Next, I got started removing the old upper cowl panel (what was left of it) as well as the inner and outer side cowl panels...

Later that afternoon, I had the new parts mocked up. Had to re-check to make sure it was still square, tweaked some areas for better fitment and finished up a few stray items in the back but overall everything lined up well.

Then, this thing of beauty showed up...

More parts...

So catching up to today, put in a long day today but accomplished what I set out to get done. First of all, I bought me a 120v spot welder from Harbor Freight. Wasn’t sure how that was gonna work out but it actually worked quite well. I knew I’d be limited on where I could use it but just being able to do the firewall and cowl panels alone would be worth it. Here’s a shot of the firewall after welding it across the top. Should make the bodywork side much easier.

Next up I got the firewall/floor pan supports fitted up and welded in. These fit pretty good as well and I used the subframe to make sure everything was in the right spot. So glad to have that part done! I also managed to get my hand with a 60 grit flapper disc, right thru the glove! Word to the wise, wear leather gloves for that stuff.

Also, just some random pics. Next is to get the thing off the metal frame and onto some jack stands or casters of some type. Still have some welding to do and plenty of welds to dress. After that, i need to get the torque boxes and subframe connectors welded in and get the extra holes in the firewall and core support filled.

It's come a long way from that first pic. Nice work!!

Those inner quarters are super nice! Killer work as usual :thumbsup:

So been stockpiling some parts for the Nova...mostly the hard to find trim pieces I’m missing but also ordered up some front fenders and roof panel. Have it scheduled to go in the body shop first week of Feb to get the panel alignment done, roof panel and rain gutters installed and get everything welded up...some things are better left to the experts! In the meantime, thought I’d throw a couple of pics up.

Nice work, Shane. You certainly have come a long way. Keep up the good work!

Thanks, Trey, I appreciate it! Can’t wait to see this thing sitting on the ground again. If I’m being honest, I would’ve probably been better off passing on this one, however, there’s great satisfaction in seeing it come back to life again. Besides, not counting the suspension, I still have WAY less then the cost of a new body in it, so I keep telling myself I’m coming out ahead!:lostmarbles:

I had a harbor freight spot welder to, it tack the panel but I do some strengh tests and the tack was weaks. So I didnt take chance and I didnt use it.

Take 2 sheets metal and do only one spot. Do rotation and you will be suprise how it break easy

So I got what should be the final pieces of replacement metal for the Nova today. I was originally gonna make patch panels for the inner A-pillars and bottom of the front door jamb areas that need replaced, however, I decided to just spring for the entire panels. The car goes to the body shop next week for panel fitment, roof replacement, A-pillar repair, etc. and when I get it back it’ll be a rock solid foundation for the fun part of the build to begin on. It’ll be nice to be adding parts instead of cutting them off!
I also pulled the front end back off and started filling the holes in the firewall.

Wow!......Keep up the nice work!
What color is in the plans?

Thank you! As much I enjoy it, I’m ready for a break, especially when it comes to panel fitment...it’s truly a skill and I’m not blessed to have it!
The color choice is still up in the air but while we were on HRPT we saw Church Boys’ 66 Nova and my better half fell in love with that maroon. I was initially pulling for Silver but lately I’ve been eyeballing white which is surprising since I swore against having a white car after my Camaro was white for so many years. There’s something that keeps drawing me back to the white, though.

You’re making good progress, and it looks great! Keep the updates coming!


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Got some goodies for the Nova today since the body shop needed the tail lights to get the rear sheet metal lined up. I like the clean look of the all-red lens so I opted for the backup light delete.

They’re making some good progress on the body. Got the doors and quarters lined up and doors latch properly. Also got the rocker panels lined up and the drip rails installed. Next up will be the trunk drops, tail panel and filler panel. After that it’ll be the A-pillar panels, roof panel and the top inner and outer cowl panels, etc. Didn’t take many pics but here’s a shot...sorry about the poor quality!

Thought I’d share an update...nothing earth shattering but it’s getting closer. Should be done next week, just needing to get the A-pillar patch panels and roof installed then the upper cowl can be welded on. The plan is to get it home and on the rotisserie so I can dress some welds on the underside, get the Quadralink installed and finish filling the firewall holes. From there it’ll get bead blasted and put in epoxy primer. Im very happy with how everything is coming together, especially given where I started at with it. :weld: Thanks for looking!

SSS, its actually starting to look like a car again, not to bad....

Awesome work Shane!

Thank You, Joe!

I’ve been eagerly waiting to see these new A-pillar panels in place. The old ones were pretty rough and had been the victim of some hacking. With so many of these panels available, it just makes sense on this car to replace them now. Here’s the passenger side for anyone wanting to see what the fit looks like...the original dash panel was removed for easier access and will be reinstalled once the backside has been bead blasted and put in epoxy. Aside from the inner roof structure, the dash is the only remaining original metal on the car.

Got the backside of the dash blasted and epoxy primed...ready to be reinstalled.

Picked up a trunk lid molding. It’s an original, not NOS, piece and the chrome’s in phenomenal condition. When I bought the car I didn’t get any trim with it so I’ve been picking up various pieces along the way. I’ve got a small fortune invested in trim at this point but this piece was priced right and the condition is better then most of the junk I’ve seen out there. I got it cleaned it up and just need to repaint the black areas...

New vs Refurb Body, That is the Question!
 

Finally got this heap back from the body shop today. Here’s what she looks like...literally the only original metal is the dash, inner rear quarter panel structure and inner roof structure, everything else is new.
Since the beginning of this project, there were some (not on this site) who questioned why a person wouldn’t just buy a reproduction body and start with a fresh slate. While I’ll admit I questioned that many times along the way myself, I was confident that for me, it was more cost effective to refurb the old body, even one that was in terrible condition. So for the good of the experiment, I’ll tip my hand on some personal information and lay out how that scenario shook out for me.
Keep in mind when I say body, I’m counting everything from the doors back (no front clip, no suspension) but including everything that welds to the body such as frame connectors, mini tubs, torque boxes, and even door latches, door hinges, roof panel, trunk lid and trunk latch. This car may be the closest “apples to apples” comparison of New vs Old simply due to the fact that literally almost everything was replaced that can be bought for this car. As with my previous builds, I keep a very detailed spreadsheet with every cost associated with the car so it’s easy to track budget, expenditures and part numbers and sources.
So for comparison purposes, if a person were buying a new 67 Nova body from Real Deal Steel and it included the automatic shift, bucket seat, quarter panels, doors, roof, deck lid and mini tub options, as well as $500 for shipping (which I think is conservative) and sales tax (7% for me), you’d be at basically a number very close to $18,083 for a car with No VIN tag, no subframe connectors and no torque boxes. Keep in mind, that’s not taking into account getting any sale deals on the body, etc. but it’s also not taking into account the fact that you’re gonna spend a minimum of a few thousand dollars (if you’re lucky) getting that new body properly gapped and adjusted for paint prep. It also doesn’t account for the fact that you won’t have a VIN tag...or if you do, add the cost of the donor car and bail bond (if you get caught!) to the price of the body.
In my case, for the car you see there, while not perfect, I believe it represents something closer to a finished product in that it has proper gaps all around and includes a VIN tag and the reward of saving an original car from the graveyard...all at a price that’s $13.58 less then the new body shipped to my house but otherwise untouched.
My point with all this is simply to provide a real world example with hard numbers for others who may be considering a “New vs Refurb” build. At the end of the day, there’s no right or wrong way, only personal preference. For me, my preference was to preserve the VIN and know that I had brought some old bones back to life!

A buddy was kind enough to lend me a rotisserie so I was able to get the car mounted on that which should make installing the Quadralink, cleaning up some welds and paint/bed lining a ton easier. I won’t know how to act without molten metal burning thru my shirt as I lay on my back welding!:weld:

$$$$$
 

Love it! Glad you didn't buy a "new" body. On principal it just bothers me.
What's up with the Camaro up in the air? Spring cleaning?

Thanks, I appreciate it! Yes, Tom’s info was a huge help in making sure everything was in its proper placement. It definitely saved a lot of second guessing and rework...I appreciate it Big time!

Yeah, for sure, there’s no error in the decimal placement, unfortunately, mostly because there were some additional items that I could have reused but decided to ahead and replace “while I was in there” type of thing. The biggest over-run was the A-pillar panels which led to the roof panel and rain gutters (or vice versa) The bottom of both A-pillars were rusted out above the rockers and in areas on the inner portions next to the windshield. Initially, the body shop quote was to just patch those areas, however, I decided I wanted to replace the roof since the PO had butchered the seam on the passenger quarter as well as both A-pillar seams while removing the outer A-pillar panels. Since I had sprung for the complete new A-pillar panels, I didn’t see the point in cutting off small areas when I could just have the whole thing installed on both sides netting a better finished product. That involved removing the outer cowls which I had installed already. Since the top part of those panels attach to the inner roof structure under the roof skin, it made further sense to do it that way while replacing the roof panel.

Some other items that impacted the bottom line was that I got too busy with work and went ahead and had the shop do some things that I had originally planned to do such as finish welding the mini tubs, closing off the factory fresh air vent in the lower cowl and rebuilding the upper door hinges...nothing major but it all starts adding up and accounted for about $1800. In the end, between work, kid’s sports and thrashing on the Nova, I was beginning to burn out and just wanted it to get done.

Although there’s no way to know for sure in my case, and definitely every new body is different, I still say that the biggest savings would come from the fact that there’s still gonna be a substantial body shop bill to get a new body gapped and have panels massaged. I have a buddy who bought a new 69 Camaro body and paid big time to have the door, trunk and rocker gaps filled with metal rod to close the gaps to 3/16’s as well as other problem areas. That may not be a requirement for everybody and certainly many people have the ability to self-perform more work and are more patient then I am and don’t mind walking away when they feel burned out which could save even more money.

As far as the percentage of work, I did all of the rough alignment and positioning of all the sheet metal as well as installing the mini tubs, torque boxes, subframe connectors, front subframe supports, rearpackage tray, full floor pan, etc. when I took it to the body shop, most items were held in place with either sheet metal screws or vice grips and spot welds. I intentionally left everything “loose” so they could do the final panel alignment and fine tune the gaps without first having cut everything loose. They then replaced the roof, A-pillars, rain gutters, fit the stainless trim to the window openings, fit the tail lights to the tail panels, removed the dash so I could get it blasted and primed and closed out the lower cowl. They also primed and painted the inside of the lower cowl since this area’s not accessible once the top cowl is welded on. They also sanded and protected the top of the inner roof structure before reinstalling the new roof.

The pics below give you an idea of what it looked like when they got it (top) vs when they were done with it (bottom). No difference to someone who doesn’t know what to look for but big difference in the way things fit. Hope that helps and thanks for tuning in!

Thanks! I’m the same way, it’s more rewarding to me to save an original body for sure. It’s funny cause there were several people on another forum that thought I was completely outside my mind for even considering this rebuild. Its funny to see the difference in mindset as I’ve seen many builds on
Lat-G and PT.com that started out like this one and turned out phenomenal.

Yeah, been driving the Camaro some and it was in need of a top to bottom cleaning. Also got all the fluids changed and adjusted the e-brake, etc. Have plans to compete in the Bowler Midwest Musclecar Challenge so I’m hoping it won’t get cancelled but we’ll see!

While I get the factory vs. aftermarket topic, when there's so much material replaced it's a coin toss. It really depends on a lot of factors to make the decision that best fits each situation.

I would think knowing I have a real 67 nova and title would mean a lot to me.

[QUOTE]
The pics below give you an idea of what it looked like when they got it (top) vs when they were done with it (bottom). No difference to someone who doesn’t know what to look for but big difference in the way things fit. Hope that helps and thanks for tuning in[QUOTE]

You sure got a bargain from the bodyshop! Prolly helped that u thought thru the process and tacked everything first. Best thing u ever did was replacing the A-pillars intact......strength-wise they're prolly the single most important piece in a body-in-white...along with the C-pillars.
The difference in the two pics is evident....MUCH sweeter in the final version. It helps that the bodyshop has two or three guys eyeballing and adjusting on the job.

FWIW......I'm with Kcrain.

Stay safe.

For sure, everyone has a different “tolerance” to the pain and different priorities.

[QUOTE=Beechy;702528]Kcrain/Beechy - Having a title and VIN tag was definitely one of my requirements. I know what I spent on my Camaro (which didn’t require a repaint) and while I’m no expert, I have to believe that when insuring, or especially selling a car like this one will be, it has to count for something that it was originally produced by GM in 1967. In terms of insuring it, would it be “fair” to assign the same value to two cars of equal build quality when one was an original with a VIN tag and title and one was a reproduction with a made-up serial number? Would the reproduction car even be considered a 67 Nova by the insurance company?? I don’t know, never asked, but it’d be interesting to learn about. For some, it may not matter but I can tell you if I were buying a finished product, the purchase price would be far less for a reproduction despite having the same parts, simply because it’s a reproduction.

At the end of the day, with all that being said, I could care less what anybody else does as it truly is a personal decision. But for me if I knew going into it that the cost was the same or even a little more, I’d still opt for the real thing if possible and if not, then I’d probably find a different car.

Excellent work and glad you decided to save one. Really enjoyed going through this thread and keep us posted with updates.

Will do for sure and thank you!

So, got my DSE Quadralink and Ford 9” today for the Nova. Super excited to get started on the install. This will be my first venture with a 9” but before pulling the trigger, I spent some time on the phone with GearFX and got some education. I was worried about gear whine based on some threads I’ve seen but I really wanted to switch it up a little on this car vs my Camaro and after talking thru stuff with them, I had a good comfort level. Those guys are super great and spent the time talking me thru options, etc. so I’m confident all will be well. Since this isn’t a crazy HP build I went with the S series center section and 3.70 gears knowing I can always change it later if needed.

I’ve also been stockpiling some odds and ends to mock up the brake and fuel systems while it’s on the rotisserie. I think that’ll be a time and energy saver.

I’m so ready to see this thing sitting on the ground but still have a ways to go...Thanks for looking!

Thanks for the update! Love what you’re doing with your build and really enjoy your detailed posts. Will be a big milestone to get it back on the ground with suspension under it. We will finally be done with paint on my ‘63 (except for bumpers and trim) this week, and suspension going back under it next week, as we start assembly. Makes a big difference when it starts to look like a car again!


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Yes, indeed, looking forward to seeing it in one piece sitting on its suspension! Always looking for updates on your build, the paint looks amazing and you’ve got every reason to be proud! Can’t wait to see more pics as it comes together.