Almost had to use a small base circle cam, but it clears as is.

I'm considering a set of Cal-Track traction bars. It has the F41 five leaf springs which work pretty well. I had a set of slapper bars on my '69 L78 SS396 Nova, and they rode like crap. I have a set of frame connectors for it, but I may fabricate my own setup once it's all back on the rotisserie.

If money was no object, I'd look into Heidt's independent rear suspension setup, but at over $10K, I think I'll utilize another solution.

 

[BravoXray]

I had a 73 Nova, but it had an underwhelming straight 6 and speed transmission.

My younger sister had a '72 four door with a six banger and three on the tree. Was a strange green color. Ugly, but super reliable. We nicknamed it Zeus.

 

[BravoXray]

Found the cam card. It's a Comp Cam 12-672-4 Nostalgia 30-30H.
Lift is speced for 1.5:1 rockers, I have 1.6:1 rockers installed so I'm getting .515" intake and .509" exhaust lifts.

I needed another bucket seat base, as one of the original set I bought was rusted too bad to use, so I tore apart one of the second set. What a job, nasty old foam, padding, rust and lots of hog rings to cut to get it apart. Worked for over an hour bead blasting the base and am only about half way done, but at least this base is usable.

When I get it blasted, primed and painted, I'm going to take all the seats, springs, foam and coverings to the local auto upholstery shop and let them put them back together. I know my limitations, and I'm not a proficient upholsterer.

 

[BravoXray]

After a couple of hours blasting the rust and crud off the seat base, I finally got it cleaned up so I could prime and paint it. I have glass beads in my cabinet instead of sand or blasting grit, and it's not nearly as aggressive at getting rust off, so it took a lot longer to get it cleaned up.
I got it primed and a coat of satin black on the top, I'll do the bottom tomorrow.
I also got the new springs installed on the second seat back. What a f@%&%!g job! You can get about 60% of the springs put in place pretty easily, and then the rest are just bastards to get twisted, pried and cussed into place. Was down to the last one and when I go it pried into place it snapped off one of the tabs that hold it in place. There was no way to get a MIG gun into that area to weld a new tab in place without taking the springs back off, so I was able to use a SS screw and washers to hold it in place.
Once I get the seat base painted and the springs installed on it, I'm going to take the front and rear seats, foam and covers to the local auto upholstery shop and let them put the new covers on.

Tuesday, I talked to the supplier that I ordered new front fenders from, and it sounds like I may have them by Christmas.

Oh well, that gives me time to get the 434 running. I may drop the subframe off the body install it and the TKO transmission in the subframe to test fit it on the body to see if there are any clearance issues with the transmission, and if there are, figure out how to make it fit. I have seen several conversions on Nova forums, and some fit with no issues, others needed the tunnel to be modified.
I have a good selection of hammers in the toolbox.

 

[BravoXray]

Since I'm still waiting on fenders for the Nova, I decided to pull the subframe off and install the engine and transmission so I can check to see if the TKO600 transmission will fit the tunnel without interference.
I've read a couple dozen forum posts on the subject, and the third generation Nova installations are about evenly split between fitting okay and having to modify the tunnel for clearance. So I figured I'd get it figured out now rather than later.
I picked up some 3" metal casters at Rural King, and used some 3" X 1/4" bar stock and 1 1/2" square 11 ga. tubing I keep on hand to fabricate four legs that bolt to the subframe so I can roll it around where I need it. Once I get the engine and trans dropped in it, I can just roll it into position under the body and bolt it back up to the body mounts to check the clearance. I made the legs about 1/4" - 3/8" shorter than the subframe is off the floor, so it will give me a little room to play with if it's really close.
Now I just have to move a few things so I can get my cherry picker unburied from the back of the shop and get out where I can use it.
Of course, I realize doing this means the fenders will show up right in the middle of this project. Well, I guess I can always dream...

 

[bdhsfz6]

I had a 1972 Nova SS 350 4 speed. Forest green with a black vinyl top. It was my first new car. Unfortunately, this poor quality pic is the only one I have:

I bought it new in 1972 and drove it 240K miles until 1981 when the price of gas forced me to trade it for something more economical.
Great car and a lot of fond memories.

 

[BravoXray]

I had a 1972 Nova SS 350 4 speed. Forest green with a black vinyl top. It was my first new car. Unfortunately, this poor quality pic is the only one I have:

I bought it new in 1972 and drove it 240K miles until 1981 when the price of gas forced me to trade it for something more economical.
Great car and a lot of fond memories.

I know how you feel, I had two other cars in the '60s and 70s that I never got a single picture of.
The first was a'68 Chevelle SS 396 automatic, red with a white vinyl top and white bucket seat interior. I bought it in June of '68 after graduating HS, and took it to Purdue in the fall. It was stolen out of the parking lot in September of '68 and never recovered.
I bought an old POS '63 Chevy to replace it while I went to Purdue for the next two years. No one stole it!
The second was a '69 Chevelle Malibu 350 automatic, black with a black bucket seat interior. When I bought it in '72, the paint was kind of shabby, so I had it repainted and put a new set of Cragars and radial tires on it. The wife drove it to work, I drove a pickup from work, and one day she ran off the road and hit a utility pole on the right side, just in front of the rear wheel. It was totaled out, hardly a straight piece of sheet metal was left on it. Fortunately, she had her seat belt on, and was just bumped around a bit, and walked away from the accident.

 

[goeduck]

Nice work BX!

 

[Gem99ultra]

Lots of work, but what I call 'fun'! There's nothing more satisfying than working on your own project, taking the time to do it right. And it sure looks like you're doing it right. Nice going. You'll end up with a fine ride that you'll never want to separate from.

One thought passes my mind is that nothing is as easy as it sounds. Doing your own project 100% sure isn't a quick and easy as what we see on Hot Rod Garage on TV. Amazingly, they can do the same project in 30 minutes as you and I would take a year to do. Of course, they have every tool known to man, unlimited budget, and no doubt a crew of extra experts on the sideline out of camera view.

You are to be commended for the meticulous good research and work you're putting into this project. We're all extremely happy that you're sharing it with us with the good pictures and comments.

 

[BravoXray]

Thanks for the gracious comments.
I have worked on so many poorly built and poorly repaired vehicles over the years that I have become quite particular about how things are done, especially on my vehicles. My big problem is that if I'm not sure how I want to do something, I may study it for hours, days or weeks before I decide on how to proceed, thus it sometimes takes a LONG time to finish some of my projects. My Yanmar powered genset took 22 years.

 

[Fuddy1952]

Lots of work, but what I call 'fun'! There's nothing more satisfying than working on your own project, taking the time to do it right. And it sure looks like you're doing it right. Nice going. You'll end up with a fine ride that you'll never want to separate from.

One thought passes my mind is that nothing is as easy as it sounds. Doing your own project 100% sure isn't a quick and easy as what we see on Hot Rod Garage on TV. Amazingly, they can do the same project in 30 minutes as you and I would take a year to do. Of course, they have every tool known to man, unlimited budget, and no doubt a crew of extra experts on the sideline out of camera view.

You are to be commended for the meticulous good research and work you're putting into this project. We're all extremely happy that you're sharing it with us with the good pictures and comments.

I hate those shows. A car is on the lift: "when we come back we'll install the transmission"...then a two minute break while a lizard, a duck or an emu tries selling me insurance..."now that we have the tyranny installed we'll put headers on it and run the exhaust."
The "workers" look like they just stepped out of the shower.
Make the %&$# show real for God's sake.
"Well...while Joe is off to the ER after said tyranny fell on him, Bill is going to...what's that? while Tom is getting the Last Aid kit Henry and I will install the headers, uhhh was gonna install headers but Henry just...yes we can drill and tap".

 

[BravoXray]

Worked on the original 350 engine out of the Nova this afternoon. I' trying to get it put back to the original condition as nearly as I can, since it is a numbers matching engine.
Put on the plug wire shields and bolted up the left exhaust manifold with no problems. The right manifold though, is a problem, the front two bolts and the center two bolts line up and go in just fine, but the two rear bolts won't. It's as if the back part of the manifold shrank about 1/8", the bolts will not line up and start in the holes. I don't remember any problems when I took them off, of course that was 6 or 7 years ago, but I've never seen this before. I pulled it back off and checked all six of the holes for rust or any other build up, but they are all fine, a 1/2" drill goes through the end holes no problem, and a 7/16" through the two center holes. Not that is should make any difference, but this is not the original manifold, as all stock small block heads have the same bolt pattern. The block off plates I had on the exhaust ports fit just fine, so it has to be the manifold.
Going to have to cogitate on it for a while and decide what to do about it. I may just get a new set of correct part number manifolds and be done with it.

Edit: Went down to the shop this afternoon and did some more looking at the manifold problem. I cleaned out all the bolt holes in the manifold with a file, really didn't need to, they were pretty clean.
I got out my 8" digital calipers and measured the distance between the outside center holes and the closest hole on the ends. The end giving me the problem is right at .060" (~1/16") shorter between the holes than the other end. That may not sound like much, but its enough that the bolts will not start straight in the holes in the head. There's not much meat between the hole and the exhaust port, so slotting it out to get it to fit would just cause it to crack at some point, so I'm not going to do that.
So, I'm just going to order a new manifold for it.

 

[goeduck]

^^ I had to wipe the drool off of my shirt after staring at those beauties.

 

[Oaktree]

Good luck with your project. Those muscle car-era GM cars were really sharp-looking cars...Novas & Chevelles especially.