'71 Nova. Project "Urban Legend"

[coolwelder62]

Coming along nice.

[Jay Hilliard]

Very nice John. Keep us updated.

[GoolsbyCustoms]

Originally Posted by BBC71Nova

Sorry for the crappy pictures. I need another lens. Little tough under the car, on my back, with limited light and a 28-135mm lens . I need one of those fancy lifts .

Here is a shot of the fill tube on the Fab-9 hitting the crossmember. It is just hitting at full compression but enough that it must be addressed. Probably end up bending another crossmember that goes up a little closer to the floor or change the route it takes. I spoke to Chassisworks about it and they are aware of it but it seems to only be an issue with Fab-9 setups.

Notice the non-existent exhaust clearance. Might have to talk to the guys down the street at Goolsby Customs about raising the trunk floor or something .

Im sure we could read a couple "How to"s and figure it out

[Moabdude]

Any updates?
Nice looking Nova.
I will have a Nova soon so I'm subscribed!

[wv nova]

looks like a real good build , good job.

[BBC71Nova]

Thanks guys. Not much notable progress lately. Combination of lack of both time and money .

Got some vacation time coming up soon so hopefully I can make headway then. Right now I'm just trying to get parts lined up for that time.

I'm contemplating selling off my BBC stuff and going with an L92. Probably be more enjoyable and less expensive in the long run. Also would take care of my current pain point which is fitment of a radiator/shroud combo with a serpentine accessory drive. I've spent more than a few hours measuring, building templates, talking to different radiator shops, etc.

I'm also starting the process of lining up a paint/body shop. Boy oh boy is that fun and heartbreaking

[Payton King]

Just don't paint it, hit it with some primer and off you go. Get it up and driving first as it always seems there will be something you need to change or a few problems to chase down. Once it is sorted, then you can paint it.

Same goes for the interior.

Have fun, looking forward for it being complete.

[frojoe]

Updates, dammit!

[BBC71Nova]

Ha! Wished I could say I'm having to keep the updates under wraps before the big unveil to preserve the marketing value. But... uhm, yeah, no...

Been a fairly slow summer for the car project. Have a newborn around the house now too .

Most of the last few months has been the typical 2hr task turns into 10 due to fitment issues here and there. Then 2 months wait on a steering box, indecisiveness on my part, etc. Why these things are labors of love I guess. That or we all just have a high tolerance for pain .

I bet I have 10hrs in getting the trans, block, headers and steering box all mocked up. It's all in there now though and appears to fit nice. Few hours in I finally decide to try another set of repop big block frame mounts. That made all the difference. Can't say enough good things about the Lemons headers. It's tight just because those real engines take up a lot of room . Per their instruction I had to trim the back of the driver's side engine frame mount but otherwise they fit awesome. They are hand's down the nicest headers I've ever dealt with.

I also spent some time on the driveline angles. In order to set it up without such a severe "working angle" I shimmed the back of the trans up about 3/4". Coupled with the low rear ride height I'm fairly certain this will put the driveshaft into the tunnel up near the trans tailshaft. That'll have to be dealt with.

I never did come up with a solution for an accessory drive and radiator combo to work with the factory style radiator support. The AutoRad setup has been on order now for a few weeks. I expect it shortly. Not an expense I had planned on that's for sure. It *should* yield the clearance I need though. If not, I'm gonna cry .

I've had the front suspension on and off a few times. Ended up going with the Ridetech tall drop spindles. I'm still working through some issues with steering linkage and front fender to tire clearance up front.

Lastly, I have wheels and tires now. I went with 17"X8" and 18"X11" VWW V40 wheels. Exactly the look I was after. Oh, I also did some horse trading (screwed on another forum in the process) and moved up to the 12.2" rotor size up front from the 10.8" size I did have.

Unfortunately I don't have pics right now. Soon I hope to roll it outside where I can get some good side shots. I'm pretty stoked about the look. After a few years it is FINALLY SITTING ON 4 TIRES greater than 7" in diameter. When i was taking it off the stands in the rear and lowering the jack I started wondering if it was gonna stop. I love the look.

[70Nova]

Congratulations on the newborn.

Inquiring minds want to know...........seeing that "real engine"