Pro Touring 4th Gen Nova Update

[perple76]

Haven't posted on this project in a while, but sometimes silence means progress. I painted the car last weekend and have yet to do any buffing/polishing on the car, but thougth I would post a few pics of the work just to mark where we're at. I anticipate assembly will take the better part of the winter, so obviously we're looking toward making the car roadworthy sometime in late April or early May of 2009, depending on how tough the Indiana winter is.

Colors, for those interested, are Orion Silver (House of Kolor) and Tangelo (House of Kolor). The Tangelo has Spanish Gold Kandy on it, and we used a HoK blue (I don't remember the name) to split the two-tone. The camera and the false light really wash out the orange on this car, but trust me, the orange really pops when you see it in person.

Anyway, thanks to those who have expressed interest. More updates to come.

J

[70TWO NOVA]

wow, looks really good, Its nice to see a 4th gen Nova! They dont seem to get the love they deserve. Great Job!

[JMarsa]

Welcome aboard. You glad to see you over here there's more traffic and support.

--JMarsa

[oldrednova]

Looks great! finally someone who sees the potential with me

[perple76]

It's been a few months since I posted anything new on this project, and since I'm starting to enter the homestretch and see the light at the end of the tunnel, I thought it was about time to get some new pics up of our progress.

Backordered parts and bad weather have been huge buzzkills for me this winter, but I'm thinking spring and am itching to get back on the horse and get this project across the finish line.

Most of the primary re-assembly is done. The car has all its weatherstripping, aluminum trim, door locks/handles, glass, etc. installed and ready to go. Just to refresh everyone's memory, here's a couple of shots of the car in its current state:



and. . . .



The engine and transmission have been re-united, and reinstalled on the subframe. I've been starting the motor on this make-shift set-up for a few months now, fine tuning it and slowly adding/taking off parts as they come in or get completed.






I picked up a new air cleaner for the car on Ebay and have been working on smoothing out the valve covers for paint. Here's a close-up shot of these pieces mocked up on the engine:



Probably going to begin work on the interior next. New carpet is on backorder (of course) but some of the other pieces have started coming in. Here are the seats we're using:








And the Covan's dash and guages also are ready to roll:



Here's the short list of things left to do:

Install interior - waiting on carpet, steering wheel, and sound deadner, and I still have to paint the dash (weather), but this part of the project will come together pretty quickly in the next couple of weeks.

Re-install subframe - the sub is assembled, the engine is on it, all we need to do is roll it under the car, and then it's basically six bolts. All the parts are there, I just haven't pulled the trigger yet.

Install Wiring - luckily I have an electrician on staff (my dad) who really has great skills with wiring harnesses. He has constructed this one basically from scratch but it's about 95% ready to go. This is the part of the project where I become the intern and just run an get him coffee, parts, or whatever he needs while he does his thing.

Fenders and Hood - all the paint work is finished, just need a big dose of patience and courage, and a handful of bolts, and this part should go pretty quickly. The front-flip hood brings with it an new set of challenges, but it lined up nicely in mock-up and I don't anticpate any major problems in reassembly. Just gotta be careful with that new paint.

Exhaust - the only part of this project that I'm farming out. A local speedshop here in Indy has been tasked for the job. Nothing exotic here but because of the truck arm suspension an off-the-shelf kit won't do the job. I'm hoping for a creative way to slip an X-pipe into the system but we'll have to wait and see on that one.

I think it's pretty reasonable with what I have left to do to think that the car will be ready to tear up the roads by no later than Memorial Day. I'm really only waiting on some decent weather now to really tear back into this thing. That's convenient because the Indiana weather doesn't give us many good driving days until around the end of May anyway.

Thanks for taking interest.

J

[68/CamaroFL]

Lice Looking project!
Welcome to the site! keep us posted

[icebird84]

very Nice Looking project, Welcome to P.T and keep us posted

[1971CHEVELLE]

looks awesome..

[Krazed]

Very nice! What seats are those? I are they from another car?

[nekkidhillbilly]

nice i like these mid 70s cars

[perple76]

Very nice! What seats are those? I are they from another car?

They are out of a 1999 Monte Carlo. I had them recovered by a local upholsterer and had him create a rear seat for me that matches the style of the fronts. Very comfortable seats to ride in, both for hard driving and long highway trips. Power electric too!

J

[perple76]

Just a quick update and a few newer pics of the car. Things are happening fast and furious now, it's like we turned a corner and can see the finish line, so we're pushing harder and faster than ever before.

Here's some shots we took right after reinstalling the subframe:





The clutch linkage, wiper motor, brake booster, and master cylinder were next:








Next, we pushed the car out of the back barn in order to relocate it to my big barn where the lift is located so we could install the driveshaft and bleed the brakes. I stopped everybody in the middle of pushing the car, just so I could have some pics to post for you guys:





Basically, the car is under its own power now and can stop itself with application of the brake pedal. We still have a significant amount of wiring to do to get it driveable, but I think that will come together pretty quickly now.

Up next - hopefully get the fenders hung by this weekend and then more wiring. The biggest projects remaining are front end alignment, exhaust, and of course re-installing the interior, which is completely done and waiting for installation. Hopefully I'll have finished pictures coming within the next month or so.

Thanks for lookin'

J

[icebird84]

wow nice

[CruizinKev]

very nice man ..the wheels are 20/18 combo?

[perple76]

Yup. 18X8s and 20X10s.

J

[Code Red]

looking good

[perple76]

Just thought I'd put up the latest pics. The front clip is back on, and the wiring is starting to come together. I've actually driven the car up and down the driveway just for kicks.









I'm really, really happy with the way this project is coming together here at the end.

Happy to answer questions.

J

[bamadale]

that car is nice! i use to have a 76 Nova that was solid orange. i loved that car and even tried to buy it from the current owner but he will not depart from it.

[srh3trinity]

That thing is nice. I have always thought these cars had a lot of potential. Yours is going to live up to that potential.