Nova to be Golden...

[lblevins]

Well I finally made up my mind to post here but still have to make a photobucket account to post up the pics but here it goes. I've always been a Nova guy and have had 17 so far but this one im building to keep in a last ditch effort before my daughters get too big I won't have time for car building between school and after school activities.So lets flash back a couple of years, I started off with a big backhalf nova had the chassis work done and then built my floor plans then found out we were having another child. This car.

So I searched around and found another car all original 1970 minimal rust and complete 1 owner.

I started out with the plan efi lsx turbo bought everything had it running in the car and started pieceing it all out when my wife left and I kept the children. Couldn't get child care and they wanted 285 a week for 2 children which was ridiculous to me. So I went a year living off what I could flip off craigslist and tow yards until they could start school.
I worked and in my spare time the girls would come help me after school. I tore the car down had it silica sand blasted and the same day pulled it into the paint booth zchromed the body and por 15'd the undercarriage and bedlined the floor pans. I proceeded to block the car the following day then primer that day block again that night and put a thin coat of primer one last time before calling it a day. The following day I blocked the car after work pulled it into the booth and sprayed it. So from the day they sandblasted 3 days later it was painted with all work being done by myself.


Next I purchased bumpers and a set of wheels and new taillights etc... Also I forgot to mention I had installed a 1969 Nova taillight panel the morning before they sandblasted it.

I loved the wheels and had planned on removing the caltracs and leaf springs and going with a ridetech kit but after much research I decided the ridetech kit not being as strong as what I needed for the amount of power and launching the car will do. So I mocked my sheels up and looked for an alternative and something that would handle good and be what I needed. I came to the idea of a gbody or 8.8 factory style 4 link with adjustable arms. I called many shops and most said it was a dumb idea etc and after much frustration decided i'd just do it myself.



I looked at the dse wheel tubs but couldn't bring myself to spend so much on sheetmetal.. I talked to a fellow car enthusiast and decided i'd build fiberglass wheel tubs 1/2 " thickness. Which work great. ;)

The lower arms I had to remove 2.5 inches to get them where I wanted the uppers just had to be turned in alot to get the placement and movement where I wanted. Normally with a softer suspension this would pose a problem but im running the suspension stiffer and knew it would compensate. After installation I had to wait for my upper coilover mounts to come in so please excuse the coilovers being at such a steep angle it was just temporary.
I installed new interior in the car along with a custom guage cluster. Not feeling like spending so much for dakota digital I went with a all use made intellitronix cluster and made it to fit.


The car ran around carbd with a 5.3 in it with my built th350 and the stock gbody rearend. I sold off the stock 5.3 and bought a lq9 from a friends salvage ordered a 427 rotating assembly and it sits at the machine shop as I post this. I have a ms4 cam and a set of milled and ported 243's waiting for it. So here I am waiting with my weld rts's and a nice engine and have decided I want more of a street car for my lifestyle and roadtrips and fun with my daughters vs just going to the drag strip in a car I built for the street. So I have done lots of research and reading and am doing tubular front a arms coilover in front and shorter ones in rear. I decided to sell my weld rts's and purchase these. http://www.customwheelsexpress.com/c...els-p-848.html
I will do 17x8 or 18x9 up front and 18x12 rear. I know i've skipped past alot of the work like new harness stereo system etc that i've done but all this typing gets old.. ;) So heres where my story is so far. I still have my daughters living with me full time as there sole parent, I met a wonderful woman with a daughter of her own and couldn't be more blessed. < Also the reason for less drag car more street car.

[lblevins]

I'm trying to get my phone to send updated pics with the black vinyl top etc....

[aidanfancystang]

I love those wheels!

[LUV2XLR8]

love the gauges.. planning to purchase them for my build as well... how tricky were they to get up and running? Heard they'er pretty painless.

Nice job!.

[no go nova]

Great build love the do it yourself moto. What color code is the gold?

[lblevins]

The color was actually a landrover orange gold I added silver to to get the orange out and get the tine I wanted. Dupont for the win. ;) Im a painter/body guy..