TOTAL Rebuild, Newbie's First Time

I will start off by admitting I have never undertaken any kind of major automotive rebuild, but have wanted to for a long time.

For my son's birthday, I decided to find him a car and do a father-son project. We found a (barely) rolling '74 Nova. It has no engine/tranny, or front-end sheetmetal for that matter. A "blank slate" if there ever was one!

Anyway, the only thing that scares me so far is the emissions.

QUESTION: Where can I find information on what I need to add to make it compliant with emissions? I know testing varies from state to state, even county to county. Chances are I will not put a '74 engine in it, so does anyone have any recommendations on where to find what I'm looking for?

Thanks, and great site.
Kevin

just in case i have brain fade... what's the cutoff year for smog requirements in Arizona ??? if you aren't required to put all the smog crap on it... don't :rolleyes: ;) :D

i'd check a Mitchell's manual, you can probably check in a local reputable auto repair shop for one (one of those... hey bud, can ya look in yer book for me ??? ;) kinda deals)

i'm sure someone here will have a better answer for ya... Welcome to Steve's ;)


POST UP SOME PICS !!!!!!! :eek: :eek: :eek:





JohnnyRotten :D

Being a '74 it's most likely exempt...so it shouldn't be a big deal.

The important thing is to make sure it's SAFE...brakes, tires, seatbelts, etc.

Depending on your budget I would highly recommend a new motor. I'm 17 and got my 74 with a crappy motor in it. I tried making it work and just kept throwing money at it. I've now gone to the clean slate method and I'm building a new motor right from the bare block. If I hadn't ordered my stroker kit when I considered the LS engine idea I would have gone that way.

For anywhere from 3-4000 you can have a fuel injected motor out of a firebird or corvette in your sons nova. Guaranteed to fire up in the morning. Smog would be a lot easier with a fuel injected vehicle.

Thanks for the replies!

I was reading Arizona's Environmental Quality website, and I'm a little confused...The law says 1968 and newer, 1981 and newer, and then 1974 and newer. There seems to be a little overlap in the rules, but I can't understand them. I haven't actually asked anyone official yet, so there is that route. There are exemptions for "classic" cars, which means you have to apply that way. Problem is, you need a Dealer's License if you want to sell the car later.

I'll post a picture of this beast in another thread.

I say go headers, no cats, no air pump, and free flowing mufflers. I can't wait for my 86 Olds to reach 25 years. I am going to celebrate by ripping all that crap from that 307!! I am tired of it failing every year in NY. No matter what I do it fails. The motor is a brand new rebuild from the bottom/up with 2700 miles on it. All sensors, smog pump, and cat are new. Still it fails!! Go figure. 4 more years of this nonsense and I can start paying $10.00 dollars for a safety inspection and rumble out the station on my way. Yeah Man.



http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2447606

Hi Kayelbe, welcome to the site!

Manufacturers started putting catalytic converters in cars in 1975. There were some years before that when the mfgrs put in air pumps but no catalytic converters. Since you have a '74, it may have not come with a cat but may have had an air pump.

IIRC, California & NY have the strictest emissions laws. In NY, cars older than 25 years only need a safety inspection, no tailpipe test.

It's good to check with a local inspection station for clarification. Nice to see another Father-Son project here. My advice is to keep it simple.

Good luck to both of you.

www.chevynova.ca my buddy dave's website he has a 73 nova and a 74 omega, lots of good links as well, give him an email he'd be glad to shoot the.... nova info with ya

For Arizona, it's currently 1968 and newer have to pass emissions. I had to pass my 68 many times and couldn't get around it. In fact, the original 307 passed without a hitch, but as soon as I dropped in a Goodwrench 350, I had such trouble.

How old is your son? If he's still in High School, you could probably get him to keep his grades up by negotiating car parts - that's what my dad used to do. Our first car was a 71' Dart Swinger and if I kept my grades above a B, he'd get me various speed parts. At the time it kinda stunk, but now that I'm older and looking back, it was pretty effective. By the time I graduated High School It had a low 12 sec car. I just goes to show you that controlled bribery works! LOL :D

How old is your son? If he's still in High School, you could probably get him to keep his grades up by negotiating car parts - that's what my dad used to do. Our first car was a 71' Dart Swinger and if I kept my grades above a B, he'd get me various speed parts. At the time it kinda stunk, but now that I'm older and looking back, it was pretty effective. By the time I graduated High School It had a low 12 sec car. I just goes to show you that controlled bribery works! LOL :D

Yeah, I might try that. He just turned 14, so he's two years from driving anyway.

Emissions standards for an older car shouldn't be too strict. My '72 is exempt now here in Washington state, but when it still had to pass I would just set my timing back to the stock setting and it would pass as long as all my cylinders were firing. That's with a Holley 4 barrel and headers on a 250 six that started life with a 1 barrel. I compared my test results to the ones for our '88 Safari van at work and it would have still passed against those standards too.
We had visual inspection for a while here too, but I think they stopped as long as the car passes. I had an '81 Suburban with the mighty 454, and I'd removed the AIR pump since it was broken. The inspector was a young woman, and she lifted the hood and stared at it the longest time. There was a TV monitor showing all the required systems in a letter code. Finally she asked me "is that a V8?" :D Maybe that's why they don't do it anymore?
Good luck with the project car. I've tried to get my teens interested in cars, but they just play with the computer and ride the bus:confused: Not like when I was a kid.

Emissions standards for an older car shouldn't be too strict. My '72 is exempt now here in Washington state, but when it still had to pass I would just set my timing back to the stock setting and it would pass as long as all my cylinders were firing. That's with a Holley 4 barrel and headers on a 250 six that started life with a 1 barrel. I compared my test results to the ones for our '88 Safari van at work and it would have still passed against those standards too.
We had visual inspection for a while here too, but I think they stopped as long as the car passes. I had an '81 Suburban with the mighty 454, and I'd removed the AIR pump since it was broken. The inspector was a young woman, and she lifted the hood and stared at it the longest time. There was a TV monitor showing all the required systems in a letter code. Finally she asked me "is that a V8?" :D Maybe that's why they don't do it anymore?
Good luck with the project car. I've tried to get my teens interested in cars, but they just play with the computer and ride the bus:confused: Not like when I was a kid.

Teach um how to do a brake torque. Instant conversion :D

I am so glad that I don't (yet) have to smog my '71. It is bad enough with my Sonoma!:o

Dave

1974 is the cut off in Tennessee. I have a 1984 f350 Ford flatbed and all I had to do was put catlictic converters on and it passed with stock mufflers.

man oklahoma is nice no emission inspections, no safty inspections nothing