Back After a Few Years Gone. 69 Nova Build "First Car Challenge"
21 - 27 of 27 Posts
Joined
·
61 Posts
Thank you. I looked at some of your threads we have some similar thoughts about budget Novas for sure. I am also in Mid-Mo.
Joined
·
61 Posts
Well that fell off the rails... I didn't make any progress on my Nova last year. A few factors led to this. My dad had gotten really sick in November of '21 and we fought that most of 2022. As the Nova was at his shop if I was there I was working on his stuff to cheer him up or taking care of things he needed done. I could have moved it to my shop, but that Chevelle I mentioned previously in this thread is taking up my time and space at my shop, I have made significant progress on it in the last year. Dad is finally doing somewhat better, but still with limitations. We are nearing completion of his '57 Chevy on again off again project we have been working on since 2016. I will be getting back to the Nova to be a legal driver this year.
How the Nova is sitting now. Waiting for me to get back to work on it.
My Mom recently found this picture I had never seen before. Sorry for the poor quality as it is a picture of a polaroid. This is mine and my Dad 69's around 1995 or so. My car set in this spot from the time I got it when I was 6 until my 12th birthday when we moved it up by his shop where it set for a few more years. My dads in the foreground we got running pretty much in the condition as pictured in '98 drove and raced it until we blew the motor in '03. Dad's ratty Nova from my youth is part of the inspiration for my car now. Then it went through a full restoration '04-'08 and became the car pictured below.
We sold it in April of '21 and it went to "Hankster's Hot Rods" in Daytona Beach Florida (they did an excellent video feature on it in YouTube
I do have some plans for my Nova and have accrued some parts toward it. I have always wanted my Nova to be a Big Block car as that is what it was when my Dad had it in the 80's. I was building a 454 for it in 2010 when it ended up in a '78 Malibu and again last year and that one has ended up in my Chevelle. But I have got my hands on a 402 that my Dad has history with. It was in his friends '70 Chevelle, until they found an original '70 454 for it and Dad got another friend to buy the 402 for a '77 Monte Carlo and helped him install it.
Last Spring the friend gave me the 402 and the Chevelle 12 bolt they had also put in it, but I had to take them out and give the car back to him, which I gladly did. The 402 had the oil pump pickup fall off and the bearings are trashed, but it didn't hurt the steel crank. I am going to give it a simple hone, crank polish and put rings and bearings in it and put it in the Nova. It also had a GM L78 Solid lifter cam in it that I plan to reuse. Will fit the style of the build to a T!
Joined
·
61 Posts
Painted the front clip a flat cream color to try and match the faded butternut yellow paint. Came out pretty good (Louver is original paint)
I have been working on the interior as well. I don't have any pictures of it, but you can see some of that progress from this picture. For the rear seat, I had a seat of frames and cushions with nasty blue cloth covers I bought out of a junkyard 15 years ago. I also had saved the Black Vinyl '69 Standard pattern covers from my Dad's car when we restored it back in '07. So I peeled off the nasty cloth covers, shot a little black paint on the frames, and put the old black vinyl covers over the old used batting. I also cleaned up and installed the original door panels, and carpet out of Dad's car. For the front seats I had a set of 74 Nova buckets that were pretty rough. Not wanting to buy real covers at this time, I got these cheap goofy orange covers, that I secretly really love.
I have the front clip mostly assembled including the proper '69 Headlight bezels. When I got this car it had no headlights or bezels so this was a big moment for me.
Getting pretty close to being driveable now, just have to finish the wiring and exhaust and a few other minor details.
Joined
·
61 Posts
Had a pretty day of progress yesterday. Put the hood on and worked on installing the hood pins. Got the fuel system done, It had been done previously with -8 AN line and an electric fuel pump, but I stole all of that and put it on the Chevelle. Since the Chevelle got the 496 and the Nova is staying 355 for now that made sense. So I redid the Nova with 3/8 steel line and a Carter mechanical fuel pump. The 3/8 line should be fine for the 355 and even when I move up to the 396. Then I installed the inner fender on the Passenger side so I could get the battery tray mounted and start running wires. I still had the original wire harness I had removed from this car when I was a kid so I cleaned it up and started sorting through it. I mounted a ford style starter switch on the pass inner fender and got all of the batt cable ran. I was hoping to have it starting and running off of the key yesterday, but I ended up having to remove the whole steering column and disassembling it. The steering wheel lock pin had seized in the housing and was preventing the key from turning. Once I got that fixed and reinstalled I tried the key with no luck. I have power in the car but nothing coming out of the ignition switch, I suspect it is bad but ran out of time to diagnose. Hopefully will get that figured out next time.
21 - 27 of 27 Posts
