72 Nova - C5 Corvette Suspension Swap Project!

[nickcornilsen]

Dash panel test fitted!


At this point, I decided to cut the car off the frame jig, for the first time in 8 years, 10 months. I decided to get the tires mounted up so I could roll it around when I get a little further.





Things were slow at work, so I designed something to make my life easier for installing and removing the transmission.










I have not yet welded this all together. I'll use a powered winch to raise and lower it.

[waynieZ]

It looks good. Nice trans jack.

[nickcornilsen]

I suppose I'm due for an update! The Covid thing has given me a bit more time to work on the car, so I've made some great progress!

After the last post, I went into full body work mode.

My OEM trunk was too rusty to save, so I got a new one. They guy who had it before really piled on the featherfill sprayable body filler, so I used a heat gun and a razor to knock it down. Then, an 80 DA to profile the surface.









I then put a layer of Southern Polyurethane Epoxy over everything. I did the fenders a while back in White epoxy.




A couple weeks of body work ensued. I blocked the black epoxy, and took care of all kinds of little dings and waves at this point.




After the body work, I did 2 coats of White epoxy,
Followed by 3 coats of Southern Polyurethane's regular build 2K primer.





I got the whole car blocked out flat to 400 grit without getting through the White epoxy! Minimizing film build is good, so I'm happy with that.

After blocking, I replaced all the plastic sheeting, and got ready for base and clear!

I put down a coat of White epoxy, reduced 50%, then 3 coats of Southern Polyurethane Orange base. Seemed like everything was covered in 2 coats though. I used SPI's Universal clear.



I made sure to make the door window frames black, I've seen novas where they left them orange with a 2 tone look, and it comes out kind of odd looking.



Suspension, Wheels and tires:





First time it's been out of the shop in 9 Years, 2 months!

[WSSix]

Congrats, Nick! I missed the update where you got the car on the ground and now it's outside. That's great. Hope Jody is able to get the pic issue resolved so we can see it.

[nickcornilsen]

Got the pictures fixed! One little typo copied and pasted....

[98ssnova]

Looks good orange and black always a good combination.

[slimjim]

seriously impressive work from a garage

[WILWAXU]

Paint looks fantastic!

Originally Posted by nickcornilsen

Dash panel test fitted!

Love the double DIN setup!

[nickcornilsen]

Originally Posted by WILWAXU

Paint looks fantastic!



Love the double DIN setup!

Gotta have my navigation and Bluetooth!

[nickcornilsen]

Time for a little update!

A lot has happened in the last 2 years... little of it has been Nova related, unfortunately.

First, I got some things done on the car. Interior sound deadening, trim, wiring... Without further adieu, here are some pics.

I used 1/8" of closed cell foam as an isolating layer, then some Mass loaded vinyl to sound deaden the interior. The wiring harness went in after. I stripped a couple of cars for harnesses and Metripack connectors, then invested in all the pins and seals I'd need. I've got my daughter studying to help me design some stuff later.