Restarting My '70 Nova Project

[Fuddy1952]

I have my mother in laws '74 Nova she bought new, but sure wished I had the one she had before that...'68 Chevelle SS/427 4 speed posi, red, black leather. We put headers, comp cams cam/lifters, 800 Holley.
She loved that car...hot rod momma!

 

[MossRoad]

Looks like a 4 door. What engine/transmission does it have?

 

[BravoXray]

I'm betting a 6 banger and a powerslide..

 

[BravoXray]

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

Thanks.
Cars back then had a lot of styling and character, unlike the cars of today that just about all look alike, with a few exceptions.

 

[goeduck]

Thanks.
Cars back then had a lot of styling and character, unlike the cars of today that just about all look alike, with a few exceptions.

Exactly. It used to be you could (for the most part) tell the manufacturer of a car from a distance. Not so much now with all the copy cat designs out there.

 

[MossRoad]

A lot of the reason so many look alike also has to do with aerodynamics.

 

[the old grind]

Moss, I'll give ya one for good intentions, but Ram-air intake and rear spoilers do literally zip below 110 mph. Meanwhile, nothing slips through the air like a used bar of soap.

A front air dam below the bumper can help airflow go through the radiator, or around the vehicle at freeway speed for mileage, but aerodynamics is otherwise all in our heads unless pedaling a bicycle or breaking the speed limit.

Then there are boxy Jeeps with jumbo tires for city kids to drive to work at 70 mph on the freeway.

btw, Hank the Deuce's J-Car killed Ken Miles at ~200 mph at Riverside in '66, for lack of the Ford team's aerodynamics experience at such speeds.

 

[Fuddy1952]

I'm betting a 6 banger and a powerslide..

MIL would never have a 4 door. It's a 2dr., 350 with turbo 350.

 

[MossRoad]

MIL would never have a 4 door. It's a 2dr., 350 with turbo 350.

Nice!

 

[the old grind]

So much sleeper potential with say a shift kit, intake and header upgrades, and discreet traction bars .. but if mine it'd remain stock untill the day I died. It's a NOVA and not just any ol' one! I'd park another tractor outside to keep it out of the sun & weather.

 

[Jstpssng]

I'd rather have a Nova of the OP's vintage than a Corvette of any year.

 

[BravoXray]

MIL would never have a 4 door. It's a 2dr., 350 with turbo 350.

Ooooh, MIL in a sleeper Nova!

 

[Fuddy1952]

Ooooh, MIL in a sleeper Nova!

She was 5ft tall...blue hair...loved a 4 speed.
Wife & I watched her as she left work one Saturday night. Mom in her Chevelle SS 427, at the traffic light these kids pull up beside her in a blown Mustang, blower through hood. Kids laughing, wanting to run...Mom never looked over. She was watching the other side of light change to yellow (Mom had "staged deep"). Then she was gone, Mustang went up in smoke (no traction)...Mom speed-shifting! Go Mom Go!

 

[AGreenFarmer]

Interesting side note on Nova's. They tried to sell them in Mexico, but it didn't do well. In Spanish, "Nova" means "Not going". You would think they would have checked that before marketing the car.

 

[BravoXray]

Okay, got the new exhaust manifolds yesterday, unboxed them today and tried the right side to see how it fits. Perfect! All the bolts start no problem, and it has the correct part number cast on it, whereas the problem manifold was from a late '70s truck according to the casting number. That shouldn't have made a difference on the fit, but it wasn't the correct manifold in any case.
As to why it wouldn't fit when it came off the same engine is a mystery to me. Never had a piece of cast iron shrink on me before.
I'll post a picture when I get both sides installed tomorrow.

 

[BravoXray]

Got the cherry picker extracted from the back of the shop this afternoon. Pulled the 434 out too and took the MSD TBFI unit off and bolted on the lifting plate. Picked the engine up and took it loose from the engine stand, was balanced just about right.
Unboxed the new TKX600 Tremec 5 speed transmission and set it on one of my tool carts with some 2X4 blocks to keep upright and rolled over to the engine. Raised the engine up and got the trans lined up and pushed into the bellhousing. I didn't install a clutch, no reason to at this point, as I'm only doing this to check for trans clearance in the tunnel. Bolted them together and put a ratchet strap on the rear of the trans up to the chain holding the engine and got it leveled out so it would set down on the subframe in the right attitude.
Rolled the subframe under the engine and trans and lowered it down onto the front engine mounts and stuck the bolts in, had to rest the rear of the trans on a chunk of 2X4 as I haven't been able to find the trans mount yet. Once I do, I can roll it under the body to check out clearances. I have to take the shifter and cover off first though.
I can also mark the underside of the tunnel for the hole for the shifter while it's in position.
Only problem I ran into is that the engine mounts seem to have welds that interfere with the mount setting down all the way on the frame mounts I'll take them off and take a look to see what's going on.
The legs and casters I put on the subframe work great to roll it around.

 

[BravoXray]

Took the shifter off the transmission, covered the hole with a rag and carefully rolled the subframe under the body. Got it into position and put the 3/4" alignment bolts into their holes, slid underneath on a creeper and checked for clearance. Looks like plenty of clearance, even after the subframe will go up about 1/4" when bolted in place, as there is at least 1/2" to 3/4" clearance all around the transmission.
I had to relocate the plug wires and EFI cable that I had routed behind the right cylinder head, as they were pinched against the firewall. Also checked the fit of the heater air duct, and it's close, but will be okay. It also looks like the firewall in that area is pushed out a little, maybe 1/2" or so, so I'll address that once I get the engine out of the way.
I still need to mark the location of the hole for the shifter, and as a plus, the plate with the shifter lever in it can be reversed so the shifter is forward about 4" or so if necessary. I'll see where it comes out, and how it looks. I may get the seats back from the upholstery shop soon and I'll install the driver seat to test the location before I cut a hole.

 

[Boss 302]

Can't get enough of the old muscle cars, those were the days and an awesome time to be alive. How I love to reminisce

 

[BravoXray]

Can't get enough of the old muscle cars, those were the days and an awesome time to be alive. How I love to reminisce

From May through the end of September, a local Amish restaurant has a cruise-in on Thursdays for anyone who wants to bring their car or truck and hang out for a few hours.
The last one in September always draws a huge crowd, and this year's was the biggest yet. There were, I would estimate, around 1500 vehicles there from as far away as 100 miles. It must have covered 40 acres or so, right along US20 for at least a quarter mile. Everything from Model Ts to the latest Camaros, Corvettes, Challengers and Mustangs were there. If there wasn't a car there you liked, it was never made.

 

[MossRoad]

From May through the end of September, a local Amish restaurant has a cruise-in on Thursdays for anyone who wants to bring their car or truck and hang out for a few hours.
The last one in September always draws a huge crowd, and this year's was the biggest yet. There were, I would estimate, around 1500 vehicles there from as far away as 100 miles. It must have covered 40 acres or so, right along US20 for at least a quarter mile. Everything from Model Ts to the latest Camaros, Corvettes, Challengers and Mustangs were there. If there wasn't a car there you liked, it was never made.

And it's a good excuse to hit the restaurant and/our bakery, too.

https://essenhaus.com/cruise-in/