The 1963 Chevy Nova project car |
Well, a while
back you were promised more projects in the garage, so here
we go. The 1963 Chevy Nova project car. Not to worry, other
projects will keep coming, and the jet bike is still here
too. In the months to come, you will see a whole set of
new projects coming through the garage, and we are sure
you will enjoy watching them all come together. Now, (big
drum roll and fan fare here) on with the build!
The car as it was purchased for the project
Well, here she
is in all her glory. The Chevy Nova. A thing of beauty,
really. There was a time when cars were made of steel, and
sang like a baritone. Yes, times have changed, but many
of these cars still live. This will be the story of bringing
one back to life.
Interior of the car
The interior
of the car is completely stripped out so that work can begin
on the car right away. It is during these photographs that
most of the preparation body work was done to ready the
vehicle for paint. The car was lined up and straightened
and generally made ready for paint. Very little body filler
was needed, as the body was in good condition.
Engine compartment and firewall
This space will
be filled with a monstrous engine in the near future, as
well as a few other goodies. What kind of motor fits in
here? A nice big loud one is the only acceptable answer!
The engine is being built now by professional motor builders.
It will be made specifically for this car, and should push
a few horses to the rear rubber. It is so nice to see a
rear wheel drive car!
The trunk area
Take a close
look at the trunk area here. It is nice and in tact, with
no rust through. Those factory wheel wells will have to
go! The wheel wells will get mini tubbed at some point during
the build to make way for larger tires. Mmmm! Nice big tires!
The floor pan
The floor pan
is in good shape, and is sans rust and holes. That is always
a good thing, because you wouldn't want to do the whole
Fred Flintstone feet to the ground thing in this car. Later
this whole interior will be covered with a sound mat to
keep things nice and quiet inside. Ok, well maybe not so
quiet considering the engine this beast will have. Bearable
is probably a better way to describe it.
12 bolt rear end
Why yes, that
is a 12 bolt rear end hiding up under there. The future
of this rear end is still under consideration. It may make
way for a different model, but only time will tell on that.
The new hood
Ahhh, now time
for some of those little things that will make the car stand
out. How about a nice 4 inch cowl hood for starters? Here
is the underside of the hood, and you can clearly see that
it will add a nice bit of clearance to the carburetor setup
later on. It is a nicely molded unit with good reinforcement
around the edges.
The 4 inch cowl hood
The hood really
does stand proud above the front clip of the car. It gives
it that aggressive look that just screams muscle car. The
Nova looks really nice with this piece.
Head on view
This is a view
that very few will see once the car is done. Most people
will be looking at how pretty the back of the car is as
it accelerates away from them. Isn't it nice of us to let
you see it, if only for a little while.
Wiring harness
The electrical
system on the car was old, and needed a lot of work. Instead
of trying to do a repair job, the car will be getting a
brand new E-Z Wiring harness. These are really nice kits
that have tons of little features. It should be fun routing
this through the car and getting it all hooked up correctly.
That will be a whole update unto itself I am sure. You can
see all of their kits at www.ezwiring.com
Fuse block
The fuse block
of the E-Z Wiring kit includes everything you need to get
the electrical system up and running, including blinker
relays. A very nice quality kit with good documentation.
Go Go juice
Lastly in this
update, a little something to whet your appetite. This is
the nitrous oxide system that will be installed in the car.
We will be doing a step by step on how to juice the car,
and you will be able to follow along for your own vehicle.
The size of the HP gain has yet to be determined, but it
will be large enough to make the Nova roar. You will just
have to keep watching and reading to find out more! For
more information on nitrous oxide, check out our advertisers
on these pages.
That's it for
this update, but there are plenty more to come. Keep checking
in, and please be sure to visit some of our advertising
sponsors while you are here.
Russ W. Moore
and
John Valetta
Bad Brothers
Racing
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