Ok well im new here and i just picked up a 73 Nova from the neighbors. I honestly dont know much about car engines, im into smaller engines. Ive worked all through atv engines but these are much different. So, i need some help is identifying anything wrong with the engine. The neighbors dont know anything about this car when they bought it. Theres some strange hoses that dont seem right and the left side seems pretty open. Its missing an overflow bottle from what i can see. Ive never worked on a car engine before so id appreciate it if anyone can take a look at these pics and tell me any info they see about the engine. It runs great so far, hauls ***! I dont know anything about Novas so ill be looking around this forum learning as much as i can.
From what they did know about it.
350 engine, dont know if its original.
Edelbrock carb and manifold.
MSD ignition
4200 on a complete rebuild.
They hardly ever drove it and it just sat in thier driveway. Im more preoccupied in the engine before anything else right now so is there any other important info on this engine or things i need to buy/fix?
ya say it runs good, huh ??? well that's good, right??? from looking at the pics, it's kinda hard ta see all the hoses and where they might go... if they were disconnected (i see none disconnected) then if not plugged you'd have a vacuum leak more than likely...
i think the car looks nice, ya say it runs nice... so ARE there any probs with it ???
so far as i said, looks OK ta me ;)
taz3
8th-November-2006, 09:07 PM
It looks to me like the heater core has been by passed.The 3/4" hose on the water pump that goes to the intake should go to the fire wall on the pass. side there are 2 pipes sticking out(heater core) 1 hose from water pump to heater core the other is heater core to intake manifold.I think top heater core hose to water pump and lower heater core hose to intake.
Anything else just post & welcome to the site Paul
AllMuscle
8th-November-2006, 09:23 PM
Alright thanks guys. There is one strange hose that doesnt look right. On the 3rd pic you can see it. It goes from the fan to behind the starter. What is this hose? It has a crimp in it.
taz3
8th-November-2006, 09:30 PM
Alright thanks guys. There is one strange hose that doesnt look right. On the 3rd pic you can see it. It goes from the fan to behind the starter. What is this hose? It has a crimp in it.
I'm not sure where you mean?
The one beside the altenator goes to the water pump & up to the intake with the kink in it,is that the one you mean?
AllMuscle
8th-November-2006, 09:35 PM
This hose right here. The larger one, i circled where the kink is.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b292/aceaspades909/IMG_9683-1.jpg
taz3
8th-November-2006, 09:43 PM
Ya that should go from water pump where one end is now to the fire wall on the right side of the back of the engine there are 2 pipes sticking out.Get a longer piece of 3/4" and connect it to top pipe(heater core) the lower pipe at fire wall sould have a 1/2" piece of hose and connect to the intake where you drew the red circle.What someone has done is by pass the heater core be warned it may have a leak that is usually why they get by passed.If that's the case I can give ya the fix on that too.
Paul
Custom Jim
8th-November-2006, 09:46 PM
This hose right here. The larger one, i circled where the kink is.
That look just like my 77 two weeks ago after blowing out the heater core and having to fix it on the side of the road. On mine I cut the one hose, removed the other and jumpered the coolant system so the engine kept the water inside of it.
Chances are the heater core on your car leaks and they did a quick bypass to allow the engine to run and stay cool. On mine the car ran just fine but when it started getting cold I finally replaced the heater core and removed my "rigging" like what you have circled.
Jim
Jason628
8th-November-2006, 09:46 PM
Greetings,
Welcome to the site! I have a 73 as well. Fortunately the heater cores for our cars are relatively inexpensive and not hard at all to change. In fact there was a thread recently describing the process.
Looks like a decent start! Most people start off with a car that has significantly more issues than that one.
Jason
taz3
8th-November-2006, 09:50 PM
Jason can you post a pic of your engine to give him an idea of the heater core set up.
Paul
Jason628
8th-November-2006, 09:55 PM
Jason can you post a pic of your engine to give him an idea of the heater core set up.
Paul
Greetings,
Here's an older pic as I've got mine torn down awaiting new aluminum heads and such, but it does show where the hoses go.
Nice engine bay Jason,that otta givem an idea.:D :rolleyes:
AllMuscle
8th-November-2006, 10:22 PM
Alright thanks alot. I think ill just find a way to fasten it so the kink isnt there. Im on a tight budget and theres some other things it needs. It needs new locks, dash area, and thats all i can see from 1 day of looking it at. I know im going to find more stuff later on. But just out of curiosity what does the heater core cost?
Oh and ive got a few more questions if you guys dont mind. So far with the edelbrock carb, manifold, and the ignition what aprox. what hp do you think its at? What would be a good exhaust i could look into for the future? How does the edelbrock compare to the Holley? Is there any tuning i need to do to check if its running the way it should be? thanks.
lifetime62
8th-November-2006, 11:20 PM
Alright thanks alot. I think ill just find a way to fasten it so the kink isnt there. Im on a tight budget and theres some other things it needs. It needs new locks, dash area, and thats all i can see from 1 day of looking it at. I know im going to find more stuff later on. But just out of curiosity what does the heater core cost?
Oh and ive got a few more questions if you guys dont mind. So far with the edelbrock carb, manifold, and the ignition what aprox. what hp do you think its at? What would be a good exhaust i could look into for the future? How does the edelbrock compare to the Holley? Is there any tuning i need to do to check if its running the way it should be? thanks.
as far as a heater core i bought mine from advance for 36.00
hp is not determined in my opinion by carb and intake edelbrock make a good carb
the hollys i have had had problems with keeping adjusted but that is me fiddling with it
flowmasters to me is the best on the exhaust i think,duals is even better but work that into your budget
i have mine a single but i am working on duals
but enjoy her she is one of a kind and she will be a joy in the long run
i enjoy the ones i have
welcome to the site also
james
taz3
9th-November-2006, 12:25 AM
Edelbrock carbs are less fussy and don't need tuning as much as Holley for daily drivers.HP is hard to say without knowing cam,heads,carb size,probally 250+ hp if cam and heads are stock.
I agree with the flow master set up for exhaust.
You really need more engine specs to tune via the puter there are alot of variables.
The by pass for heater core will only be a problem in the cold,so it can wait.
Keep us up to date with repairs and improvements,someone here is always willing to help Paul
AllMuscle
9th-November-2006, 01:55 PM
Alright thanks for the help. Im going to get the little stuff that needs to be done first then save up for an exhaust.
So with the flow master, is there a specific type of exhaust that works the best? Lifetime, your saying duels are better becuase of two exhausts instead of one?
i found this one, and it is duels. Is the price ok for it? im just getting into cars so i dont know prices yet. If theres a better place i can pick up one it would really help me out, thanks.
AllMuscle, Dual exhausts allow the engine to " breathe " better than having a rsingle exhaust. Single exhausts are very restrictive. True dual exhausts systems consist of some type of header from the engine (either factory cast iron or some type of aftermarket tube style), pipes to some sort of muffler, then pipes to exit the spent gasses. Another addition many people opt for is a "crossover H or X pipe". This allows both sides of the exhaust system to maintain an equal backpressure. I run Flowmaster 40 Series mufflers, which work well, but are a little bit on the loud side.
Even though it says it is for a Camaro it will fit the Nova just fine.
AllMuscle
9th-November-2006, 08:37 PM
Ok thanks, i think ill get that duel set then when i have enough money. So the headers i have right now probably wont connect to that right? If they do bolt up to it, do you gain anything from replacing them?
I know im asking alot of questions but this is my first car that ill be working on and i really dont know the specifications of parts and stuff. i appreciate the help though.
Bscman
9th-November-2006, 11:15 PM
FWIW, I have 2.5" mandrel bent dual exhaust I got as a complete exhaust system from Jeg's for a little over $200 a few years back.
Great looking pipes, all aluminum to help against corrosion.
Came with all hangers and clamps (though I welded vs. clamping) and was universal between all 3rd and 4th gen novas and like, as well as 1st gen camaros. It was easy to install myself.
After the install I decided I didn't like the mufflers and swapped them for a pair flowmaster 40 series mufflers ($60 each). Much better sound, but it has a irritating and VERY loud drone at certain RPMs. I have 900 watts running through an aftermarket stereo and have to have it at 70% + volume to be able to hear the music over the exhaust.
I have the original sound deadener, 2 rolls of the aluminum backed padded sound deadener in the floors, and more behind the back seat, door panels, etc. I'll be swapping them out again some time this winter.
I see from your pics your car already has headers...so someone has at least done SOMETHING to the exhaust. Take a look under the car, you could (and probably do) have dual exhaust....or at least a separate pipes coming off each header back to the rear, and both into a single muffler--then splitting back into two pipes out the rear. This setup isn't bad at all, though it isn't optimum. A good exhaust shop could re-use have the exhaust system and set you up with true duals if you REALLY wanted...but it probably isn't necessary for a good street cruiser!
MK70SS
10th-November-2006, 10:04 AM
Those 40 series Flowmasters are a little on the loud side, but sure do sound sweet.........although on a couple of early mornings when I started up the old big block, I had to apologize for waking the next door neighbor up.;)
Jason628
10th-November-2006, 12:12 PM
Those 40 series Flowmasters are a little on the loud side, but sure do sound sweet.........although on a couple of early mornings when I started up the old big block, I had to apologize for waking the next door neighbor up.;)
Greetings,
That's why I went with the 3 chamber 50 series Flowmasters on mine...LOL...I like the tone and no interior reasonance.
Jason
lifetime62
10th-November-2006, 03:10 PM
Alright thanks for the help. Im going to get the little stuff that needs to be done first then save up for an exhaust.
So with the flow master, is there a specific type of exhaust that works the best? Lifetime, your saying duels are better becuase of two exhausts instead of one?
i found this one, and it is duels. Is the price ok for it? im just getting into cars so i dont know prices yet. If theres a better place i can pick up one it would really help me out, thanks.
Flowmaster (http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/bizshop/ymmp/chevy/chevy_ii_nova/exhaust_system/1968/1974.html?apwcid=L1092232221W411a241dbe70a&apwkwd=Flowmaster+Exhaust+System+Chevy+Chevy+II+No va+1968-1971+1972+1973+1974)
they sound alittle loud as couple of the others have said but there is not pressure build up as there is with single exhaust
i am going to put them on my car but im going alittle more on the quiet side (the wife is making me)
AllMuscle
10th-November-2006, 07:18 PM
Today i was thinking my car seemed kinda loud. i looked underneath and what do i see? Flowmaster duelies already on it! Im new parts on this thing every time i look! :D
lifetime62
10th-November-2006, 11:52 PM
Today i was thinking my car seemed kinda loud. i looked underneath and what do i see? Flowmaster duelies already on it! Im new parts on this thing every time i look! :D
how are the pipes run out the back
AllMuscle
11th-November-2006, 03:45 AM
What do you mean? How do they run out of the back? They arch up after the muffler, arch back down, then end. About where the gas tank is.
450HP
11th-November-2006, 04:32 AM
Those 40 series Flowmasters are a little on the loud side, but sure do sound sweet.........although on a couple of early mornings when I started up the old big block, I had to apologize for waking the next door neighbor up.;)
And didn't I read in another thread where you stated that you were a police officer? ;)
A police officer "disturbing the peace"... :D
Scott
PowerMax
11th-November-2006, 09:59 AM
Need some help with a 73 Nova
Yeah ... don't we all! :D
I think you're getting hung up with piddly stuff that already looks like it's in pretty decent condition. If your engine runs decent and you have a limited budget ... don't worry about it. If I was in your position (as I was back when I was a teen with my Nova) - I'd start out by changing out all the fluids and filters, etc. Check the ignition parts (plugs, points, wires, etc.) and change out if needed. Maybe all you need to do is clean and gap the plugs and file the points a little and set the dwell. Move onto the brakes and make sure everything there is in good working order. Then start cleaning up the engine bay and painting everything to make it look good. Cleaning and painting takes very little money and will just take some time. Looks like you have a very decent car there to start with. Attach some pic's of the entire car and maybe the interior, so we can see what you have. Best of luck and welcome aboard.
Jeff
MK70SS
11th-November-2006, 10:15 AM
450HP, You misunderstood, I was going on official police business. You know to skulk around car shows low profile-like looking for illegal/illicit activity to report. (and cruise the swap meet for parts).........;)
AllMuscle
11th-November-2006, 03:33 PM
Well i found the first problem...the gas gauge doesnt work! i went on a cruise then suddenly the engine started bogging then died. I looked at my gas guage and it was reading full so i thought it still had gas. It really had me confused and i had to push the damn thing about 3/4 of a mile all the way home. Just to check i put some more gas and it fired right up, but that pushing had me so tired.
anyway, heres one shot of the interior. the seats are kind of purple, the back seats are just like the fronts. I think the interiors pretty decent but it just doesnt have any dash area. No ac, heater, switches, radio, and the dash for the speedometer has the plastic yellowed so its kind of hard to see it.
If the gas guage reads full it's probally the ground wire is broke at the sending unit on top of the gas tank.Drop the tank and have a look should be an easy fix.
Paul
AllMuscle
12th-November-2006, 04:26 AM
alright thanks, ill check into the gas gauge. IVe got another question also. What else could i do to get some more performance out of it? Ive got the ignition,distributor, exhaust, intake, carb, manifold. Im assuming the carb and manifold are the bottom of the line "performance" or whatever catergory it is of edelbrock parts. Later on if i do want some more power, any other reasonable options?
Another question also about transmissions. This may sound stupid, at least to me it does. Besides automatic what other transmissions are available? Meaning, i know theres manual but is there like a semi auto where theres no clutch but your able to shift 1-4? Im honestly not up to date with car parts so i have no clue. I really hate how autos shift so soon and dont let you get the engine into the higher rpms until 3rd gear. If there isnt, how hard are the clutches on the v8s? Im asking because i have a problem with my left knee and its not as strong as my right. Never dealt with a super tough clutch but just asking cause it might be a problem. Thanks alot, you guys are a big help.