chevy2inreno
12-17-2005, 02:34 PM
I've been on the Site for a long time but haven't had any progress to share. Now the car's finally started so I've go something to show off. Sorry it's so long, I'll make the updates shorter.
I bought my first car, 63 Nova SS hdtp, when I was 17 for $800 in 1984. It was a 2nd owner car in nice original condition. I completed a 5 lug and 4 speed conversion and built a 250 L6 with a little over 200 hp. With this combination I could stay with the new carbureted 5.0 Mustangs up to about 70 mph, but when I hit fourth gear I’d usually get dropped. I drove it through my last two years of high school and first year of college before I damaged the front sub frame and its been sitting since then, waiting to be rebuilt.
In 1986 I bought my 63 400 Series convertible for $1,500 and drove it home. The car got a 5 lug conversion with HD springs and went through several L6 engines and transmissions while I racked up about 100,000 miles until my daughter was born in 2001 and I needed a safer and more reliable family car. The vert ended up with a 250 L6, 11:1 compression from 307 pistons and milled head with bolt bosses removed and big valves. It was balanced and ran a big solid lifter cam with Clifford long-tube headers, Holley 390 cfm, Offy Intake, HEI etc. I put a BorgWarner T-50 5 speed from a 1986 Pontiac Astre (I think the same 5 speed as the Cosworth Vega) in the vert in 1997. It got 21 mpg and would light the tires up into third gear but still couldn’t stay with a well prepped V-8.
I finally saw the light, although I’ve been saving lots of vintage parts for an Inline drag Chevy II with straight axle, and decided to build a V-8 car. I’ve always wanted a Nova that could handle well and go fast to so I’ve been gathering parts for a couple of years and finally am getting started. I didn’t want to start talking about my new project until it had actually started, and it’s been a long time coming.
The vert is a 63 Nova 400 Series that I’ll be converting to a correct 65 SS with all trim and 65 SS specific parts. Chevy only made the Nova vert in 62 and 63 so it should be pretty unique. It’s taken about 10 years to complete a nice set of NOS or used 65 SS trim that just needs a little polishing. The front end is Chassisworks with 17X8 TTII’s. I’ve always loved the torque thrusts but it seems everyone has them so I tried looking for something else. I haven’t been able find anything that looks as nice for the price, fits the look I’m trying to get and won’t look dated in 10 years.
I purchased a HotRodsToHell truckarm rear suspension kit and a Tremec TKO 600. Laramie at Precision Brakes has helped set up the braking system and I’ll end up with 12” Willwood’s front and rear with a Wilwood manual master cylinder. After we measure for rear wheels, 17X9.5 or 17X11, I’ll be ordering a 9 inch rear to complete the suspension. The engine will be a 400 sb with roller cam and off the shelf aluminum heads with a Edelbrock RPM airgap. No idea of cam size or compression but I live at about 5,000 feet above sea level in Reno, Nv. so I should be able to run some healthy compression without worrying about detonation.
I’ve been able to find a 65 specific 200 KPH factory speedo and will have it recalibrated for miles to go with the 65 SS gauge cluster and factory tach. I’ll use a factory 4 speed console with the Tremec but probably aftermarket buckets upholstered in a stock appearing pattern. Paint and interior colors will probably be 1965 factory colors, again so it doesn’t look dated in 10 years. I really liked the roll bar used for Prodigy so I’m planning on designing something similar with bars forward to the cowl and to the rear as well.
Here are pics of the vert as a driver and ready to go on the trailer headed to the shop, as well as a link to more pics. Thanks for reading.
http://photobucket.com/albums/c355/chevy2inreno/
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2005/12/vertfront-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2005/12/vertrear-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2005/12/12404goingtoToms1-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2005/12/12404goingtoToms5-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2005/12/12404goingtoToms-1.jpg
I bought my first car, 63 Nova SS hdtp, when I was 17 for $800 in 1984. It was a 2nd owner car in nice original condition. I completed a 5 lug and 4 speed conversion and built a 250 L6 with a little over 200 hp. With this combination I could stay with the new carbureted 5.0 Mustangs up to about 70 mph, but when I hit fourth gear I’d usually get dropped. I drove it through my last two years of high school and first year of college before I damaged the front sub frame and its been sitting since then, waiting to be rebuilt.
In 1986 I bought my 63 400 Series convertible for $1,500 and drove it home. The car got a 5 lug conversion with HD springs and went through several L6 engines and transmissions while I racked up about 100,000 miles until my daughter was born in 2001 and I needed a safer and more reliable family car. The vert ended up with a 250 L6, 11:1 compression from 307 pistons and milled head with bolt bosses removed and big valves. It was balanced and ran a big solid lifter cam with Clifford long-tube headers, Holley 390 cfm, Offy Intake, HEI etc. I put a BorgWarner T-50 5 speed from a 1986 Pontiac Astre (I think the same 5 speed as the Cosworth Vega) in the vert in 1997. It got 21 mpg and would light the tires up into third gear but still couldn’t stay with a well prepped V-8.
I finally saw the light, although I’ve been saving lots of vintage parts for an Inline drag Chevy II with straight axle, and decided to build a V-8 car. I’ve always wanted a Nova that could handle well and go fast to so I’ve been gathering parts for a couple of years and finally am getting started. I didn’t want to start talking about my new project until it had actually started, and it’s been a long time coming.
The vert is a 63 Nova 400 Series that I’ll be converting to a correct 65 SS with all trim and 65 SS specific parts. Chevy only made the Nova vert in 62 and 63 so it should be pretty unique. It’s taken about 10 years to complete a nice set of NOS or used 65 SS trim that just needs a little polishing. The front end is Chassisworks with 17X8 TTII’s. I’ve always loved the torque thrusts but it seems everyone has them so I tried looking for something else. I haven’t been able find anything that looks as nice for the price, fits the look I’m trying to get and won’t look dated in 10 years.
I purchased a HotRodsToHell truckarm rear suspension kit and a Tremec TKO 600. Laramie at Precision Brakes has helped set up the braking system and I’ll end up with 12” Willwood’s front and rear with a Wilwood manual master cylinder. After we measure for rear wheels, 17X9.5 or 17X11, I’ll be ordering a 9 inch rear to complete the suspension. The engine will be a 400 sb with roller cam and off the shelf aluminum heads with a Edelbrock RPM airgap. No idea of cam size or compression but I live at about 5,000 feet above sea level in Reno, Nv. so I should be able to run some healthy compression without worrying about detonation.
I’ve been able to find a 65 specific 200 KPH factory speedo and will have it recalibrated for miles to go with the 65 SS gauge cluster and factory tach. I’ll use a factory 4 speed console with the Tremec but probably aftermarket buckets upholstered in a stock appearing pattern. Paint and interior colors will probably be 1965 factory colors, again so it doesn’t look dated in 10 years. I really liked the roll bar used for Prodigy so I’m planning on designing something similar with bars forward to the cowl and to the rear as well.
Here are pics of the vert as a driver and ready to go on the trailer headed to the shop, as well as a link to more pics. Thanks for reading.
http://photobucket.com/albums/c355/chevy2inreno/
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2005/12/vertfront-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2005/12/vertrear-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2005/12/12404goingtoToms1-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2005/12/12404goingtoToms5-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2005/12/12404goingtoToms-1.jpg