'70 Nova V/SA to F/SA Makeover

[Doug Hoven]

Even though it's a few months after the fact, but I figured I would write up a build thread for a project that I got myself into a few months back earlier this year. Took a bit of mild convincing, well maybe more than a little bit, to "hack up" his original 28k mile 6 cylinder PG nova with a roll bar, frame connectors, and a new drivetrain. I decided at the end of last year, even though I had gotten the handle on hitting the tree with a low horsepower, tall front tire car, I decided I wanted to go a bit faster. After some thought, and the generosity of a fellow D1 racer in donating a 295hp 350 engine, I decided to go with the 1970 350/300 rated at 286. One thing that sticks in my head is when I suggested that's what I was building to my car owner, I got the response "Nice job choosing the worst 4bbl 350 combo in the guide." A little harsh IMHO, but I decided to do it anyway. I'll start with the chassis/fab work, and move on to the engine. The car owner is a very knowledgeable and talented fabricator, so naturally, with some "here, hold this" assistance from me, we got the bar and frame connectors done to where we are both very satisfied with the final fit and finish. I'll post some pics of this process under this post.