'72 Nova roller project

Hey guys this is my first car (im 14) i picked it up for $2000. I'm extremely excited to spend the next year or two fixing it up. My dad offered to help some but i wanted to do as much of this as i could. It needs a new rear quarter panel drivers side. Part of a new front quarter panel passengers side. For those i have the metal i just need advice and tips for welding and stuff. Also the drivers side floorboards are rotting so they need replaced. The rear shock mount is also rotting. I'm going to be doing as much research as i can but any help i get will be greatly appreciated. I know about the disk brake conversion kit no need to tell me that one but anything else would be awesome..thanks guys.

P.S here is a link of pics of the car that i took..

http://s677.photobucket.com/albums/vv132/Captnova72/

looks good, just some advice, don't be afraid to spend the money to do something right the first time, because it will cost more to do it over again.

http://i677.photobucket.com/albums/vv132/Captnova72/Kids008.jpg
http://i677.photobucket.com/albums/vv132/Captnova72/Kids011.jpg
http://i677.photobucket.com/albums/vv132/Captnova72/Kids014.jpg

I'll bet the fender patch is for the other side.:eek:

Looks like a nice car to build up dude. I got my nova when i was 14 too :D

Just don't jump in it too much. enjoy it as much as you can and work on it on the sides. (keep it a driver)

I'll bet the fender patch is for the other side.:eek:

Yea i think so..theres one for either side, it was the one on top so i grabbed that as an example.
Oh and thanks for putting the pics on there

My pleasure. Looks like a fun project to learn a bunch of skills with. At least that's how I look at my projects, always an excuse to buy a new tool and learn how to use it.:D:D

Here's the skinny on posting pictures, ignore the Photobucket picture loading as you already have that part down:

http://www.stevesnovasite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27716

Glad to see young folk still interested in these cool old cars!! My Son spent some quality time building his Nova from the age of 14-17 and it changed his life. He met the Girl of his dreams at the first car show he entered and he learned that persistance and hard work pay off. Many memories were made during that build and he learned skills that will help him through the rest of his life. Later today the both of us will be cruizing out to a car show about 75 miles away-him in his 70SS and me in my blown 72-it couldn't get any better IMO.

I wish you all the luck in the world on that project! Take your time and plan it well so you can break the job down into smaller jobs. The rewards will be well worth the effort. Check out my Son's journey here:http://community.webshots.com/album/117226417GuAuSn?495

If I can help you in any way-let me know. There's a good group here on this forum to help steer you right. And always remember the only stupid question is the one that isn't asked-we all started somewhere. Bob

nice looking project,good luck!

Nice first project. Im doing a 69 chev pick up and am 18. Feels good knowing you did that on your own. I would like to find a 69ish nova to go along side my pickup.

Looks like a good project. I got my 62 nova when I was 14 and am still in the process of working on it (im now 15).Also as some of the guys have said take your time and it will pay off in the end dont skimp on anything and do it the way you want not what other people think it should look like. You own it you make the decisions:yes:. Heres some pics of my dads 72 for some ideas

http://i41.tinypic.com/2aag09y.jpg
http://i41.tinypic.com/2ivfpn4.jpg

Heres some pics of my project Ive done most except the welding on it

Start
http://i44.tinypic.com/qnsajb.jpg

and heres where im at now
http://i42.tinypic.com/33kzreh.jpg

looks like you got a lot of room there to work on your car. and no neighbors around to bother you either, thats a plus

Hey guys thanks for all the help...and bigdaddy i pretty much have no neighbors and the one that i do have is into anything that goes fast(er).

Looks like a great start! The best advice I can give you with being young and probably on a budget is to stick with it and don't get discouraged. I have owned a bunch of old Chevy's and have become overwhelmed and moved from project to project and 8 years later I still don't have one done. I finally realized that riding it out is the way to go. I could have been on the road with my first 64 5 years ago if I had just kept at it instead of trying to find something better. Good luck and if you need advice or help i'll see what I can do. Maybe we can meet up at a show in the future. I am over near Deland

Welcome to the site. Nice project you have there. Just keep plugging along and before you know it, it will be comming along just fine. Does it run?

It runs well...but 4 of the spark plugs aren't firing so we cleaned them and checked the timing. Just have to get new plugs. Recently i installed a new water pump (that was a bear). now i need to replace my alternator because it squeaks when it hits higher rpms. That was originally why i replaced the water pump. I probably wont see you beings that i live in PA...many miles away from florida

I was wondering what size engine i have...the guy that we bought it from said it was a 350 but it doesn't seem like it because isn't that on the SS version? He probably thought so because the owner before him was a Chevy mechanic.

Make sure the alternator belt is tight enough not to be squeeling.:yes:

You could get a 350 in any 72 Nova.

LOOKS LIKE YOU HAVE A NICE FIRST PROJECT CAR. TAKES TIME. GOOD LUCK. :chev::thumbsup::waving:

thanks Dr. Denny, we put on an entirely new belt and it ran without a problem...you just saved me about $55

thanks Dr. Denny, we put on an entirely new belt and it ran without a problem...you just saved me about $55


Very cool. :thumbsup:

i'm gonna have to second chevy6455, it took me alot of years to realize that you'll get farther sticking to onecar

Check the number on the pad (front of engine block) under your alternator to find out your engine size. Go here to decode it www.mortec.com. Also, with the alternator squealing issue, make sure your voltage regulator is not stuck on, meaning it is overcharging your battery when you rev up the motor, I've had this cause squealing before and then everything will start to smell like rotten eggs very quickly (from sulfur in the battery). Good luck man, I got my Nova when I was 16, people used to say it looked like the Ace Ventura car. I'm 19 now and it looks pretty darn good. It's my daily driver.

It runs well...but 4 of the spark plugs aren't firing so we cleaned them and checked the timing. Just have to get new plugs. Recently i installed a new water pump (that was a bear). now i need to replace my alternator because it squeaks when it hits higher rpms. That was originally why i replaced the water pump. I probably wont see you beings that i live in PA...many miles away from florida

I was wondering what size engine i have...the guy that we bought it from said it was a 350 but it doesn't seem like it because isn't that on the SS version? He probably thought so because the owner before him was a Chevy mechanic.

OOPS! I was looking at someone elses avatar that said Gainesville and confused it with yours. Hope you get it running strong soon.

for those of you following my progress here's what i have done so far: Constant grinding away of rust spots, replaced water pump, replaced fan belt, put in new spark plugs and currently it looks like this so far.

http://i677.photobucket.com/albums/vv132/Captnova72/cars001.jpg

http://i677.photobucket.com/albums/vv132/Captnova72/cars002.jpg

http://i677.photobucket.com/albums/vv132/Captnova72/cars003.jpg

We removed the side fender there along with the bumper and hood.

The fender and cowl do not look too bad. Is that surface rust by the windshield or rot?

Glad to here the good news and congtrats. How ever just to let you know the time me and my son spent building cars together is priceless and it brought us even closer together.

Let dad help, but make it clear its your car and your project, he can help but not run the show.

Hey Capt Nova if you don't mind me asking where are you from in the Keystone state? I'm about 5 minutes south of Harrisburg and I have relatives in Sunbury (1.5 hours North of Harrisburg)

First, the stuff under the windshield there is from what i saw mostly rust and grime build-up. It isn't as bad as it looks in the pic.

Second, i haven't been doing this without my dad. I didn't want this to be the project that i stood and watched him do thats all. like i said i'm excited to spend the next few years working on it. For the most part i work on it when i get home from school or after work. He'll give me some directions and then i'll just do that until he comes home.

Thirdly, I live an hour and a half north of Philadelphia. And 35 minutes away from Allentown. I live in Ottsville which is somewhat secluded. most people never heard of it unless they live there. But i have relatives in Pittsburg which i haven't visited since their 60th anniversary party that was 8 years ago.

I know where ottsville is i am about 20 minute from you .

is it expensive to live in ottsville ? is it nice and rural? thanks

its awesome here..i dont know how expensive it is but a lot of people have a lot of land. though most aren't interested in selling any

To answer your question very rural, VERY nice, i would hate to live anywhere else

what county is it in? is it in or near Schuylkill County? also hows the work there? is there plenty of jobs there?
thanks so much

r u moving here or something

r u moving here or something

well i have to move somewhere in the future and im just looking into possible places that i could move to. thats why im asking. i hope thats ok to ask? thanks much

its in bucks county. most people that live here commute. some small businesses do pretty well here.

how is it coming?

sorry no pics right now but basically me and my dad are patching bad metal in the under fenders. (i think thats what they are called)

so i've been doing pretty good with the welder. learned it pretty quickly. i haven't put in as much time as i had hoped because i've been working alot. But i crushed my finger so i'll get more time to spend on the car.

I was 15 when I bought my car, that was 20 years ago and I still have it. I am starting all over again now that I have more money. I am happy to see the younger ones are still interested in the old iron...
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u256/something69_photos/Picture2101.jpg

I was 15 when I bought my car, that was 20 years ago and I still have it. I am starting all over again now that I have more money. I am happy to see the younger ones are still interested in the old iron...
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u256/something69_photos/Picture2101.jpg

I don't see how they couldn't be. Nothing new looks that good.

I bought my Chevelle when I was 15. my brother had to drive it home for me:D
and I still have it today. I just put a 454 in it!:cool:
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c336/novabro/DSCF0009-2.jpg

very nice, I got my car when i was 14 just a few days before my birthday, i'm 19 now and turning 20 tomorrow so i've had the car for 5 years. DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME!!!! Thats why it took me so long to get my car where it is now, but it is totally worth it to not have to go back and redo whats been done. This winter i'm going back and overhauling some of whats been done because i'm going a little bit of a different direction than before. Mine was my daily driver for 3 1/2 years and its been through two minor accidents and more abuse than a car should go through, but its been an absolute blast to build, especially with the help of my dad, like anyone else says it brought my dad and i closer than we had ever been.

Hope to see your car in PA sometime...like SuperChevy at Maplegrove, you can go and get a lot of ideas from the cars there.

http://i399.photobucket.com/albums/pp72/snakeman71289/IMGP1795.jpg

maple grove is 3 hrs and 15 mins away from me :(

ouch, didn't realize that that was in the wrong direction. well i'm sure there will be some get together that we can meet at.

you just never know when u will meet up with some1

Here are some quick updates..this past week i have been patching bad metal on these inner fenders. While i was grinding the final patch on the final part i noticed spots around the holes for the battery tray were falling out so i had had two more places to patch. We should finish up today (Sunday) just have to drill out the other 1/2" hole on the most recent patch and primer. then my dads friend will sandblast them for us, too much rust for our portable blaster...here are some pics

http://i677.photobucket.com/albums/vv132/Captnova72/cars004.jpg

:o that was a very big gap due to some severe blow-throughs

http://i677.photobucket.com/albums/vv132/Captnova72/cars005.jpg

That's more like it


http://i677.photobucket.com/albums/vv132/Captnova72/cars007.jpg

Quick touch up and some primer...Ship it