May 17, 2025-I began this log in May of 2021, not long after getting this car. At the time of this edit, I’m 4 years into owning it. This log contains a fairly decent / accurate record of what has been done to the car under my “ownership”. I put that in quotations because there will come a time when my time on earth has expired and it’s my hope that this car stays with my kids and they find this thread and they have all of the “how to” and “how not to” do certain things.
For the newcomer to this log: there’s questions, answers, pictures, side conversations between friends…and so on. I hope that you enjoy it and that it helps you…whoever you are.
Late March 2021. 1972 Nova, 6 cylinder car. I don't know much else about her except the title says she was grey (it's actually green under everything), I see some yellow in some areas that weren't sprayed. She's currently a candy apple-orange-peel red. Running an unknown origin 350 with a TH-350 transmission. Not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but I figured she was pretty solid for what I wanted to do and bought her. What I really should have done was go onto RacingJunk and found a retired grudge car instead of this jalopy. Tuition paid.
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Believe it or not she made a 1200 mile trip and only broke down once. I stopped for gas in what turned out to be a rather shady area. I stepped on the gas a little to get out of dodge and back onto the highway and she stalled where two highways come together at a junction. She cranked but would not start. As cars were whipping around me in excess of 80MPH and being that I would like to live long enough to enjoy this car a little and had no tools with me, I decided to call for a tow.
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Here's where things get just a little sketchy...or maybe I'm just less trusting than I ever imagined. The nice woman on the telephone asked me where I wanted the car towed to. I asked her if the tow company does repairs at their shop. She said that they did not but the tow driver would make a recommendation when he arrived. When the tow arrived, he again asked me where I wanted the car towed and I asked him for a recommendation, he then told me that we would take it back to his shop. I was a little skeptical because the tow dispatch just said they DID NOT SERVICE CARS AT THEIR SHOP.
We drove through miles and miles of back streets before finally arriving at the "shop", which was a buy-here / pay-here lot. The driver said the mechanic would be around at some point to look at it. I paid for the tow and realized I needed cash. When the mechanic arrived I asked him where the nearest ATM was and figured I'd walk down to it, get some cash to pay him for whatever needed done and get back on the road. The mechanic told me he did not want me to walk anywhere.
A few minutes later, he identified the problem was a wire having fallen off of the dizzy. He through some silicone on it, timed the motor (previous owner related it had been timed by ear when he replaced the dizzy), stated his skepticism that the car would make the trip. I paid him and I was on my way.
View attachment 419214
For the newcomer to this log: there’s questions, answers, pictures, side conversations between friends…and so on. I hope that you enjoy it and that it helps you…whoever you are.
Late March 2021. 1972 Nova, 6 cylinder car. I don't know much else about her except the title says she was grey (it's actually green under everything), I see some yellow in some areas that weren't sprayed. She's currently a candy apple-orange-peel red. Running an unknown origin 350 with a TH-350 transmission. Not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but I figured she was pretty solid for what I wanted to do and bought her. What I really should have done was go onto RacingJunk and found a retired grudge car instead of this jalopy. Tuition paid.
View attachment 419212
Believe it or not she made a 1200 mile trip and only broke down once. I stopped for gas in what turned out to be a rather shady area. I stepped on the gas a little to get out of dodge and back onto the highway and she stalled where two highways come together at a junction. She cranked but would not start. As cars were whipping around me in excess of 80MPH and being that I would like to live long enough to enjoy this car a little and had no tools with me, I decided to call for a tow.
View attachment 419213
Here's where things get just a little sketchy...or maybe I'm just less trusting than I ever imagined. The nice woman on the telephone asked me where I wanted the car towed to. I asked her if the tow company does repairs at their shop. She said that they did not but the tow driver would make a recommendation when he arrived. When the tow arrived, he again asked me where I wanted the car towed and I asked him for a recommendation, he then told me that we would take it back to his shop. I was a little skeptical because the tow dispatch just said they DID NOT SERVICE CARS AT THEIR SHOP.
We drove through miles and miles of back streets before finally arriving at the "shop", which was a buy-here / pay-here lot. The driver said the mechanic would be around at some point to look at it. I paid for the tow and realized I needed cash. When the mechanic arrived I asked him where the nearest ATM was and figured I'd walk down to it, get some cash to pay him for whatever needed done and get back on the road. The mechanic told me he did not want me to walk anywhere.
A few minutes later, he identified the problem was a wire having fallen off of the dizzy. He through some silicone on it, timed the motor (previous owner related it had been timed by ear when he replaced the dizzy), stated his skepticism that the car would make the trip. I paid him and I was on my way.
View attachment 419214
