Restarting My '70 Nova Project

[BravoXray]

Since I'm still waiting on fenders for the Nova, I decided to pull the subframe off and install the engine and transmission so I can check to see if the TKO600 transmission will fit the tunnel without interference.
I've read a couple dozen forum posts on the subject, and the third generation Nova installations are about evenly split between fitting okay and having to modify the tunnel for clearance. So I figured I'd get it figured out now rather than later.
I picked up some 3" metal casters at Rural King, and used some 3" X 1/4" bar stock and 1 1/2" square 11 ga. tubing I keep on hand to fabricate four legs that bolt to the subframe so I can roll it around where I need it. Once I get the engine and trans dropped in it, I can just roll it into position under the body and bolt it back up to the body mounts to check the clearance. I made the legs about 1/4" - 3/8" shorter than the subframe is off the floor, so it will give me a little room to play with if it's really close.
Now I just have to move a few things so I can get my cherry picker unburied from the back of the shop and get out where I can use it.
Of course, I realize doing this means the fenders will show up right in the middle of this project. Well, I guess I can always dream...

 

[bdhsfz6]

I had a 1972 Nova SS 350 4 speed. Forest green with a black vinyl top. It was my first new car. Unfortunately, this poor quality pic is the only one I have:

I bought it new in 1972 and drove it 240K miles until 1981 when the price of gas forced me to trade it for something more economical.
Great car and a lot of fond memories.

 

[BravoXray]

I had a 1972 Nova SS 350 4 speed. Forest green with a black vinyl top. It was my first new car. Unfortunately, this poor quality pic is the only one I have:

I bought it new in 1972 and drove it 240K miles until 1981 when the price of gas forced me to trade it for something more economical.
Great car and a lot of fond memories.

I know how you feel, I had two other cars in the '60s and 70s that I never got a single picture of.
The first was a'68 Chevelle SS 396 automatic, red with a white vinyl top and white bucket seat interior. I bought it in June of '68 after graduating HS, and took it to Purdue in the fall. It was stolen out of the parking lot in September of '68 and never recovered.
I bought an old POS '63 Chevy to replace it while I went to Purdue for the next two years. No one stole it!
The second was a '69 Chevelle Malibu 350 automatic, black with a black bucket seat interior. When I bought it in '72, the paint was kind of shabby, so I had it repainted and put a new set of Cragars and radial tires on it. The wife drove it to work, I drove a pickup from work, and one day she ran off the road and hit a utility pole on the right side, just in front of the rear wheel. It was totaled out, hardly a straight piece of sheet metal was left on it. Fortunately, she had her seat belt on, and was just bumped around a bit, and walked away from the accident.

 

[goeduck]

Nice work BX!

 

[Gem99ultra]

Lots of work, but what I call 'fun'! There's nothing more satisfying than working on your own project, taking the time to do it right. And it sure looks like you're doing it right. Nice going. You'll end up with a fine ride that you'll never want to separate from.

One thought passes my mind is that nothing is as easy as it sounds. Doing your own project 100% sure isn't a quick and easy as what we see on Hot Rod Garage on TV. Amazingly, they can do the same project in 30 minutes as you and I would take a year to do. Of course, they have every tool known to man, unlimited budget, and no doubt a crew of extra experts on the sideline out of camera view.

You are to be commended for the meticulous good research and work you're putting into this project. We're all extremely happy that you're sharing it with us with the good pictures and comments.

 

[BravoXray]

Thanks for the gracious comments.
I have worked on so many poorly built and poorly repaired vehicles over the years that I have become quite particular about how things are done, especially on my vehicles. My big problem is that if I'm not sure how I want to do something, I may study it for hours, days or weeks before I decide on how to proceed, thus it sometimes takes a LONG time to finish some of my projects. My Yanmar powered genset took 22 years.

 

[Fuddy1952]

Lots of work, but what I call 'fun'! There's nothing more satisfying than working on your own project, taking the time to do it right. And it sure looks like you're doing it right. Nice going. You'll end up with a fine ride that you'll never want to separate from.

One thought passes my mind is that nothing is as easy as it sounds. Doing your own project 100% sure isn't a quick and easy as what we see on Hot Rod Garage on TV. Amazingly, they can do the same project in 30 minutes as you and I would take a year to do. Of course, they have every tool known to man, unlimited budget, and no doubt a crew of extra experts on the sideline out of camera view.

You are to be commended for the meticulous good research and work you're putting into this project. We're all extremely happy that you're sharing it with us with the good pictures and comments.

I hate those shows. A car is on the lift: "when we come back we'll install the transmission"...then a two minute break while a lizard, a duck or an emu tries selling me insurance..."now that we have the tyranny installed we'll put headers on it and run the exhaust."
The "workers" look like they just stepped out of the shower.
Make the %&$# show real for God's sake.
"Well...while Joe is off to the ER after said tyranny fell on him, Bill is going to...what's that? while Tom is getting the Last Aid kit Henry and I will install the headers, uhhh was gonna install headers but Henry just...yes we can drill and tap".

 

[BravoXray]

Worked on the original 350 engine out of the Nova this afternoon. I' trying to get it put back to the original condition as nearly as I can, since it is a numbers matching engine.
Put on the plug wire shields and bolted up the left exhaust manifold with no problems. The right manifold though, is a problem, the front two bolts and the center two bolts line up and go in just fine, but the two rear bolts won't. It's as if the back part of the manifold shrank about 1/8", the bolts will not line up and start in the holes. I don't remember any problems when I took them off, of course that was 6 or 7 years ago, but I've never seen this before. I pulled it back off and checked all six of the holes for rust or any other build up, but they are all fine, a 1/2" drill goes through the end holes no problem, and a 7/16" through the two center holes. Not that is should make any difference, but this is not the original manifold, as all stock small block heads have the same bolt pattern. The block off plates I had on the exhaust ports fit just fine, so it has to be the manifold.
Going to have to cogitate on it for a while and decide what to do about it. I may just get a new set of correct part number manifolds and be done with it.

Edit: Went down to the shop this afternoon and did some more looking at the manifold problem. I cleaned out all the bolt holes in the manifold with a file, really didn't need to, they were pretty clean.
I got out my 8" digital calipers and measured the distance between the outside center holes and the closest hole on the ends. The end giving me the problem is right at .060" (~1/16") shorter between the holes than the other end. That may not sound like much, but its enough that the bolts will not start straight in the holes in the head. There's not much meat between the hole and the exhaust port, so slotting it out to get it to fit would just cause it to crack at some point, so I'm not going to do that.
So, I'm just going to order a new manifold for it.

 

[goeduck]

^^ I had to wipe the drool off of my shirt after staring at those beauties.

 

[Oaktree]

Good luck with your project. Those muscle car-era GM cars were really sharp-looking cars...Novas & Chevelles especially.