Progress on Nova Pro Tourer Novette
 

folks,

some progress on my car ... it took ages for the headliner to get in, now finally my lexan windows arrived .... i got my one-piece door glass now in ... :D

ignore the tape and that moldings and the right side windows are missing . personally i think the windows match great with the grille and it all looks kinda brutal .....

what do you guys think ? windows too dark for the color ?

those wheels are so moneys! :thumbsup:

Looks killer!! I like the wheels...hell I like it all!!!! :thumbsup:

The windows look great!! Alot better than I pictured when I first heard you were going to go lexan. I like the tint. Your car is extremely nice!!

Your car is rediculously clean man...Love everything about it. Def keep the updates and pics coming...... :hail:

The window tint is perfect, What kinda wheels are those?

wheels are
 

hello,

wheels are BBS LE MANS 8.5 and 18 x 18, ET38, are normally meant for the 3 series BMW. look alot like HRE 540 though mine are more platin that polished.

expensive rims, but still a bargain compared to HRE.

Nice and clean!!! looks great I have a 70 SS, I can't wait till mines that clean!

Beautiful car! WOW!!!!

One thing though, and I'm not trying to be a jerk. The American flag on your wall is displayed incorrectly. The union (star field) should always be on the flag's right, which is to say on your left when facing it, kind of like a hand shake.

Can't wait to see more pics of the car! I have to admit that it isn't one of my favorite designs, but you have made it into something incredible! It's amazing how the right stance, mods, wheels, etc. can make an "ok" car something so sweet. What are your plans for the interior?

Shiny Side Up!
Bill
'72 442 "Inamorata"

oops
 

bill,

thanks for letting me know. when the flag is horizontal it is clear for me where the stars belong. vertically it just looked more appealing to me this way, kinda "if it's mounted on a pole and there is no wind, it would hang down like that" .,.. well, i was wrong i guess, i am going to fix it.

see the picture from the back ? you see two seats, sparco evo in black. back seat is stock vinyl, door panels are stock standard panels (which i like more than the ss), all new, dashboard is stock, in black, like the grille, instruments will be custom made panel with autometers, black carpet stock. it is fairly stock inside except the seats, belts, steering wheel, instruments and shifter.

I love this car. It's almost perfect, only thing I would want it white like my Nova. Great job. And keep the updates coming. I need to get off my butt and mount up my mesh wheels on mine.

No biggie! I hung it that way too until an airforce friend of mine corrected me. Somehow it does seem like it should hang that way.

Very cool! I just can't believe how much of a difference your mods have made. I have a friend with a 68 (I think) SS396 Nova, and it's OK. Nicely restored, but somehow it just doesn't "Pop." Your car does and then some!

Shiny Side Up!
Bill
'72 442 "Inamorata"

Opinions Needed Exhaust
 

My car is getting along slowly but surely ...

I was wondering how to do things with the exhaust tail pipes. Before restoration I had two pipes ending under the rear bumper and was facing problems with the chrome changing color / darken to the point where I had trouble polishing it again.

I could now just add two 45° pipes facing downwards, quick and easy , but Exhaust fumes will stay under the car and might mess up my nice finishing. Plus they might get into the cabin easier.

If I come out straight and then up, ending in the middle under the bumper with two pipes it will look cool, but I will additionally heat up fuel tank, filter, pump, plus I have interference with the diff.

I was thinking to go out and route the pipes next to the tank (left and right), but the pipes might be seen from the side and though stainless stell might look ugly (simulated quick and dirty on one pic wouldnt look like that of course)

I could also just make a 90 on each side and end up in front of the rear tire but that seems outdated.

I am just intereted if anyone comes up with a nice idea .. thx.

Merry christmas and a great start into 2009 ...

Dang, Sick Nova. Im really liking the one piece side windows. Ive been planning that mod for years now. Its good to see one done. I definately like the color also! That thing should be sweet on the autobahn.

thats a sweet car:thumbsup: i like the window tint what year corvette is that IRS from:lateral:

Awesome Nova :D

nice nova you nailed it car looks awesome

One of the nicest Novas I've seen! Those BBS LM's fit the car so well! :thumbsup:

thanks for the nice comments ...

it is a 84 suspension but i did it in a way it is interchangable with the newer style if desired.

the axle is now adjusted at ride height, so the travelling arms will come lower while driving. i cannot go above the IRS so i figured out i will do it as seen on this picture.

i just taped the tubes in place it will look nicer afterwards when it is a one pice welded, sanded stainless tube.

the car really came out great i will post more pics soon. but it is still a long way to go ...

it takes soo much time ....
 

I just finished to spot weld the tailpipes today ... now adding hangers, welding the stainless pipes and sanding and I will be done.

It all takes so much time. I just ordered my Covan Classic dash, delivery time couple of weeks :(

The painless wiring is not as painless as the name makes you think .... still tons to do.

I hope this year I get this thing on the road ...

great looking car! :thumbsup:

seems to be coming along well, i enjoy watching the progress. Gotta hand it to you, this is one of my favorite Nova builds on here. Keep up the good work.

Your car looks SICK!!!
Nice and clean! The only thing I would add, is a cowl induction hood. I think that would set it off.:thumbsup: :cheers:

nice suspension set up for the rear. One piece glass is where its at. I like the look you are going for here.

one sided hood maybe/?? :lol:

:woot: Good show! Im really loving these nova builds and am getting the itch to find one!

What kind of crazy person would try to pull that one off?? :_paranoid


:rofl:

thanks for the comments ....

steve, i love your camaro in the El Toro video ... it is such a beautiful car ....

i just wish mine would be running ... :( i spent a whole day just figuring out for a smart goodlooking way to add exhaust hangers ...

your video motivated me to keep going even harder and faster on my car ... :hail:

Tail pipes turned out great. I love those wheels. What width and backspace or offset did you end up with? Also what size tire are you Using?
Thanks.

The hanger at the diff is almost ready i added some cute details more pics to come ... (after finishing)

The wheels are BBS LeMans 8.5 x 18 (LM124) front and 10x18 (LM126) back. Both ET (offet) 30 mm. Bolt circle is 5 x 120 mm come like that for BMW. I dont use adapters, because you can live well with the 0,6 mm difference between 120 mm (BMW) and 120,6 mm (4.75" Chevy) .. I just added a center ring for positioning.

Tires are 235/40 front and 265/35 back.

Basically you can use any 5 bolt BMW rim on a Chevy Camaro, Nova, etc. when you take car of offset (30 mm is from 3 series I believe). But these are especially light and strong so it was worth the price.

They are available up to 11 x 19 ET 25 and even in 5 x 114.3 (4.5")

e.g. http://www.vividracing.com/catalog/b...5762_5768.html

I'm really loving these second gen Novas. I'm beginning to to like these more than the chevelles. Yours looks great.

What are you doing to reinforce the spindle in the back. If I am seeing the pictures correctly, you're got a rod in place of where the coil overs will go? The spindle is not designed to handle the weight of a Corvette let alone a Nova. Could prove destructive if you it's not reinforced.

Thank you for the great information. I really like those BBS rims!
Unfortunately, I have a BBS taste with a beyern budget! Ive been looking at these. I believe I can make them work.

Thanks again!

@ dw

those rims look great too. in germany you can get a set 8,5 and 10 x 18 like that rim for $1170 if you are on a budget. If you look BMW 7 series E38 you might get rims like that for even less money in the states too. like ebaymotors.com item 290293251672 or 290293702405

@ wssix

spindle you mean the aluminum casting part around the wheel bearing ? i attached it like it was meant to by wayne dues chassis shop (see photo). personally i think the casting should be fine but the black powdercoated lower mounting could be stronger ... it doesnt really look stiff espescially if you consider weight and lever where the shock ball eye attaches ... looks like it MUST bend ..... also with the sway bar mounting to lower a-arm in the front, the connecting bracket looks weak ... does anyone have the full wayne due set installed and can tell me more about it ?

killer car :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Hey thanks again for the info. I do like the 7 series wheels as well. Ill keep checkin ebay, craigslist and such. Im sure I will decide on something eventually.

Keep the updates coming,:thumbsup:

Startup after 10 years
 

It took so much time. Bought the car in 1994 in California and drove it 6 years on nice days as my second car, started restoring 1999 and it took 10 long years to come to this point .....

this project accompanied me thru hard times like my fathers death in 2001, health issues in 2005 / 2006, financial issues all the way long so on so on ...

In 10 years I had everything from enthusiastic moments, over total frustration to complete exhaustion.

still some work to do, but minor ... some bolts, brake fluid, suspension alignment, some adjustments and a few moldings ....

pfffff. ..nothing compared to what has been achieved.

2010 here we come.:unibrow:


please check

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL_fMpkAXNI

(not tuned, no choke, cold start so ignore the misfire)

Check With Progressive Automotive...
 

Firstly -- Awesome. Looking. Nova.!!!!!!!!

Next -- check with Bob S. at Progressive Automotive. I'm using some of his parts for my project. He offers a bracket to use coilovers with a C4 IRS. The bracket is 1/4" plate and it mounts to the shock hole as well as to both of the trailing arm holes. The mount for the lower end of the coilover is boxed in. Very heavy duty.....

Not a paid endorsement, just a satisfied customer!

hth,

-jeff d